Women know they can lead – so why are some organizations slow in coming to the same conclusion?
According to a Pew Research Center report on what makes a good leader, characteristics such as honesty, intelligence, compassion and innovation rank quite high on the rating scale.
When comparing these traits between men and women, women scored higher in most of these categories. From this, we can infer that the general public views women as more compassionate, innovative and honest compared to men.
A study conducted by Dr. Alice Eagly, a scholar on the topic of women’s leadership, found that women make better leaders because women tend to be more transformational leaders — meaning that they seek to develop others and listen more effectively, in addition to generally thinking more outside-the-box than their male counterparts.
There have been a series of studies done to compare how men and women handle stress in difficult situations. Neuroscience and neurobiology prove that women make better decisions under stress.
A study by the University of Southern California found that under normal circumstances, men and women make decisions very similarly but under high stress situations, men tend to behave more riskier — often causing a negative impact and costly outcomes.
Analysts contend that challenges women face in the corporate world, such as gender stereotyping and sociocultural conditioning to prioritize families over careers, have contributed to the slow pace of women’s advancement into leadership roles.
Effective training can help women tap the potential that science says is already there and just waiting to emerge.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers Leadership Training for Women, a 2-day practical training course that is designed to address the issues and challenges new and successful female leaders are facing on a daily basis in society. In our leadership for women training program you will learn and practice 10 essential skills of leadership and change management.
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.