I always thought of leadership as someone that is confident, straightforward, and very vocal among other things. I have noticed that a lot of traits that are used to identify leadership don’t translate the same in women as they do in men. Men can at times be too straightforward and it is seen as a sign of strength. In women that same straightforwardness can be seen as too bossy.
I have struggled to find my comfort space within leadership over the years. I worked at a hospital for about a year and volunteered as a treasurer for non-profit private organization for two years. Both of the positions have been instrumental in my journey of finding my inner leader. By inner leader I mean, the way in which I lead that is unique to myself and effective. At first I was a little too straightforward and didn’t give much thought to the way I was being perceived. Later on I went way far into the other side and was over analyzing my every move as well as everyone else’s. I am currently somewhere in the middle but still haven’t found my way. It’s good to be aware of how we are being perceived. We want the thoughts in our head to come out and be understood as we understand them.
I want to have a good balance and be seen as confident but, kind. I don’t want to come across as arrogant or weak either. I feel like I am really focusing on the trait of sociability. I didn’t intent to focus so much on sociability as I started this post but it seems fit considering my future profession requires a lot of working with people. I aspire to be a psychologist. I will have my B.A. in psychology this May, I have applied to grad school, and I’m currently waiting on a response. These are my thoughts on my particular leadership skills at the moment.
Rebeca Perez
jas7544 says
Rebecca I think that your acknowledgement of your leadership style and self-awareness is going to lead you to be the leader that you hope to become. In Norhthouse it mentions two kinds of leadership one is assigned and the other is emergent. In your employment you were in assigned leadership but in your role as psychologist you will be in emergent leadership because of how your colleagues and patients will respond to you. “This type of leadership is not assigned by position; rather, it emerges over a period through communication.” (Northouse, 2016)
“Leaders who show sociability are friendly, outgoing, courteous, tactful, and diplomatic. They are sensitive to others’ needs and show concern for their well-being.” (Northouse, 2016) I think with your awareness to your leadership it will help guide you to strengthen where you may be lacking.
Reference
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice, 7th Ed. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.
rlm71 says
Rebecca, your blog post really struck a chord with me given your experiences as a woman in a leadership position. The specific personality traits that might make others consider a man to be an effective leader would be thought poorly of if a woman exhibited them. I would consider the recent presidential race to be an example of that double-standard. As a loud-mouthed, confident, extremely extroverted man, Trump is considered by some to be a strong leader, meanwhile people were more interested in discussing Clinton’s hair or how she looked tired. Women are also considered weaker due to a tendency to sometimes have a higher instance of emotional intelligence as compared with men. Of course this is not the case in every situation, but the stereotype is prevalent.
I agree with your perspective on finding a proper balance within a personal leadership style. Not all types of leadership work within all types of situations and with all people. Women have the added dilemma of trying to create a persona and image of strength, while maintaining a vulnerability that can be both an asset and a detriment. Additionally, being mindful of creating your own leadership style that is based on your personality, strengths, and weaknesses seems to be the best way to be the most effective leader you can possibly be. It is a complicated subject that has so many facets, there simply is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Thank you for your thoughts, and I look forward to reading your future posts.