LifeArt2B

Amy Ricalde

COEXISTENCE OF MASCULINE AND FEMININE LEADERSHIP STYLES

Women should a) embrace an interactive leadership style b) find strength in diversity c) and follow their instincts.

A masculine society has placed many expectations on women, especially in business.  This can be a difficult covert problem to identify and move beyond because so many male leaders have set the standard in leadership merely because of their numbers.  Before opportunities opened up for women, male leaders were the only standard of reference.  Therefore, credibility is often measured by how “masculine” a woman can become.

Fortunately, effective entrepreneurs come in different shapes and sizes, despite the fact that characteristics generally considered feminine were and often still are considered inappropriate in certain circles.  In fact, women leaders are more likely to succeed by creating a different path and implementing their own unique style. Although it may be tempting, it is a worthwhile challenge for a woman to keep from adopting the traditional controlling leadership styles that many of her male counterparts use, instead embracing a more interactive style which comes more naturally to many women.

An interactive leadership style works because women actively make interactions positive through patterns of participation, shared power and information, enhanced self-worth and getting employees and business partners excited about shared projects.  A woman’s transformational leadership style allows employees to contribute and feel powerful by helping them to transform their own self-interest into the interest of the group through concern for the big picture.  “Moreover, they ascribe their power to personal characteristics like charisma, interpersonal skills, hard work, or personal contacts rather than organizational stature.” (Rosener, 2005, pp. 185-202)

“Just like the organs and limbs of a body, every component of the system is recognized as equally valuable and necessary for its survival.  Salary ratios reflect that recognition.  The walls separating the different parts of the organism begin to come down” (Ardagh, 2005, p. 300). With inclusion and interaction as fundamental attributes in transformational leadership, an informal gathering that is voluntary may be an excellent way for soliciting ideas and information from people whose opinions women value but over whom they have no direct control.  This can be more effective than meetings.

Often, the business world has tried to assimilate women by teaching them to act like men and rewarding them when they do so. However, today’s female leaders are succeeding because of rather than despite their natural leadership characteristics. Women should be prepared, however, to endure some criticism.  By willingly sharing power rather than guarding it, women may find themselves in situations and conflicts in which they are perceived as not having the answers. “The fact that women are more likely than men to be interactive leaders raises the risk that these companies will perceive interactive leadership as “feminine and automatically resist it” (Rosener, 2005, p 201).

In a climate where woman are often fighting for credibility and respect, finding strength in diversity can be increasingly difficult.  However, the women that choose the path less traveled are women that are not afraid to draw on the unique skills, experiences, and attitudes that they have developed.  Ultimately, they are comfortable using a variety of leadership styles. These women have found their strength in diversity and achieve results in a different way.

UPDATE: These patterns of social connection that are inherent to women translate well into the realm of social media marketing… watch out boys!

References:

Ardagh, A. (2005). The Translucent Revolution (Chapter 12, The War is Over: Translucent Business, pp 283-320). Novato, California: New World Library.

Rosener, J.B. (2005). Ways Women Lead. Harvard Business Review on Women in Business. (pp. 185-204). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation.