I love working with women, because they are naturally empathetic and nurturing, exceptionally good listeners, great at multitasking, and typically all-round strong communicators. They have a strong focus on teamwork, are flexible, able to wear many hats, and are incredibly capable in a crisis – often making their difficult jobs appear effortless. Top that with a high level of emotional intelligence, and the ability to dream big, while leaving their egos at the door and it all adds up to outstanding business leadership. In fact, recent research published in the Harvard Business Review revealed that women in leadership roles were just as competent as their male peers and were more effective in 84% of frequent measured leadership skills. The data illustrated how female leaders excelled when it came to taking initiative, showing resilience during tough times and striving for self-development while helping others to develop, too. Yet despite these findings, most women don’t stop to realise just how amazing they are which can unintentionally hold them back. They can often lack the confidence of our male counterparts, despite proven capabilities to excel in their chosen field. The Harvard Business Review also published data showing that female leaders often under-rated themselves when asked to do self-reflection tasks while men were far more confident in their abilities. Likewise, women are also less likely to apply for a prospective job, unless they meet the majority of prerequisite requirements or qualifications, compared to men, who are more than happy to apply, even when they tick a small number of the required boxes.. However, all of these female traits combined may actually be the driving force behind why women do go above and beyond in their roles and in turn, become great leaders.Think business executive Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo who served at the company for more than 20 years. Not only did their sales grow by 80% during her 12 years as CEO, Nooyi made Forbes’ list as one of the top three most powerful women – but it was her personable leadership style and ability to overcome challenges that allowed her to achieve such success. Former First Lady Michelle Obama is also the epitome of a great leader, stepping outside the traditional First Lady role to advocate for humanitarian causes and working with communities to create change. be a pro the second you start using it.
Studies show that women have qualities that allow them to be more open to feedback, enabling them to take on constructive criticism and use it as a way to improve. Being able to do this helps women to look at their actions from a non-judgmental point of view and make decisions that help to improve their business. Because women have a high emotional intelligence, they have the ability to not only be self-aware about our own emotions and actions, but read and respond appropriately to those around them. The success of a leader isn’t dependent on how confident they act, how much their salary package includes or how many promotions they get. The success of a leader is measured by the performance of their team and their productivity. Good leaders care about monitoring their employees’ stress levels and take a genuine interest in their wellbeing – qualities that women naturally have. As a business coach with Business House Group, I’m passionate about helping smart women seize the day and explode their potential in business while breaking through any perceived barriers. If you have a business you want to grow, a big vision you’d like to realise, or even just the germ of an idea you want to explore, I’d love to chat.Together, we can be unstoppable…
References:
https://hbr.org/2019/06/research-women-score-higher-than-men-in-most-leadership-skills https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2019/03/04/women-make-great-leaders-four-ways-to-embrace-and-advance-your-leadership-skills/#559453ecf35c
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