The idea of increasing female leadership within organisations and on boards has been a hot topic for some time, but still we see a leadership gender gap within the majority of organisations. This gap increases the higher we get in leadership positions. There are many reasons for this that have received a lot of airplay, and we have no interest in getting into a feminist or gender based argument. What we do want to speak to is the evolution of the traditional leadership avatar and bottom line economic rationale in creating a more gender diverse workplace.
For too long, young up-and-coming leaders, especially women, have felt the need to find role models in their baby boomer male managers as they attempt to find their leadership feet. This often lead to them feeling internally conflicted, professionally in congruent and very lost. Those who managed to take on these very masculine leadership traits meet with some very unkind name-calling and feedback.
The most important point of this discussion however, is if we require all leaders to subscribe to this one style of leadership then we will continue to create homogeneous organisations which lack the ability to be innovative, agile and adaptive to a quickly changing economic landscape. In short, the days of these styles of organisations are numbered.
By our definition, a Feminine Leader is always congruent, fully aligned in who they are and what they do, and allows a dynamic leadership style to emerge that is unique to them and highly appealing to the team. This open and genuine approach to leadership creates teams that are clear on their purpose, purposeful in their action, and loyal and respectful to each other. This dynamic leader is bringing ‘human’ back into the human organisation.
If you would like to know more about how to succeed as a feminine leader, you can download our complimentary white paper here.
