Historically, male leadership has dominated the economy, with the vast majority of CEOs, board positions, and even lower levels of management being men.
With higher rates of female leaders at the upper echelons of leadership, though, in the business sector and beyond, many organizations have come to realize the very real advantages of female leadership.
However, in spite of the progress made, only one in five senior management positions is occupied by a woman. Obviously, more work is needed to balance the gender gap in top decision-making positions.
In this article, you will find the top ways that female leaders improve the groups they lead and, by extension, the world.
Greater Emotional Intelligence
Women, on average, have greater emotional intelligence than men. Emotional intelligence elements are sometimes also known as “soft skills” that include verbal communication, networking abilities, and collaboration.
Emotional intelligence is so productive in terms of its benefits for a company’s bottom line that soft skills are often rated higher during the recruitment process than “hard” technical skills.
Problem-Solving With a Fresh Perspective
Effectively identifying problems, collaborating within the group to find a potential solution, and executing said solution takes input from various perspectives – a behavioral model that women bring to the table in spades.
The tangible benefits of a new perspective on problem-solving by women in terms of increased profits are well-documented.
Greater Fidelity to Ethics
Big business typically operates on the concept of return on investment (ROI) in exclusively financial terms.
The image of big business, as a consequence, has suffered many losses in the eyes of the American public due to unethical behavior by leadership (think of Enron and countless similar scandals).
Many surveys of large cohorts show that women are perceived in the population to be significantly more trustworthy than men in terms of their commitment to ethics.
While women as a whole are certainly not immune to bending the ethical norms and rules in favor of short-term profit, women do tend to see greater long-term value in maintaining a respected standing in the community – even if that means taking a cut in profit in the short-term.
Moving forward, women will surely play a more central role in how business is conducted. New models of leadership are certainly needed now more than ever.