I was engaged in a fascinating conversation in the office the other day. Julia had been asked to write her opinions on whether there is a difference between male and female leaders for one of the broadsheets. I often hear this kind of debate coming up but don’t pay too much attention to it. I’ve always thought leadership is both the same yet different for every individual. There are generic habits of leadership. The need to always look for balance, to be conscious of the impact they have on others, to know their passion, to communicate well etc. But leadership can look very different because the environments we work in and our technical expertise are so very different that how the skills of a leader are observed will always appear very different.
But I did start thinking that women may be more likely to learn the skills of leadership because of the positions and situations they find themselves in through life. I don’t think it’s innate. Our life experiences are our dominant learning ground for our leadership. Are the challenges and opportunities women face in life more likely to develop them as leaders?
Being in a minority (as women often find themselves in business) women have to learn the hard way how to bring about change. They can’t rely on their positions of authority, their technical expertise and education. It just won’t get them as far. They learn how the system really works, where the power really lies and how to use it. They learn to be patient, how to get people on side, and avoid the blocks. They have to become much more sophisticated, and more aware of themselves in the process.
In a male dominated business men can be led to think all the male bonding, the games of golf and the chats about football and rugby are enough for us to be successful. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against this kind of male activity! On the contrary I miss it, having worked in a female dominated environment for my whole career. But unless it is balanced with a focus on leadership development men may be left facing a very painful change process when asked to lead, perhaps too painful, and in many cases a significant personal crisis rather than a learning breakthrough that we can grow from.
For my twopennorth!
There are leadership behaviours that can be styled as ‘feminine’ (relational, enquiry based and transformational) and there are styles that can be characterised as masculine (controlling, advocacy based and transactional).
There is at best an unreliable correlation between preferred leadership style and gender.
There are plenty of women who have learned how to play the transactional game you describe. There are also plenty of men who have learned or are learning (in my case) the more ‘feminine’ approach you describe.
By: Mike Chitty on 18 September 2008
at 3:32 pm
[...] truth in this. Perhaps more women do more of the above than men. However surely the key issue here is that having the patience to become expert in your field and your organisation will give you both [...]
By: Blogging on leadership » Blog Archive » Patience and Leadership on 22 September 2008
at 8:00 pm