Jessica Wicks, president of Ductz, shares her experience as a female executive in the restoration industry.

Why the restoration industry is good for women, why women are good for the industry, and three intentional steps employers can take to make space for more women and other underrepresented groups to thrive both in the workforce and at the leadership level.

“We have reached an inflection point,” Andrew Zavodney writes. “We can choose to evolve, carefully striking a balance between innovation and margins, or choose complacency, watching operational costs tick upward and diminish earnings. So for those looking to spark positive change across your organization, here are the headwinds that should be on your radar.”

We must resist the subconscious urge to hire people in which we see ourselves — the full gamut of self from physical appearance to hard skills — and instead, map talent acquisition strategies to our deficiencies. This begins with an objective evaluation of your teams’ strengths and weaknesses, and from their hiring to resources that fill the empty spaces on your mantle.