by Eniko DeLisle
In this age of awakening, one might question why we’re even addressing gender as an issue in leadership roles. Are women in leadership really any different from men in the same positions? Gender differences have been argued for ions.
So the question is: Are gender differences a reason for fewer women in leadership roles? Or is it a combination of several factors, such as women’s personal choices, or the fact that we humans are creatures of habit? In her recently published book Results at the Top: Using Gender Intelligence to Create Breakthrough Growth, Barbara Annis (co-authored with Richard Nesbitt) writes about her early experiences in business, when women first joined the business workforce after the Feminist Movement (Womens’ Lib) of the 1960’s:
Like many working women at the time, I believed that to be equal to men, women had to be the same as men. Actually, back in the 1970’s and 1980’s, many feminists believed women had to be the same, but better – women had to study more, work harder, and perform better than men, to succeed. (1)
“I remember those days well,” says Eniko DeLisle, Social Media Coordinator at Sales-Link Inc. “Female managers in the 80’s worked closely with many male colleagues. I noticed that as a woman, I brought a nurturing, collaborative approach to my dealings with employees,” she continues. “I remember thinking that I tended to be more inclusive and wondered if that was a personality trait or specific to gender.”
Glenn Llopis, of the Glenn Llopis Group, a nationally recognized workforce development and business strategy consulting firm promotes the collaborative management style described by Ms. DeLisle, and encourages following one’s intuition, although he falls short of claiming that these are traits solely of female leaders He writes:
Problem solving requires transparent communication where everyone’s concerns and points of view are freely expressed. I’ve seen one too many times how difficult it is to get to the root of the matter in a timely manner when people do not speak-up. Once all voices have been heard and all points of view accounted for, the leader (with her team) can collectively map-out a path toward a viable and sustainable solution. As fundamental as communication may sound, don’t ever assume that people are comfortable sharing what they think. This is where a leader must trust herself and her intuition enough to challenge the team until accountability can be fairly enforced, and a solution can been reached.(2)
Susan Walsh, CEO of Sales-Link Inc. agrees with Glenn Llopis. She explains: “I don’t believe gender is what makes for a great communicator or problem solver. It’s the personalities, the history of the person’s relationships and their work life that creates barriers or builds bridges. I think companies are fortunate when they have leaders who listen to both sides, regardless of gender, and make decisions based on sound business standards and experiences.”
It is a testament of how far we’ve come in these past decades that Ms. Walsh’s experiences have been so free of gender bias, because undeniably, gender differences do exist. As Barbara Annis writes in her book, “By the mid-80’s, the facts were there. Men and women really were different. They think differently. They process information differently. They communicate differently.”(3) She is one of several researchers, Jon Gray, author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, being another, who have dedicated their lives to showing men and women how they are different, and are devoted to helping them to overcome the challenges these differences often cause. (4)
Sales-Link Inc. recruiting officer Judy Payer, reflects on her early years on Wall Street, when she was one of the few women working in a male-dominated office: “I found that if men and women embrace their differences and draw on the strength of how they can complement each other, they can be a power house together. It’s when they let the differences get in the way, and place their focus on competition instead of teamwork, that they fail miserably,” she concludes.
It’s 2018, and it is a fact that women are an important asset to the workforce, and that their ascent to management positions is necessary to the growth and profitability of the business world.
Good leaders should keep leading their teams consisting of all kinds of talent and gender-types, and accept perspectives that help build better businesses. Happy International Women's Day!
(1) (3) Results at the Top: Using Gender Intelligence to Create Breakthrough Growth, Barbara Annis (co-authored with Richard Nesbitt) published 2017, Wiley
(4) Men Are From Mars, Women Are from Venus, John Gray, 1St Edition 1995, Harper Collins