Qualities of Women as Leaders, Essay Example

Pleasant

• Women have more expressive faces and smile more often. (Brown and Irby, 2001)
• Women are able to create a friendlier and more pleasant atmosphere at work, using personalized designs and interior
• As females like avoiding open conflicts the atmosphere of meetings led by a woman can be more pleasant.

Affectionate

• Women are more emotional and try to understand problems from different aspects. Being emotional is not a negative thing when leaders try to understand the motivations of their employees.
• Being affectionate results in caring for the employees and building stronger relationships
• Affectionate female leaders build stronger commitment among employees

Keen imagination

• Imagination of the leadership results in strong values and company mission
• Thinking outside of the box and not following the written guidelines word by word leads to innovation
• Keen imagination creates visions for the future of the company or organization

Empathy

• Empathy promotes better job performance among employees, according to Forbes Magazine (2011).
• Empathy can help leaders spot when employees are struggling and find the right approach to support talent
• Empathy is useful during negotiation processes as females are better at understanding others’ views.

Appreciative

• Female leaders do not only value good employees but show appreciation as well.
• Female leaders are also able to find the right channels and communication methods to show appreciation
• Rewarding systems are more relevant and motivating when they are created by female leaders. (Powell, 1990)

Friendly

• A friendly atmosphere is better to work in, therefore, employee retention would be higher
• It is easier to approach a friendly leader with personal or professional problems before they would fully escalate, therefore, the number of conflicts or issues would be lower
• Friendly leaders build relationships with colleagues, professional contacts ane employees and promote a healthy business atmosphere

References

Brown, G., Irby, B. (2001) Women and Leadership: Creating Balance in Life. Nova Publishers.

Notwell, K. (2010) Women Changing Lives: WEC Leadership Toolkit. Women’s Economic Council

Powell, G. (1990) One More Time: Do Female and Male Managers Differ? CAD Manage Perspect. March 1, 1990 vol. 4 no. 368-75

Klotz, F. (2011) Why Women Make Better Leaders. Forbes, Why Women Make Better Leaders. 11/08/11