For more than four decades, Lisa Lackovic has built a career in an industry where she was frequently the only woman in the room. Known as the "Brick Chick," she worked in masonry and construction, developing the confidence to speak up in boardrooms and on job sites where women were rarely represented. Today, she draws on those experiences to mentor younger women, speak to business audiences, and help professionals recognize the strengths they already possess.
In this episode of Worthy Connections, Laura Lasher of Worthy Performance Group talks with Lisa about the lessons she learned throughout her career and why they matter to today's workforce. Their conversation explores the challenges of working across generations, the value of Gallup's strengths-based approach to personal development, and the importance of learning to negotiate for what you deserve. Lisa also explains why good manners, eye contact, networking skills, and simple human kindness remain essential to professional success.
Transcript Highlights
Laura Lasher: Welcome to Worthy Connections, the podcast where we sit down with people who are building something real: entrepreneurs, brand builders, and leaders who've earned their authority the hard way.
I'm Laura Lasher with Worthy Performance Group, and in every episode, we go looking for one thing: a story worth learning from.
You know we're all about stories, and we've got a good one today.
This lady has helped so many people in so many facets of her career. She's been known as the "Brick Chick," and she teaches and mentors a lot of young women entering the industries she's been involved with for several years.
She's worked in what has traditionally been a man's world, leading other people into greatness. She also speaks at conferences, works with employers, and is active on Instagram and LinkedIn.
We want to welcome Lisa Lackovic. Lisa, good morning.
Lisa Lackovic: Good morning, Laura. Good to see you.
Laura: Great to see you. Let's get rolling. You've got so much inside, and we want to pull some of that out and share it with people.
Women are a big part of our audience. What do you feel is one of the most important things you want to relate to them?
Lisa: I think it's important for young women to have mentors and role models, which is something I didn't have when I entered the workforce over 40 years ago.
I was the only woman in the room. I was the only woman promoting masonry in the construction industry. I was usually the only woman on the job site or in the boardroom.
I learned that if I kept quiet, I was invisible. But if I spoke up, my voice would quiver, and I might end in a question instead of stating the facts, getting to the point, and having confidence.
I don't want women in today's workforce to go through what I did.
We're women and men working together, and we all bring something to the table. We all have our strengths, and I want to help young women get started on the right foot.
Laura: One of the recent topics you spoke about was generations in the workplace: "Why Can't We All Get Along?"
Is that one of your more popular speaking engagements?
Lisa: That was my leap into public speaking.
It was a hot topic probably 10 years ago, and it's coming back around as Generation Z enters the workforce.
At the time I started talking about it, baby boomers, which I am one of, were arguing with Generation X and Generation Y, also called millennials.
There was some name-calling and almost tribal warfare going on in workplaces.
The younger generations wanted baby boomers to retire. But speaking as a baby boomer, we're not going anywhere.
What's the phrase we used at Woodstock? "Hell no, we won't go!"
We still want to earn money. We still have a lot of life left to live, and we want to share our experiences as long as the younger generations are willing to listen and maybe learn from our mistakes.
We certainly don't want to become their parents in the workplace. We want to be their guides and counselors, so to speak.
We know they have parents. They don't need another set of them.
That was a really fun topic, and I spoke about it for a long time. Then it got quiet.
But as I mentioned, Generation Z is a whole different group.
They've been through the pandemic. They attended school in their bedrooms, and the world shut down on them for a couple of years.
Now they're having to relearn how to communicate, answer the phone, and look people in the eye.
That's a whole new topic I like to touch upon.
We need to give them some grace and remember what they've been through. It was very traumatic during their formative years.
Laura: I know you're a big believer in Gallup strengths.
Can you talk a little about how you value them and how they help your communication skills and engagement with others when you're speaking?
Lisa: You bet.
I discovered Gallup by reading some of their books. One of the books has you take a questionnaire that tells you what your strengths are.
They're words like Strategic, Ideation, which means being full of ideas, Maximizer, and Positivity.
You read about your strengths, and that gives you the confidence to use them instead of trying to change your natural personality.
One of mine is Woo.
You always know when there's a Woo around because that's the loud group in the corner.
Woo stands for "Winning Others Over."
We're naturally born salespeople, business developers, and connectors.
I live for happy hours, and it's not because of the alcohol. It's because I'm thinking, "Gosh, who am I going to meet today, or who am I going to get to know better?"
I use that as a strength instead of looking at it as though maybe I was just searching for the limelight or, because I'm the fifth-born child, needed attention.
I've put my other strengths to use, too.
One of them is Positivity. I'm the sunny-side-up person for people who are down and out or struggling.
I think that helps when I'm mentoring young women.
If something doesn't go well for them, I'll say, "Well, now you know what you don't want," or, "Now you know you don't want to work for someone like that."
I always try to turn it around to the positive.
Laura: One of the things you spoke about recently at an event I attended was negotiation skills.
Why is that so important in today's world?
Lisa: It's now my favorite topic.
I've learned so much just by studying it, reading books, researching online, and talking to others.
I've learned that you only get what you ask for, and the answer is always no unless you ask.
Even though those are commonly used phrases, they really matter.
I often say to people, "What's the worst that can happen? What's the absolute worst?"
They say no.
So I've learned to always ask.
I just got back from Florida, and I had to switch my flight. The airline wanted to charge me $287.
I said, "Listen, there's a hurricane coming to town. I'm being proactive by changing my flight so you don't have to. And I'm a Gold member. I only fly Delta. I love Delta."
The next thing I knew, an itinerary came through on my phone. I was immediately switched to the flight that would get me out of there, and I was upgraded to Delta Comfort.
Had I not given them the facts about why I wasn't going to pay $287 to change my flight, they might not have recognized that I'm a loyal Delta customer.
Again, you have to ask, or they're not going to do it.
They were ready to take my credit card and charge me until I said, "No, I don't think so."
Laura: I think along with that came your good manners.
A lot of generations have been taught some very good manners and how to ask. How do we get those passed along?
Lisa: They do go hand in hand.
While I was talking to the Delta representative, I got her name. I used her name, and I thanked her.
I took the survey afterward. Her name was Ellie, by the way, because I remember it.
In the survey, I recorded that she was very accommodating, my mission was accomplished, and I love Delta.
You can't be a bully and say, "Do you know who I am?"
It doesn't work. It doesn't get you anywhere. Sometimes it gets you in the back of the airplane!
You have to be careful.
Lisa: On the topic of manners, I've presented to high school students, college students, and those just graduating from college.
I'm involved with College Possible, a nonprofit here in Omaha that helps students get to and through college.
It's amazing. Some students don't realize the importance of a handshake.
Remember, we didn't touch each other for two years.
A good handshake says a lot about a person.
Eye contact and nonverbal communication, which we all learned about years ago, are really important.
It's important not to close yourself off or look down.
And cellphone etiquette alone!
I tell them, "Put it in your purse or your pocket, and do not look at it unless you're exchanging contact information."
You're welcome to pull your phone out to exchange information, but it's rude to scroll while you're at a networking event or being interviewed.
I think young people do it so automatically that they don't realize what they're doing.
You have to remind them that getting your phone out isn't a way to make a good impression.
And then there are all the ringtones going off!
Laura: It sounds like you're having a great time doing this, and you want to expand your speaking and mentoring.
I know you also work with Quinn, and we're going to visit with her this week. We'd love to get you both together for another conversation.
We really appreciate what you've brought us today. You're definitely a worthy connection for people to make.
People can reach you on LinkedIn, where there's information about your career and speaking engagements.
I know you love your family very much and spend a lot of time with them.
What else is important to you? Maybe traveling?
Lisa: Oh my gosh, you read my mind!
That's exactly what I was going to say.
Quinn and I have gotten to know each other very well through our travels.
We've been to Greece, France, Italy, and Spain. We've tasted the food, enjoyed the wine, toured the coliseums, and had a wonderful time seeing the world.
She's a joy to travel with because she's very tech-savvy and knows how to get around Europe.
I grew up going to the islands and hadn't really taken on Europe at all.
She's helped me expand my horizons with travel.
We're in the process of planning our 2027 trip. Possibly Iceland. We've also talked about Australia.
The sky's the limit.
Travel is so important to keep you young and keep you learning about different cultures.
It has really enhanced my life.
Laura: Do those stories help you when you meet people? Does travel help you open conversations with them?
Lisa: Oh my gosh, yes!
When I talk to young people about networking, I give them a list of conversation starters.
The first thing I say is, "Don't talk about the weather," especially in Nebraska.
All we want to talk about is how much rain, heat, or pollen we have.
So I give them topics like, "Where have you traveled recently?" or "What's your favorite city to visit?"
Or, "What's the latest book you've read?" and "Have you seen any movies lately?"
I give them talking points.
Boy, when you get people talking about their favorite travel adventure, there's no stopping them.
And it means so much to someone when you're listening to them tell the story of their trip.
Laura: It was fun just listening to you. You lit up when we started talking about traveling.
I knew I would finish today with that because your smile goes from ear to ear. You love it.
We're going to get you back. We appreciate your time today.
Is there anything you'd like us to promote for you besides your contact information? Instagram, LinkedIn, and your email address are the best ways to get in touch with you?
Lisa: Absolutely.
I love doing public speaking for companies or nonprofits on any of these topics.
And I'm happy to research a new topic if there's something people are looking to hear about.
Laura: Thank you, Lisa. We appreciate you today. We'll be back to you. Have a great day.
Lisa: You too. Thanks, Laura.
