Women's Leadership: Truth And Fiction

2023 Author: Amber Richards | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 00:24

Opening the program of almost any business forum, we will surely find in it the topic of women's entrepreneurship or women's leadership - today many are discussing successful cases adjusted for the gender component. And this is good: thanks to a new trend, society is asking questions why women and men receive different salaries for the same job, why the career ceiling for women is lower than for men, why the measure of a woman's success is still having a family and children (read also: "This is sexism: how modern society humiliates women"). There are still many controversial statements around women's leadership, some of which are outdated stereotypes. Together with experts from KFC, we chose five of the most striking examples and figured out which of them is true and which is myth.

Statement # 1: There are still barriers that prevent women from moving up the career ladder

It's true. According to a Hays study, 62% of women in Russia say there are barriers to career growth. Among the main obstacles are gender stereotypes, forced career breaks due to a decree, the difficulty in combining a successful career and family life.

And, nevertheless, many have successfully overcome these barriers. Thus, the number of women in the top management of companies in Russia is one of the highest in the world. Surprisingly, for the third year in a row, our country remains the world leader in this indicator - 47% of top management positions are held by women, according to a study by Grant Thornton International.

Statement # 2: Women are weaker leaders than men

This is a stereotype. Although such a prejudice does exist. According to the same Hays study, 41% of women believe that there is a bias in society towards female leaders. Perhaps each of us has come across stereotypes that women are too emotional, their mood is subordinated to physiological processes, and they cannot control themselves. Allegedly, this is intended by nature, and women cannot be good leaders.

The female leadership style is indeed different from the male one, but by no means is it less successful or less effective: women are more likely to demonstrate behavior aimed at employee development, more often serve as role models, inspire and involve.

Experts believe that this type of leadership behavior is most effective for solving problems and challenges of the future.

Thus, a survey of the leaders of the largest corporations identified four behaviors that will be most effective for the work of corporations over the next five years: stimulating intellectual processes, inspiring, involving employees in decision-making, and meeting reward expectations. Three of these behaviors are most common among women leaders, and the fourth is used in equal proportions by men and women.

Statement # 3: There are purely male and female professions

This is true, but only partially. The Hays study showed that 59% of women report the presence of a stereotype of "typically masculine" positions in their lives. Among the male fields of activity are construction, IT, oil and gas sector, heavy industry and mechanical engineering, security and defense, metallurgy, surgery, navigation and mining. Among women - personnel management, statistics, accounting, professions related to the education and upbringing of children, sales, communications, art, psychology, service sector, media.

But, as we can see, in the case of "male positions" we are not talking about leadership / beginner positions, but about professions associated with physical labor or with a threat to health. Indeed, women are still not hired to work as a subway driver, no matter how much the latter would like to. As for the leadership positions, the situation is different. For example, according to quality interviews from KFC, women noted the possibility of career growth in the company and the absence of professions or positions “closed” to them.

Statement # 4: There are no advantages to having women in leadership

This is fiction. Research confirms that gender balance in business management is essential for financial efficiency. Organizations that have included three or more women in the leadership team demonstrate the best results in nine performance parameters, including: responsibility, coordination and control, outward orientation, innovation, motivation, and others.

A study by financial group MSCI of 4,200 companies also showed that companies with strong female leadership had higher earnings (+ 2.7% per share). In addition, these companies are less prone to conflicts and disagreements in management.

Statement # 5: Leadership is a masculine trait, and it is not characteristic of women

This stereotype. A good leader is a concept that does not depend on gender, but on a set of competencies. Of course, each person sees the ideal in his own way, but you can form a list of qualities that are necessary for a modern leader. As a rule, among the key features are named: the ability to motivate and inspire others, the ability to make decisions and be responsible for them, flexibility and openness to innovations, strategic thinking (read also: “Leader with a capital letter: who are superbosses (and how they become) ").

According to a survey conducted among KFC employees, according to their own estimates, they have a well-developed ability to make decisions and take responsibility, but strategic thinking, the ability to inspire people, and openness to innovation need to be strengthened. Following this research, KFC came up with the Heart Led Women program, which helps women develop the necessary leadership competencies through good deeds and volunteering. Employees can become mentors for wards from orphanages, organize volunteer groups, initiate and implement their own projects, conduct seminars and master classes. The project has already proven its effectiveness: 78% of the program participants were able to get promotion at work thanks to the development of new skills.

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