Claiming Our Seat at the Table: Women, Work, and Leadership

Lisbeth Calandrino, Flooring Specialist and Associate Publisher and Director of Social Media for Fabulous Floors Magazine

Claiming your seat at the table” means taking the opportunity to actively participate in leadership activities. It represents an opportunity to be heard, respected, and the power to make a difference. But, if we take it to the next level, does it also mean that those at the table have an obligation to notice who is NOT at that table and to ensure they are included as well?

I come from a long line of rule-breakers. Way back in the ’50s, my mom proudly announced one evening at dinner that she was getting a job. This just wasn’t done back then!

My dad was embarrassed. He said this meant everyone would think he wasn’t “man” enough to support his family. My mom replied, in a stern but very sweet voice, that she was going to work, no matter what he thought.

This was the start of my mom’s career as the owner of a real estate firm and political activist. Dad also changed, eventually telling everyone how proud he was of her and her accomplishments.

My dream was to own my own business, and I believed I could achieve it partly because my mom gave me confidence as a female.

If nothing else, the pandemic has taught us how important women are to our workforce.

Fast forward to 2022. The world continues to evolve and change in our new pandemic, “normal.” In many ways, women have had to revert to the old roles as full-time caregivers, homemakers, and full-time parents, all while continuing to work full-time, without the support systems we’ve come to rely on. Women are common in the workplace but not so common to have their seat at the table and are leaving the workplace in record numbers, largely due to pressures of managing families and their safety in an uncertain environment. If nothing else, the pandemic has taught us how important women are to our workforce.

“Getting a seat traditionally meant playing by men’s rules and adopting one’s personality to fit these rules. Not all male leaders are competent; they’ve always believed they owned the table.

To provide better leadership, it’s time to adopt leadership skills fostered by and driven by women. To make this happen, men must be willing to listen, and women must be willing to engage and actively claim their power. This may not be an easy shift, but no one said leadership was for wimps. Having a leadership position allows you to make things happen and have an impact on policy.”

Informa is hosting its first female floor covering the leadership conference atTISE 2022.

“It is time,” says Paul Treanor, Senior Manager, Content and Community at Informa, “women’s business groups have been exploding in the industry, and there have been numerous requests for us to bring all the groups together under one umbrella event.”

“A lot of the best talent these days are female, and our company can’t survive without talent. So, if we don’t get better at engaging and retaining women, our businesses won’t survive. So please don’t waste our time telling us why supporting women is important. Just help us get better at doing it.”

According to TISE, the inaugural Women’s Leadership Conference seeks to deliver career growth and develop leadership skills for women newly entering the workforce and those who already have decades of experience. This half-day program for women, by women, promises networking opportunities, panel discussions, a featured presenter, and an evening networking party that will educate, inspire, and excite learners (male allies are welcome) to act. The panels will be hosted by women in the flooring industry claiming their seats at the table. The conference is on January 31st from 1–5 pm, followed by a reception for conference participants.

Organizations continue to grapple with issues of gender inequality in the workplace. The pandemic has pushed more women out of the workplace and home to become schoolteachers, care for aging parents and manage children. Lack of daycare and other essential services working parents rely on has made it impossible for many women to work, pushing them further back into unemployment or underemployment. The leadership conference will also provide one way for us to explore ways to deal with many of these injustices and provide the necessary accommodations so women will be able to return to the workplace and thrive. In addition, we must address the continuing pay gap and build environments that embrace and value diversity and inclusion.

It is time for women to claim their equal seat at the table. ■

The Bella Flooring Group Becomes the First Sponsor of Women of the Flooring Business

Paul Dominie, President of Sales and Marketing of Bella Flooring Group, discovered The Women of the Flooring Business (WoFB) and its impact on the floor covering industry at FloorCon2021. The WoFB group’s mission is to educate, support, and elevate the role and power of women for the betterment of our industry.

“It’s exciting to hear they have over 2000 members and offer ongoing workshops, business tools and services, and mastermind groups,” says Dominie.

When invited to partner with WoFB, Paul didn’t hesitate. “We felt it was a great opportunity for us to create strong relationships and become more familiar with what women in our industry want and need,” he recalls.

“I’m extremely lucky to have been a part of companies that employ strong, talented women, and women hold many key leadership roles at Bella Flooring Group.”

He also credits much of the company’s success to the contributions of female team members, many of whom have been promoted from within. For example, lacy Evans began as a customer service agent, moved up the ranks, and now assists Bella’s daily operations. Today, the entire customer service team is run by women, as most financial operations do.

“If we are going to build and sell products, we should use modern technology and maintain a team that makes key decisions for our predominantly female customer demographic,” says Paul. “Our female team members make real differences when meeting the needs of our customers.”

“We still need more women in positions of leadership, both at Bella and in the industry,” says Paul. “Women pay close attention to detail and can be relied on to make things happen. By being closely associated with a group of active female leaders, we will continually learn what it takes to bring and retain more talented women into our industry.”