Daring Woman, Megan McKay, Featured in Seattle Business Mag

JA Partner Megan McKay was interviewed for the May/June issue of Seattle Business Magazine. Featured as a Daring Woman alongside six other female leaders in Seattle, McKay provides her philosophy on great leadership traits, barriers to success, and lessons learned. Read on for her thoughts on each topic, and head here for the full article.

Leadership Traits:

I am constantly challenging myself to convey the complete information with the least number of words. I was taught from the beginning about clarity. If something is extraneous, leave it out. This is applicable to communication generally. Hearing criticism and dissent can be uncomfortable but is always constructive and is what pushes higher-quality results.

Leadership Traps:

Being the loudest person in the room is overrated, as it only serves to drown out the other voices and alternate viewpoints that are critical to growth.

Barriers:

The decision-makers in the construction and development fields are still predominantly men. Unfortunately — and reflective of a broader social issue — it is not widely accepted for a woman and man to meet one-on-one outside of a formal office setting, crippling the personal connection angle of networking.

Lessons Learned:

If the most important 90% of information is completed first and clearly conveyed, you will always be prepared for any deadlines, as you should just be filling in minor details at the end after your broad strokes are laid down. Too much early focus on minor details often derails and distracts.

Advice:

If someone is criticizing an aspect of your work, it is important to leave arrogance aside and be open to change and growth.

Do Differently:

I would be less ashamed of asking questions. Early in my career, I was plagued with uncertainty and fearful of appearing too inexperienced.

Off the Clock:

On weekends, I cherish time with my family, so I focus on being in the moment with my young toddlers and husband at home. I am also passionate about minimizing clutter in my house. It’s very clarifying to determine the minimum amount you can possess and still live comfortably.