Susmita Sarma August 3, 2020 “If women ran every country in the world there would be a general improvement in living standards and outcomes. Women aren’t perfect but are indisputably better than men,” said former US President Barack Obama.
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As a society, we have tried to make enough progress when it comes to gender equality. Like say, women’s safety in the workplace and the related issues are discussed and debated all around the globe. But in organizations, there still exists a struggle of gender diversity in the leadership teams. Women in leadership have often been defined inadequately. Stereotypically, men occupy the role of leadership and ‘take charge’ whereas women ‘take care.’
In 2018, women held only 20% of all senior roles in India. In 2019, only 29% of senior management roles were held by women, the highest ever on global record. There is even lower representation in emerging economies like Brazil, which is just 8% in 2020. To say the least, progress has been slow all over the world.
However, the good news is that women have begun to make their claims for leadership amidst all the challenges they face. They are now fully aware and able to recognize the obstacles and seek to play an active role in their career options. And interestingly, women in leadership positions bring in many significant strides in the business world. It is because of women’s inclination toward a holistic, self-reflective approach that leads them to do things differently than men do.
Here Are The Top 5 Reasons Why Women Make Better Leaders
1. Women are motivated by constant challenges.
“We are creative problem-solvers motivated by obstacles. The desire to overcome a challenge fuels us to get things accomplished. Leaders don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.” – Jackie Zlatanovski, founder, Flik Flops
First, it is highly challenging for women to balance work with their personal life. Second, they continuously encounter the stereotype that says, “Women are more emotional, physically weak and less decisive than men.” Third, expectations are set lower for women. Fourth, it is difficult to lead in the “boy’s club” world. Fifth, all the other workplace biases, including the never-ending gender pay gap. And these are not all.
Women face enough roadblocks in their careers, but they already know how to succeed against the odds. They are incredibly self-motivated to develop successful strategies and transform these hurdles into opportunities.
2. Women know how to deal with a crisis better.
“Many women, especially moms, are trained caretakers and know how to deal with crisis at home with compassion and patience. These attributes become very relevant when a woman leader deals with crisis situations, whether this is related to HR or [clients].” – Huma Gruaz, president and CEO, Alpaytac PR
Women exhibit a collaborative and democratic style, with extreme patience and a higher sensitivity to risks involved in decision making. They act as persuasive role models, foster good workplace relationships, invest in their teams, develop the skills, and inspire others to go beyond the scope of their job descriptions. These qualities of transformational leadership are the ones that we need at times of crisis.
3. Women rank highest in emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to assess a situation from the perspective of one’s feelings. Leaders should use EI to understand the mindset of their workers. While everyone continues to harness and enhance their emotional intelligence, there is a long-lasting belief that women have it already. Often, women score higher than men in areas of empathy and social responsibility.
Henry Ford once claimed that if there is any great secret to achievement in life, it resides in being willing to put yourself in the role of another person and see it from other’s points of view – as well as from one’s own. As empathetic leaders, women have the potential to understand and acknowledge that everyone sees the world differently, without being judgemental. However, her being empathetic should not be confused with being too emotional. Successful women do not allow sentiments to disrupt productions.
4. Women have more robust business ethics.
A study done by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School suggests that Women are less ready to compromise their ethics in pursuit of success at work.
Women are considered to have better principles in the industry as contrasted with men. Men see corporate ethics as merely relevant to the industry. In comparison, women don’t solely apply ethics to business and consider it beyond their work and ego.
They consider the right of others, and even small wrongdoing on their part leaves them guilty. They can go to any extend for the pursuit of fairness across the organization, being accountable and transparent. Such ethical behaviors are highly valued.
Since in every company, ethical conduct is strongly appreciated, women have a higher chance of becoming better leaders.
5. Women have far more patience than men.
It’s undoubtedly linked to years of patriarchal injustice, but women have learned to be tolerant and thoughtful. And that is an essential attribute in being a great leader.
Women do not rush into things. They are always calm and composed even when they see something that is out of their control. They do not take hasty decisions and dig deeper before reaching any conclusion. They are efficient stress masters who always wait for the right moment to react.
These fantastic attributes that women carry with them reinforce their position in the corporate sector and make the workplace creative, friendly, team-oriented, and effective by specific values and skills.
But there is a long way to go. So, let’s gear up, pull up our socks, and make it happen. Cheers to women power!
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