LEADERS IN HEELS
What do inspirational, visionary women have, other than passion, empathy and courage, that sets them apart
Leadership is still a nebulous phenomenon, it’s ever-changing in the face of new circumstances. What made a leader successful 50 years ago may not hold true in today’s changing geo-economic environment. From personal experience of being in the executive search business for decades, what I do believe is that men and women bring different aspects of leadership to the fore. Most women, especially in Asia, get a head start in life when it comes to organisation skills as they master multitasking and collaborative working while they balance managing homes and full-time jobs. With marriage, maternity and motherhood, these skills only get accentuated, especially if the woman is also the primary caregiver in the family. So, what is highest common factor and the lowest common denominator when it comes to women in leadership roles— how they get there, what they do and how they stay there?
1 They are collaborative leaders
They can quickly garner the support of a large team to deliver a common goal, while allocating tasks effortlessly to get the job done. I have observed that this comes as second nature to most promising leaders. Being consummate team players, women leaders more often work to get the job done and not for being in the spotlight.
2 They lead balanced lives
They often follow passions outside of the workplace with great zeal, balancing home and work and their own selfdevelopment with equal ease. It’s invigorating to see how they can discuss holiday destinations, children’s cuts and scrapes, home improvement as they can discuss stock prices and latest trends in talent management. This ability to see different perspectives, see through patterns and seek opportunities gives them a multidimensional view of the world, which becomes useful when drawing out the strategic intent of a long-term/shortterm business plan.
3 They embrace reinvention
Women leaders have a great understanding of the change management process and are usually successful in situations that require transformational leadership. They embrace renewal much faster than their male counterparts, something which is coded in their primal DNA. They seek challenges in the workplace actively.
4 They have the instinct to sense problems
This comes again from their nature to maintain stability and ensure that the order of things is not disturbed, as they provide leadership at home and at the workplace.
5 They inspire others to do better
They make for extremely inspirational leaders by always setting high standards and paying greater attention to the finer nuances of problems and their solutions.
6 They build and nurture relationships
This helps them set in place a supportive system to fall back upon in times of a crisis and helps them manage their life better. They are not embarrassed to ask for help when required and will willingly reciprocate the same when a colleague, family member, or member of staff is in need.
7 They don’t give up easily
Grit has been the universally accepted determinant as a hallmark of success in all fields of life, far outweighing raw talent. The same is true for leadership. Women have to face the brunt of societal pressure to make difficult choices. Marriage, motherhood and mobility constraints due to their partner’s job often force them to make choices. In my observation, women who don’t give up in the face of tough circumstances, both personal and professional, are the ones that make for truly successful leaders.