THE GENUINE ARTICLE The unique perspective on leadership that a woman possesses, alongside innate empathy and resilience, can transform industries, fostering innovation and inclusivity, says Jo Wagsta I n a world hungry for change, women hold the power to revolutionise our future. We need more female leaders unapologetically breaking barriers and shattering glass ceilings. Female leaders can bring a diversity of ideas, nurturing collaboration and dismantling outdated norms and structures. We can inspire young girls to dream bigger, paving the way for a generation of trailblazers. For much of my working life, as a female leader in the financial
The first is a complying strategy, driven by a need to be liked, which can often lead to us abandoning ourselves to win other people’s approval and being overly eager to please. Next up is a controlling strategy; here we may move against people and the world to try to control our environment and those around us. Such behaviour is driven by anxiety, a need to prove ourselves and a fear of failure. This often leads to fault-finding, a compulsive drive to achieve, being demanding and forceful and winning at any cost. Lastly, we have a protecting strategy, where we may withdraw and distance ourselves or over-intellectualise as a way of protecting ourselves from feeling vulnerable and not fully participating in relationships the way that we really ought to do. Appreciating the value of the female leader For a great many of us, it is also about recognising and honouring the ‘feminine leadership advantage’; this is a fascinating research finding outlined by authors Cindy Adams and Lani Van Dusen from the Leadership Circle, where they compared self-identified male and female managers within the business coaching firm’s database of more than 84,000 leaders. Here’s a snapshot of some of the most interesting findings: Female leaders, on average, demonstrate higher levels of leadership e ectiveness The data reveals that there is a feminine leadership advantage across all management levels, age groups and cultures. This means that, when compared with their male counterparts, women leaders demonstrate greater competency in nearly all areas Women score significantly higher on the competencies underlying relational skills and perspective-taking. They also score higher in authenticity and achieving. These come from their pronounced ability to leverage caring connections that achieve productive results Their evaluators view them as “leaders who lead by example and are people-oriented in their approach”
services industry, my need to prove myself and earn my worth to feel safe in this world stopped me from living – and leading – in a way that was true to myself. In my experience of working with hundreds of professional women in many countries and across all levels, I have learned that I am not alone. Whatever our histories, many of us have not learned how to be in a relationship with ourselves that encourages us to believe deeply in both who we are and our capabilities – the kind of relationship that empowers us to step fully into our own lives. We often spend so much time looking for answers outside of ourselves, but transformation begins when we begin looking inside. It starts when we begin to gently and compassionately understand why we do what we do, what unconsciously drives us and what true success looks like for us individually. Living and leading our lives true to ourselves is the foundational ingredient to thriving in the workplace, as well as in life. internal and external, that can make it hard to live and lead authentically. Some of these factors are cultural, some biological and some come from our childhood. Chief among these is our family histories, which set up our underlying beliefs and assumptions and create patterns of behaviour that shape how we show up in the world and go about trying to find our self-worth at work. We often unconsciously implement one of three limiting reactive coping strategies to get our needs met and to feel loved, safe, secure and worthwhile. Subconsciously sabotaging your self-worth The challenge is that there are an infinite number of factors, both
48 | Ambition MAY 2024
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online