Women And Leadership
Gender Role
Most people believe that men make good leaders than women. However, according to the different research which has been conducted by various scholars, there is little difference between them concerning leadership traits. Today, women contribute a significant number to the world’s working population. It is estimated that almost half of the global labor force are women. In this case, several women have been encouraged to fight for an executive spot in the corporate world. They want to eliminate the persisting imbalance in various management positions. Women have become more viable and vocal, and they believe that they are better communicators than men (Lerrabe, 1992). As such, they can make good leaders just like men. Recent studies have also indicated that most companies that have women in top leadership fared better compared to their male counterparts, especially during a financial crisis. Such accounts of women leadership have always motivated women to fight for executive positions in the corporate world. Therefore, this essay paper explores the capability of women and the reasons why they should serve in the executive posts in the business community.
The corporate world has considered women as better leaders compared to men. In a recent interview survey conducted by a UK based gender consulting firm know as 20-first women only hold 11% of the various 3000 executive committee leadership positions in over 300 companies which were surveyed. However, they noted that women are usually organized and more compassionate compared to men. Besides, they are intelligence and innovative just like men. Concerning the findings of the survey, women can make better leaders than men in various executive corporate positions.
Gender equity has always been a challenge in the business world. However, there is a definite progress being made to ensure gender-diverse workplace environment. This has been promoted by various government legislations and company initiatives to promote gender equity and equality in the workplace. The adoption of the affirmative action by different nations and the third gender rule gives everyone an equal opportunity to hold senior management positions. The law allows women to have equal representation in the executive position in the corporate world. However, according to the new study carried out by Credit Suisse, women have proved to be better leaders than their peers in strategic managerial positions. According to the findings of the study, women have the ability and the capability to hold senior management positions in the corporate world. Even though various legislations work in their favor, they have proved to be better leaders if given time and chance to sit on the executive committees of major corporate. The findings of the study reveal that most women outperformed men in the major financial areas. Their contribution and leadership abilities in various financial metrics allowed the shareholders to get higher returns from the investments.
Women have contributed to the efficient financial performance of different companies (Lerrabe, 1992). They are planners as compared to their male counterparts. They understand key financial metrics better compared to men. Businesses that are led by women performed better compared to those who were headed by men during the financial crisis. This is according to the multiple types of research which have been conducted concerning the capability of women in executive positions in the business community. Most business organizations which have more women in the board of directors showed better financial performance. This was different form companies which had less female representation in the board. Companies having more women in the executive council experienced a significant return on sales, investment, and equity. According to the study conducted by Development Dimensions International (DDI), companies which had more women representation in the board witnessed 87% increase in performance compared to their competitors. This is because women are better financial decision makers compared to men. They understand key financial metrics better and can help the company during the financial crisis.
Women executives are more collaborative in decision-making processes than male managers. Besides, they are less inquisitive. This is a factor that has contributed to increased performance of companies which are headed by women CEO. This leadership ability has enabled such organizations to create more job opportunities leading to a better economy. Besides, such companies have experienced continuous growth and development. Women always do consider the environmental, social and ethical effects of the business just like academics. In this case, they care much about the future demands of the customer. Companies headed by women always produce environmentally friendly products. Women always do respect the business models and have contributed significantly to the success of various business organizations.
Women do have specific leadership traits that their male counterparts do not have. They thrive well in facilitation, relationship building and empowering their junior staff (Harvard Business Review, 1967). This is attributed to their effective communication skills. Relationship building is usually good for any company that aims towards maximum productivity. Relationship building also increases customer satisfaction and allows the business to expand.
Women have effective networking skills (National Bureau of Economics Research, 1967). They are always attracted to team cooperation compared to men. They have the ability to collaborate with different employees working in various groups, functional units or departments. Besides, they are capable of interacting with clients and give them a listening year than men. Women know how to judge their abilities better. They are not averse to different suggestions from their team members. As such, they are considered as good team players compared to men. They are more influential when it comes to business related matters than men. They can implement different business models since they have better networking skills. This will lead to the production of innovative products making the corporation to have long-term success. This characteristic has motivated women to fight for executive position in the corporate world since they believe in themselves. Some of them have also been motivated by the success stories of various leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi who effectively led India to liberation. As such, they believe that they can equally do well in the corporate world just like men.
Women are better communicators than men. They know how to engage team members, clients, and their subordinates. They can communicate effectively at both the personal level and business level (Lerrabe, 1992). They have the ability to articulate their ideas clear and can be easily understood by the followers. This has given the opportunity to take higher responsibilities in various corporations. When it comes to personal communication, most women have performed better than men. This has motivated them to fight for executive positions in the corporate world. They believe that they can transfer their powerful communication skills in making business decisions that would ensure long-term success. Besides, women are good listeners. This gives them an added advantage over men when it comes to leadership positions. This allows them to blend ideas from team members, customers, and consumers. As such, they would be able to make informed decisions that would improve the performance of the organization.
The changing education systems in the world have allowed women to acquire the required skills and competency necessary to become corporate leaders (Belasen, 2012). Women have realized that they possess various leadership characteristics that differentiate them from men. They tend to be more persuasive and can learn or study from adversity as opposed to their male counterparts. This makes them believe that they can make good leaders in the corporate world. According to Esther Wachs, female leaders are always willing to come up with new rules and can easily sell or share their visions with their team members. They are determined to succeed by transforming the business challenges into different opportunities. This is usually achieved by focusing on high technology that would improve the performance of the organization in the long-run. Female leaders’ possess these qualities, and they can quickly transform the business to become customer-oriented.
Most women are fighting for executive positions in the corporate world since they believe in their leadership styles. Several women in the business community have interactive management skills and can handle various problems creatively. As such, they see themselves as valuable leaders than their male counterparts. Women are always capable of creating a new organizational culture that is more flexible that is likely to create an interactive business environment. Women are also able to discuss various problems more openly than men. This allows them to use ‘group-think’ so as to find solutions to different problems affecting the performance of the organization. As such, they are more appealing and acceptable to various organizational teams. Such traits have always motivated women to fight for executive positions in the corporate world since they believe that they can make good leaders just like men.
Female leaders tend to be more ‘feminine.’ They are supportive and believe in building teams (Belasen, 2012). Besides, they believe in rewarding others for good work done and consultative leadership style. This allows them to solve problems more creatively than men. Women want to take over from the male hierarchical and action-oriented leadership style. They want to transform the corporate world into a more caring kind of business. Women believe in inclusive decision-making style. This is achieved by encouraging team participation in decision making. They believe that they can transform the corporate world since they possess unique leadership styles than their male counterparts.
Women are usually involved in the daily activities of the business. They have the ability to energize their followers. Besides, they can also enhance the self-worth of their followers by encouraging them to participate in decision-making process. They also utilize an interactive management approach where they engage and seek advice from the members of the society and their peers before making important business decisions. They always lead in circles as opposed to the pyramid type of leadership. They thrive in creating a corporative business atmosphere as opposed to the hierarchical and competitive business environment used by men. Women can easily socialize with their peers. This has enabled them to build strong organizational relationships. They also consider other people’s opinions and feelings since they possess better listening skills than men. These traits have always motivated women to fight for executive positions in the corporate world since they believe that they are the change agents that are required to today to make various corporate great.
The business environment has experienced a significant shift in the last decade (Belasen, 2012). Today, most employees are better-educated. Organizations are also hiring young professionals who have diverse skills and talents. These young professionals may have skills that their supervisors are not aware of. This kind of workforce requires interactive, supportive, and flexible leaders. Women believe that they possess such leadership qualities that would allow them to nurture the talents of the young professionals. They believe that the feminine way of leadership would enable them to bring significant change in the corporate world. Today’s business organizations require leaders who are risk takers. Besides, they need leaders who can change business ideas into lucrative opportunities that can contribute to the long-term success of the business organization. Women in the corporate world believe that they possess various qualities such that do not encourage hierarchical kind of leadership. Besides, they are always ready to share information, support and listen to their peers. As such, they can contribute the long-term success of the organization.
Women leaders have a strong sense of collaboration and teamwork than men (Belasen, 2012). Their primary objective is to improve the performance of the company by bringing everybody on board. Besides, they are capable of handling complicated problems that may exist in the corporation. Their listening skills allow them to solve various conflicts that may exist within the organization. They believe in negotiations as a primary way to resolve conflicts rather than intimidation and force. Women believe that they can ascend to executive positions in the corporate world because they can make the businesses to become more competitive. They believe that business opportunities result from their experience. As such, they can make different companies grow so as to match the international standards. Men are equally good and innovative business leaders. However, women believe that they can shape the corporate world when given the opportunity to become corporate leaders.
The leadership characteristics portrayed by women can help different organizations to solve various challenges that affect their operations. Some of those challenges include high quality, customer service, and effective leadership. Women can use feminine leadership tools without embarrassment compared to their male counterparts. They can use both soft and tough leadership traits to improve the performance of the company. Women tend to be more natural than men concerning leadership qualities. They can control the resources of the company effectively for better performance.
Apart from the capabilities from the capabilities that women do have, various corporations and countries have implemented quotas that encourage women leadership in the corporate world. Different women have been able to demonstrate their executive skills and talent. They have opened different companies which they run. Other corporations have also launched women mentorship programs to allow women to ascend to management positions in the corporate world. There are various businesses in the United States and the United Kingdom which have added more women to their existing board of directors so as to improve their performance and corporate image.
The leadership qualities that women do have outweigh those that are possessed by men. However, this does not make men weak leaders. The leadership qualities that women to have justified their quest to become corporate leaders just like men.
References;
- Belasen, Alan T. Developing Women Leaders in Corporate America: Balancing Competing Demands, Transcending Traditional Boundaries. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger, 2012. Print.
- Larrabee, Denise M. Anne Hampton Brewster: 19th-century Author and “social Outlaw”: an Exhibition 16 March-31 August 1992. Philadelphia: Library Co. of Philadelphia, 1992. Print.
- Harvard Business Review: https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Harvard%20business%20review: 1969 Print
- National Bureau of Economics Research https://books.google.com/books?id=zWE1AQAAIAAJ, 1967
- Shambaugh, Rebecca. Make Room for Her: Why Companies Need an Integrated Leadership Model to Achieve Extraordinary Results. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Internet resource.