In February 2023, The Growth Faculty published an article focusing on the strength of female leadership styles while highlighting three female leaders that have exhibited these styles throughout their roles. They also look at research discussing how female leadership can impact organisational performance and why it’s important to strive for a gender equal future.
Because the article is quite long, we split into several section-articles for your easy reading.
ARTICLE 1:
Female Leadership Styles: What Are They & How Can They Improve Team Performance?
Traditionally, the trademark of an ‘effective’ leader was masculine, not feminine.
The undertones of masculinity dominate in qualities like assertiveness and self-reliance, and they are driven by results (and outcomes). Women, on the other hand, are perceived as kinder, gentler and are motivated by people.
Women also feel as though they have to worker harder to compete with masculine traits in order reach for positions of leadership. In doing so, women have been fighting for equal opportunity in the workplace for decades.
The 2023 theme for International Women’s Day of ‘Cracking The Code: Innovation for a gender equal future‘ reflects the importance of innovation towards gender equality and the value of setting a new standard of cultural, social, and economic codes for gender equal opportunity in the workplace.
We reflect on several notable examples of how female leadership styles have redefined what it means to be an effective leader. We’ll also touch on their contributions within their organisations, and dive into the impact female leadership has on organisational profit and performance.
How Do Women Lead?
Female leaders are flexible and adaptable, often displaying an blend of transformational, participative and democratic leadership.
Let’s look at 3 inspiring and powerful businesswomen and the ways they exhibit these leadership styles.
Women Leaders Are More Transformational: Indra Nooyi
“It’s our job to draw the best out of everyone….employees must be able to immerse their whole selves in a work environment in which they can truly develop their careers, families and philanthropy, and truly believe they are cared for.” – Indra Nooyi.
Indra Nooyi reminds us that effective leadership isn’t a one-man-band; it’s collaborative. Her leadership style focusses on building her team up, expanding their skillset and encouraging them to always raise the bar. More importantly, she emphasises the importance of holding oneself to this standard as well.
This is a noteworthy example of what we mean by ‘transformational leadership’. A transformational leader is someone who inspires and empowers members of their group. They’re enthusiastic, passionate and focus on helping everyone succeed.
In the case of Indra Nooyi’s time at PepsiCo, her role as CEO demonstrated that a transformational leadership style is not only effective on a team level, but on a strategic and organisational level as well. She was responsible for re-shaping overarching strategy, diversifying the brand and refreshing PepsiCo’s sense of purpose.
In her book, My Life in Full: Work, Family, and our Future, Nooyi shares the value of support in her overall success.
Women Leaders Are More Participative: Ginni Rometty
“I ask everyone’s opinion when they don’t speak up. And then why they have an opinion, I’ll ask others to talk about it.” – Ginni Rometty.
As the first female CEO at IBM, Ginni Rometty certainly made a difference. Throughout 2012 to 2020, Rometty reinvented over half of IBM’s portfolio, established IBM as a leader in AI and built a $21 billion hybrid cloud business.
She did so while prioritising her team and their personal development. Decisions were made after team discussions and her actions and goals were always transparent. She was participative.
Participative leaders like Ginni Rometty place a strong focus on collaboration. They motivate and welcome input from their whole team, gathering different perspectives before coming to a decision.
Rometty is a powerful example of how participative leadership embraces teamwork to optimise individual and organisational potential. The more participative leaders we have in the workplace, the closer we get to gender equality in the workplace.
Women Leaders Are More Democratic: Gail Kelly
“The old world of autocratic, top-down leadership styles are gone.” – Gail Kelly.
During her tenure, Gail Kelly was one of the most powerful business women in Australia. She was the former CEO of two major Australian banks, St. George Bank from 2002-2007 and Westpac from 2008-2015.
Under Gail’s leadership, Westpac purchased St. George in 2008 in what was the largest in-market merger in Australian banking. From 2008 she made it her mission to have 40% of Westpac senior management positions held by women by 2014, a goal she reached swiftly by 2012. She was a powerhouse for helping women ascend up the corporate ladder.
Gail Kelly’s democratic leadership style focused on promoting teamwork and loyalty by considering the input of others when making decisions. Everyone has the opportunity to participate, share and debate ideas; creating better employee engagement, productivity and satisfaction.
Source: The Growth Faculty
