Woman in leadership roles is not a new thing; however we are seeing it more and more in today’s world. After reading the article “The traits that make woman great leaders” on Fortune.com I found myself understanding more why women do better in leadership roles even though up until more recently we haven’t seen it much. Woman leaders have personality (or traits) that makes them better leaders.
According to Geoff Colvin, the article’s author, women have the one trait men tend to lack and that is empathy. Being able to “stand in another person’s shoes” and view the world from their viewpoint takes a special person. This can mean that the leader truly understands what their followers are thinking and feeling. (Northouse, pp. 227) Empathy can be considered part of Sociability, because they are “sensitive to other’s needs and show concern for others”. (Northouse, pp. 26) Sociability is considered one of the major leadership traits a person can have.
Having empathy has given woman an advantage in the leadership area because they are able to influence other people who they have no authority over. (Colvin, 2015) To manage to over see a group of people and accomplish this can be a sign of a good leader. The article gives several examples of woman who were able to be leaders in dyer situations and still manage to lead a group of people over whom they had no authority because they had empathy for what the groups were going through.
Empathy is something that some men do posses but on average this just isn’t the case. I believe it is something that can be learned and practiced but I also believe that woman have a more natural instinct for empathy due to mothering instincts that most woman are born with.
While leadership is more then just empathy it can be a great starting point for a wonderful leader. For this reason you are more likely to see more and more women leaders in influencing positions and starting to appear more on the World’s Greatest Leaders list.
References
Colvin, G. (2015, March 26). The trait that makes women great leaders. Retrieved September 10, 2105, from http://fortune.com/2015/03/26/the-trait-that-makes-women-great-leaders/
Northouse, Peter G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice. 7th ed. Sage Publications
sam6315 says
I also read something with regard to Feminist Organization Theories by Pamela Shockley-Zalabak. She suggests the world sees men in leadership positions as rational while women are supportive and nurturing. Women leaders want to get rid of the bureaucracy and add in democracy; allowing everyone a say in the decisions made in the company.
While I believe women can be rational in the workplace I also believe men are less likely to nurture their employees. Feminist Theory rids the work place of top down management and allows for a sense of community with regard to making decisions. Men in charge typically want all the power and leave little room for discussion unless the company mandates they ask for everyone’s opinion. This is not a bad thing in many cases but just a highlight of how women might do it differently.
Reference:
Zalabak, P. (2012). Communication Implications of Major Organizational Theories. In Fundamentals of organizational communication: Knowledge, sensitivity, skills, values (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.
Nicholas Thomas Mitrakos says
I agree that women are more in tune with the emotional side of leadership, where in general, men are not on that wavelength. There are some men who can identify feelings well, but taking action on them is not one of our strong suits. Men have the ability to take charge (not saying that women don’t) and have an authoritarian stance. I think that society over the course of history has seen the leadership potential of men and now holds us to that standard. Though there is a famous quote first printed in a Texas newspaper in 1945, by Meryll Frost: “Behind every great man, there is an even greater woman”.
Stephanie Lynn Reynolds says
There are a couple more traits of women that men aren’t as strong in. One of them is opportunity management. Women tend to recognize and take advantage of opportunities that arise while handling multiple things at the same time. Women are also better at crisis management, handling change, and having the sense to recognize and neutralize dangers before they happen. Therefore, women can sense issues before they happen, but they can also deal with issues as they arise (Llopis, 2014). Empathy can only really take a leader so far. Understanding feelings is great, but being able to take action on those feelings is also needed and necessary.
Llopis, G. (3 Feb 2014) “The Most Undervalued Leadership Traits of Women.” Forbes.com. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2014/02/03/the-most-undervalued-leadership-traits-of-women/