Workplace Challenges | Recognition | Professional Development | Job Termination

Workplace Challenges

Women leaders more willing to take risks

They take other people’s opinions into consideration before reaching a decision, turn rejections into challenges that must be overcome and want to get things done immediately. Those are some of the traits that distinguish women leaders from their male counterparts.

LINDA WHITE

[ 2007-11-04 ]

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STRONGER PEOPLE SKILLS

According to a new study by Caliper, a management consulting firm in Princeton, New Jersey, women leaders also have stronger people skills than their male counterparts, but scored lower marks in thoroughness.

The study came about while Caliper was working with an organization in England that wanted to compare English and American women leaders. “There were a couple of cute differences, but really nothing very significant,” says Dr. Herb Greenberg, president and chief executive officer of Caliper.

“I began to wonder if there were any real differences between women and men leaders … The results (of the study) are striking and really frankly startled us. Many are counter intuitive.”

The study, which included a personality assessment, demographic analysis and in-depth interviews with 59 women leaders, in 19 different business sectors, from some of the top companies in the United States and the United Kingdom. It revealed four major findings:

- Women leaders are more persuasive than their male counterparts.

- Women leaders feel the sting of rejection, learn from adversity and carry on with an “I’ll show you” attitude.

- Women leaders have an inclusive, team-building leadership style of problem solving and decision making.

- Women leaders are more likely to ignore rules and take risks.

“The only area that women leaders were a little weaker — and it’s just a little weaker — was in self esteem … We learned something very important. We found that women who have low self-esteem but are assertive used turndowns as motivators,” Greenberg says. “Rejection connects psychologically as: ‘I’ll show you.’ … Women leaders with low self-esteem, but who are unassertive, are more willing to accept the jury verdict.”

“COLLABORATIVE APPROACH”

There are no more than a dozen women leading Fortune 500 companies in the U.S., but women leaders are beginning to make an impact through their style of leadership, Greenberg believes.

“Their collaborative approach to leadership is beginning to become the recommended approach. Men are beginning to realize that maybe there is something to that — maybe they’ll stop at the gas station and ask for directions instead of driving around lost for several hours.”

Though an increasing number of women are moving up the ladder, many simply aren’t interested in the hassles often associated with breaking through the glass ceiling.

Instead, many are dedicating their talents and knowledge to establishing their own business. Caliper plans to study the differences between women leaders and those who follow the entrepreneurial path in a future study.

Caliper has studied the qualities of women leaders in other countries and has found its findings are equally valid in Japan, Brazil, Singapore and China. “There are some variations from country to country, but the similarities are stronger than the differences,” Greenberg says.

Despite the many attributes women leaders demonstrate, they’re not on a level playing field with their male counterparts just yet, Greenberg concludes. “Being equal is not quite good enough yet,” he says. “Women leaders still have to be a little bit better than their competitors.”