(This article originally appeared in Ambition, the thought leadership publication by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) – in print and online – and has been republished on this website with the permission of AMBA.)
Women in leadership are changing the world. The rise of female leadership in communities, businesses, and political positions redefines outdated ideas of what it means to be an effective leader. Although society is making strides in addressing gender inequality, systematic challenges and age-old biases continue to impact women’s careers.
How can organisations, policymakers, and individuals join the effort to promote female leadership? Women need support, opportunities, and education to confidently lead in the future.
What does female leadership look like?
Research by Harvard Business Review indicates that women demonstrate essential leadership qualities. On an individual basis, women ranked higher in nearly every category of leadership effectiveness, resulting in better performance overall. According to the review, 19 core capabilities contribute to excellence in leadership, and women ranked higher than men in 17 of the 19 areas. Women scored exceptionally high in the following top leadership capabilities.
Women take initiative
HBR’s research initiative found that women are more likely than men to take initiative in leadership positions. Taking initiative is the ability to decide and act independently without waiting for outside direction. The female initiative is evident in current enrollment rates for higher education. In 2020, more women (56.6%) than men (44.1%) participated in higher education in the UK. Women who invest in their education demonstrate a hunger for growth and develop skills to become better leaders.
Women in leadership are resilient
Resilience involves one’s ability to withstand or recover quickly from challenging situations. In an organisational setting, female leaders are typically more relational, inclusive, and communal. During the pandemic, reports show that a relational leadership style was preferable over an autocratic command-and-control style when responding to crises. Female-led countries like New Zealand, Germany, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, and Taiwan demonstrated incredible resilience and responsiveness during the pandemic’s public health efforts.
Women in leadership prioritise self-development
Self-development is a lifelong process that includes physical, emotional, educational, intellectual, and vocational growth. The HBR study reports that women scored in the 54.8 percentile for self-development efforts compared to 49.6% of men. Renowned author and Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, PhD, coined the term ‘growth mindset’ to explain the importance of self-development for individual success. Dweck’s research has shown that students who believe they can improve their intellectual abilities (growth mindset) work harder and perform better than those who think their abilities are a fixed trait (fixed mindset). Women in leadership roles employ a growth mindset to learn more, stay curious, acquire new skills, and constantly engage in self-development.
Women in leadership drive results
Women executives not only prove to be driven, resilient, and self-motivated, they also drive impressive business results. Research shows that companies with more female executives are correlated with bigger share price gains, stronger revenue growth, and higher profits. For example, Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of Youtube, is one of the world’s highest-performing female CEOs. Wojcicki was Google’s 16th employee and marketing manager before she proposed Google’s purchase of YouTube and spearheaded its acquisition for US$1.65 billion in 2006. Wojcicki’s insight and strategic direction was integral in Youtube’s beginnings and continues to support the success of one of the largest search platforms in existence.
Women in leadership demonstrate integrity and honesty
In 2021, Fortune named Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the World’s Greatest Leader. Ardern was met with many challenges, from a destabilising terrorist attack and deadly volcanic eruption to a global pandemic. Ardern demonstrated impressive transparency and honesty with every challenge she faced. The people of New Zealand responded to Ardern’s policies with overwhelming support — a Newshub-Reid Research Poll showed the popularity of Ardern’s Labour Party rose to 60.9%, the highest it has been in the poll’s history. Ardern embodies integrity and honesty in leadership and highlights that women in leadership roles can be both vulnerable and strong.
How can we empower women to occupy leadership roles?
As women step onto the global stage and occupy positions of power, female leaders continue to battle sexism, unconscious gender bias, and distrust. The UK government developed a case for action to promote female leadership, including regulations, incentives, support networks, targets, and more. Although this is a crucial step, organisations can enact the following steps to support female leadership.
Fund skilling and training for women
Education is an essential pillar of professional development. Companies that commit to promoting women in leadership must allocate time and funds to support women’s higher education and training programmes. Organisations can offer access to programmes to help women attain practical knowledge and recognised credentials that further their careers.
Actively recruit more women
HR teams are uniquely positioned to further the recruitment of women in the workplace. HR leaders must create organisational targets that require gender-balanced teams and hire and promote with female leadership in mind. Companies should also schedule regular employment reviews to identify gender inequalities or existing pay disparities and create an action plan to resolve these issues internally.
Create a female-friendly work environment
Beware of perpetuating ‘the boy’s club’ mentality at work. Instead, organisations must promote inclusive language, respectful communication, and support systems that build a female-friendly environment. A major challenge for women at work is the need to balance caregiving and career responsibilities. One action organisations can take to support a female-friendly work environment is offering flexible work and family support options for work-life balance.
UMIO leadership programmes
To help ambitious women attain knowledge, skills and insights in the field of leadership, UMIO | Maastricht University offers various opportunities for professional development, ranging from international degree programmes, such as the MaastrichtMBA programme (On-Campus & Online) and the Executive Master in Cultural Leadership, to short executive courses in Dutch, such as Opleiding Bedrijfskunde, Opleiding Verbindend Leiderschap, and Masterclass Effectief Leiderschap.
