What I learned (and didn’t) about leading as a woman in Business School
“We’re looking at a different paradigm of leadership, and it plays naturally to the strengths of women…… The tide has turned. The leadership skills that come naturally to women are now absolutely necessary for companies to continue to thrive.” Regina Sacha, Vice President of Human Resources for FedEx Custom Critical.
What I have learned (and haven’t) about female leadership
As a recent MBA graduate, I can confirm that today – leadership is still taught (almost) exclusively from a male perspective, and most case studies presented in Business schools, are based on male leadership styles.
During our Leadership Development course at Thunderbird, our Professor, Christine Pearson, Ph.D.(a brilliant woman and renown authority), presented the following:
- Sun Tzu “The Art of War”
- Niccolò Machiavelli “The Prince” and
- Jack Welch.
Don’t get me wrong, I respect the insights and knowledge from each, and have a better understanding of male leadership from studying them. We were supposed to be reflecting upon leadership and what makes one a great leader, but to my surprise NOT ONE WOMAN was presented! I know the value of understanding male leadership BUT I aspire to be the BEST FEMALE leader possible. I don’t pee standing up and I don’t have testosterone coursing through my veins – I have breasts and I like to wear a skirt, so I don’t want to lead like a man, thank you very much!
When I questioned Professor Pearson, she challenged me to compile my own list of women leaders. I accepted and put together a list of exemplary women leaders who led like WOMEN, below are a few…. and there are many more. But, why don’t we study their leadership? Why should we study Sun Tzu over the leadership of Eleanor of Aquitaine?
- Eve, the first woman, and first leader, she DID lead Adam to that apple!
- Miriam (Old Testament), she was one of the leaders of the Exodus from Egypt.
- Queen Cleopatra VII, perhaps the world’s cleverest political strategist.
- Empress Wu Zetian, considered one of the most powerful women in Chinese history
- Eleanor of Aquitaine (the original cougar) the wealthiest and most powerful woman in the world during the High Middle Ages
- Isabella of Spain, sponsored Columbus and the discovery of the Americas.
- Coco Chanel, fashion revolutionary founded the Channel empire.
- Indira Ghandi, changed the history of modern Indian.
- Mother Teresa
- Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile and UN Women Executive Director
There is a growing appreciation of… those traits that women use to keep families together and to organize volunteers to unite and make change in the shared life of communities. These newly admired leadership qualities of shared leadership; nurturance and doing good for others are today not only sought but also indeed needed to make a difference in the world…. A feminine way of leading includes helping the world understand and be principled about values that really matter. Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, The World YWCA Secretary General.
Unique qualities of female leadership
According to a study by Caliper, and Aurora (London-based organization that advances women), there are 4 major qualities that dominate female leadership, and that differ from the male qualities of leadership.
- More persuasive than their male counterparts.
- Learn from adversity and carry on with an “I’ll show you attitude”.
- Demonstrate an inclusive, collaborative leadership style of problem solving and decision making.
- A willingness to reinvent the rules, and are less risk averse.
“I believe this study shows that for a woman to become a leader today, she has to fight harder against the status quo, which requires her to be more focused and determined.” Mara Swan, Chief People Officer for Molson Coors
Why are women NOT making it to the top?
And the problem is this: women are not making it to the top of any profession anywhere in the world. The numbers tell the story quite clearly. 190 heads of state — nine are women. Of all the people in parliament in the world, 13 percent are women. In the corporate sector, women at the top, C-level jobs, board seats — tops out at 15, 16 percent. The numbers have not moved since 2002 and are going in the wrong direction. Sheryl Sandberg COO of Facebook
Watch this amazing video where Sheryl shares why we have too few women leaders:
Why is this important?
Because our world is changing, and “domination” and “subjugation”, which are typically male leadership traits based on a military mindset, are no longer working. We live in a time, where we are much better served with collaborative, determined and empathetic leadership.
If we are looking forward, either as an individual or an organization, we must consider the value that women leaders bring, not just in the obvious, such as a naturally more evolved EI (Emotional Intelligence), but also how women contribute to the value of the bottom line.
In fact “Women in the Executive Suite, Correlate to High Profits” by Roy D. Adler, Ph.D. Pepperdine University, studied Fortune 500 firms, and found that those with a high number of women executives outperformed their industry median firms on three financial measures. Furthermore, the firms with the very best scores for promoting women were consistently more profitable than those whose scores were merely very good.
And in a McKinsey survey “Moving women to the top: McKinsey Global Survey”, seventy-two percent of respondents believe there is a direct connection between a company’s gender diversity and its financial success. McKinsey, looked at 89 listed companies in Europe with a very high proportion of women in senior management posts and compared their financial performance with the average for firms in the same industry. It found that these firms enjoyed a higher return on equity, fatter operating profits and a more buoyant share price.
I do believe it’s VERY important for women to learn to lead with our strengths, and also that men have a responsibility to learn about female leadership in order to mentor, grow and understand how to support the development of their daughters, subordinates and female colleagues alike.
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Thank you for a good article! I have just completed a 2 year study entitled lipstick leadership, which models excellence in female leadership (traits, preferences etc. and I have defined the business culture that will work for both genders in an integrated and modern way.
Lynne Copp
Managing Directothe Worklife Company