AUTHORITY, BEING A WOMAN AND TAKING CONTROL
On this project I realised early on that leadership would have to be explicit if anything at all was going to move forward.
There is another truth about renovating in Croatia that is harder to talk about, but impossible to ignore.
Being a woman in this world is not easy.
From the beginning, I had to fight to be taken seriously. To be heard. To be recognised as the person running the project. I was doing the design. I was managing decisions. I was controlling quality, budget and intent.
Yet instructions were often sought from my husband instead. Not because he was leading the project. Not because he knew more. But because he was a man. Conversations would shift when he entered a room. Questions would be directed at him. Decisions would be delayed until he was present. It was subtle, but persistent.
And it had to stop.
This was not about ego. It was about clarity and accountability. A building site cannot function when authority is blurred. Respect cannot be optional.
I made it explicit. Instructions come from me. Questions come to me. Decisions are signed off by me. If that was a problem, this was not the right project for them.
Some found that difficult. Others adapted. The ones who adapted stayed.
What this experience taught me is that leadership is not just about vision or expertise. It is about standing your ground when it would be easier to step back. It is about setting boundaries in environments that are not designed for you.
Renovation is deeply physical, but it is also cultural. And culture does not change unless it is challenged.
Taking control of this project was not just about saving a building. It was about owning my role fully, without apology.