Who makes better leaders: Men or Women?
The battle of the sexes has probably existed since the dawn of times. And in Humanity’s history, we have seen both patriarchal and matriarchal societies. So still today, in the 21st century, we continue to be intrigued by the differences between men and women and keep wondering who does what better.
During my research for this article, I was amazed at how much was written on the subject of «Who makes better leaders», and even more amazed at how consistent the scientific research results were.
I will share with you the widely-recognized answer to the question «Who makes better leaders: Men or Women?», what leadership traits contribute to that result, what impact it has on the business world, and what changes, if any, should be made in the current business structure around the world.
OK, so who does actually make better leaders? Many of you might be surprised to find out it is women. This is based on a very large number of studies by well-recognized authorities, and published in credible newspapers and magazines, such as the L.A. Times and Forbes, as well as aired on serious television networks, such as CBS News.
John Zenger and Joseph Folkman have identified 16 traits required for success, based on several decades of research, that lead to the design of powerful tools to test leadership potential. The results were striking: women outscore men in leadership effectiveness.
By blending many studies, we find that the traits contributing to women displaying more efficient leadership are those desired, and very much needed, in today’s business world as well as in society in general:
Better at building relationships
Better communication skills
Better listeners
Collaborative
Connecting with other’s sense of self
Drive for results
Empathy
Enhance performance through better understanding of other’s strengths and weaknesses
Fair decisions when competing interests are at stake
Flexible
Focusing on alternatives rather than on the «right solution»
Initiative
Inquisitive
Inspirational role model
Integrity
Maturity
Never involved in scandals
Perspective
Seeing more than one solution to a problem
Self-development
Supportive
Use of cooperation, collaboration and consensus-building
Vision
The impact on the business world and on society is much more pronounced than I could ever imagine. The following statistics left me speechless:
«We’ve known for some time that companies that have more women on their boards have better results. Our findings show that having women on the board is no longer just the right thing, but also the smart thing to do. Companies with few female directors may actually be shortchanging their investors.»
– Chris Bart, professor of strategic management at McMaster’s DeGroote School of Business
«Women leaders are more inquisitive than men and tend to see more than one solution to a problem. This leads to decisions that are more likely to be in the best interests of a company.»
– Gregory McQueen, Associate Dean at A.T. Still.
«In fact, out of all leadership styles, «transformational leadership»s emerged as the most desirable. That means having a manager who connects to the employee’s sense of self, is an inspirational role model, and who enhances employee performance through better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. These are all qualities exhibited more frequently by women than by men, yet significant disparities remain.»
– Steven Appelbaum, management professor at Concordia’s John Molson School of Business (JMSB)
«Strong market growth among European companies is most likely to occur where there is a higher proportion of women in senior management teams.»
– U.K. Business Law Review
«Firms with more women on their boards outperform their rivals with a 42% higher return on sales, 66% higher return on invested capital and 53% higher return on equity.»
– U.K. Business Law Review
«Companies with at least one female director were 20% less likely to file bankruptcy.»
– U.K. Business Law Review
«Companies with higher representations of females on their boards had better financial performance.»
– U.K. Business Law Review
«Teams which involve women are more intelligent than teams made up of men alone.»
– U.K. Business Law Review
And in general …
«Life would be more peaceful if women were in charge.»
– Steven Pinker, Harvard professor of psychology
Around the world, women make up only about 9% of corporate board members. It seems obvious that we, as a global society, have to make a concerted effort to change the misconceptions about women in leadership positions.
«Business remains the realm where the glass ceilings are most intact.»
– Moira Forbes
Peter Drucker found one country that applies the cooperative approach with a lot of success. In Japan, companies explore a wide variety of opinions and approaches, and always use negotiations at all corporate levels to uncover as many alternative solutions as possible. They value inquisitiveness between all members of the company, which encourages one of the most important traits of excellent leadership: communication.
Of course, the world cannot change overnight, but I strongly believe that the first step is to give women as many opportunities as possible to prove to everyone, and even more importantly to themselves, they can be excellent leaders.
Since all changes take time, I suggest that women take matters into their own hands and create opportunities for themselves. Anyone can start a business with a few thousand dollars, a good training, and a healthy dose of motivation.
I am convinced that over time, the successes of women owning their own business will have great positive repercussions in the corporate world, by paving the way for the women who want to be promoted to executive positions in the company they work for.
«Women are more powerful than they think. A mother’s warmth is the essence of motivation. If we could liquefy the encouragement, care and compassion we deliver to our children it would surely fill an expanse greater than the Pacific.»
– Louise Burfill-Dons, speech to Women’s Institute, 2007
I invite you to visit this page of our website to find out about one example, among so many, of how entrepreneurship at small levels in young women, when encouraged, can blossom into a lifetime of owning your own businesses and thriving in the freedom of it.
For more in depth and detailed information, Phoenix Alliance offers a FREE specialized «Develop the most efficient leadership skills » seminar to its registered members.
Interesting outside link: « Women Make Better Leaders According to JMSB Research »
