The Female Face Of Leadership
Can women break the stereotypical leadership mold and still
position themselves as leaders?
It has been almost 30 years since women started entering the
workforce in large numbers, yet we have barely made a dent in
the executive boardroom table.
Women account for 50% of the workforce in the US but fill
less than 5% of executive positions in corporate America.
Despite the groundbreaking advances made by the previous
generation of women, have we broken through the glass ceiling or
merely cracked it? Is the dearth of women in leadership roles
reticence on the part of the gung-ho, warrior-like corporate
chiefs to hire a woman, or is it reluctance from the would-be
female leaders to adopt roles they feel uncomfortable or
incapable of fulfilling?
There is no doubt we are making progress, and our female leaders
have accomplished huge transformations in the styles of
leadership now adopted in many executive suites throughout the
US. But at what price?
Preconceptions about what leadership looks like are embedded in
our collective psyche, as well as in the structures and policies
of society. The implicit requirements for a high-flying position
are being able to work a 12-hour day and being on-call 24/7.
This assumes that someone else will be there to pick up the
slack for family responsibilities.
Another difficulty women face is that their behavior in
leadership roles is defined differently. While a dictatorial
style is seen as necessary in a man, it is interpreted as
aggressive in a woman. A male boss who pushes his team will be
admired for demanding high standards, while a woman will be
called domineering.
The Role Of Female Leaders In The 21st Century
Research measuring traditional leadership roles shows that
female and male leaders do not differ in overall
effectiveness.
The challenge for women in taking on leadership roles is to
reclaim and redefine the accepted stereotypes. Rather than
camouflaging their identity in previously male-oriented roles,
the new female leaders are bringing their own values and
principles to the job and redefining what it means to be a
leader in the 21st century.
The values that women bring to their role as leaders, whether it
be in the corporate boardroom or in a community work group, are
the capacity to envision new ways of getting things done and
encouraging others to follow them.
As we move forward, the blunter transactional style of
leadership previously adopted by many a corporate boss is making
way for transformational leadership, a style that embraces many
of the qualities women naturally tend towards.
Transformational leadership centers around communication and a
positive working environment, where people are inspired and
energized to achieve organizational goals through team-oriented
pursuits. This is where women excel.
Studies have shown that women leaders are better communicators,
have better social skills, are more tolerant, more willing to
adapt to change, better organized, better at motivating others
and less bound by social traditions; skills essential for
effective leadership.
It took the previous generation of women 30 years to crack the
glass ceiling and clear the debris for those following them to
clearly see a path forward. So realistically, it is going to
take a long time for women to not only accept, but be accepted,
in the evolving leadership roles now presented to them. What has
become clear is that the newly defined terms of leadership
offered by women are a desperately needed panacea in an
increasingly cut-throat and dog-eat-dog world.
All we can hope for is that it doesn't take another 30 years.