The Effects of Gender on Leadership Style

In 2010, my colleagues at the Barrett Values Centre drew data from 100 Barrett Values Centre Leadership Values Assessments, a 360-degree leadership development tool, to examine the perceived differences among leaders based on their personal entropy (degree of dysfunction).  They recently revisited that data to compare the overall results by gender.   They looked at the top values, strengths and areas for  improvement that were chosen most frequently by leaders’ assessors.  Note that strengths and areas for improvement are submitted as free responses.  They found that there are significant differences among male and female leaders that follow gender stereotypes.

The study concludes that despite the progress made over the years to chip away at the glass ceiling, stagnant growth in numbers was found in women corporate officer and top earner positions in the Fortune 500. They surmise that women who do find themselves in leadership roles tend to be unjustly measured in their abilities due to the continued presence of gender differences.  “Current models of leadership and leadership development cannot be applied to males and females in the same way. The research in organizational settings should focus on understanding the ways of ‘becoming’ and ‘being’ for males and females in order to identify strategies for each gender in terms of understanding what it means to be a successful manager from each perspective.”

There is growing acknowledgement that the more relationship-centered approach commonly displayed by women may be a more effective way to manage others.  Additionally, researchers believe that embracing gender differences among leaders may be the path to success for many organisations.  “Companies that are able to harness the strengths of both sexes may be said to be gender ‘bilingual’ rather than gender neutral. Organizations with gender diversity at the top are more successful than others and will find their way out of the current economic crisis into sustainable profitability.”

Their investigation of leadership behaviours based on gender concludes that, while there are similarities among male and female leaders, the differences demonstrated are significant and appear to be tied to biology and the socialization males and females receive during upbringing.  As a result, it seems paramount to support leaders of both genders in ways that legitimately take into account both their similarities and their differences. For the complete paper, visit: http://www.valuescentre.com/uploads/2011-08-30/Understanding%20the%20Battle%20of%20the%20Sexes.pdf

Employee engagement through leadership development

Our global leadership crisis has me thinking about the need to develop the leader inside each and every one of us. Leadership development is often reserved for our "best and brightest", the people that have been identified as "high-potential" performers. This practice and philosophy has surely contributed to the widespread state of inept governance and corporate corruption we see in headlines across the globe. If we can no longer count on our best and brightest to lead, perhaps it's time to to consider a new approach.

The unprecedented, exponential pace of global change demands a new vision of everyone as leader. A Japanese proverb advises: "None of us is as smart as all of us." and there is not a single person I can think of who I would not benefit from leadership development- particularly in the crucial skills of "leading self". This approach also has the added benefit of increasing employee engagement. Investing in the development of people has a multiplier effect on desired performance.

It is important to note that the cost of providing development opportunities has dropped dramatically. Thanks to technology, the cost of high-quality self-development programs are now within the reach of any organization. Take for example the leadership learning system recently created by Richard Barrett. The New Leadership Paradigm training program is a state-of-the-art leadership development learning system based on evolutionary principles.  The system is flexible, customizable, and comprehensive. It provides for both emergent and structured learning in a self-managed or facilitated learning environment. The training program is comprised of four learning modules: 1. Leading self 2. Leading a team 3. Leading an organisation 4. Leading in society

The New Leadership Paradigm web site and learning materials are updated on a regular basis based on feedback and suggestions from users and facilitators of the learning system. It is a collective, collaborative, and evolutionary learning venture that can deliver cost-effective leadership training to everyone in your organization. 

While it makes sense to limit participation in module 3 and 4 to your high-potentials and high-performers, it makes equal sense to offer modules 1 and 2 to everyone in your organization. Everyone can benefit from more focus and development in the areas of personal mastery and teamwork. 

This time of great change calls for each of us to step up to greater personal mastery and a greater appreciation of  what we can accomplish as leaders and members of teams. After all, none of us is as smart as all of us.

Agile Leaders Do Not Resort to False Strength

The world desperately needs a new type of leadership. The time of heroic trailblazing based on sheer strength of will and personal achievement is long past. Yet much of our American success story remains stuck in the "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing" thinking. Guy Finley wrote about this recently as a distinction between  leaders with real strength as opposed to false strength: 
"Most people want very much to be strong, but they do not seem to be able to find the real strength they yearn for. Instead, they find qualities that pass themselves off as strength, but secretly leave them feeling weak. Here are some examples of false strength:
- lashing out in anger when frustrated
- demanding that we are right
- blaming someone else for causing the problem
- being loud and intimidating, or cold and critical
- feeling confident because of any contrived appearance

By contrast, here are some examples of real strength:
- remaining calm in a crisis
- never feeling the need to prove ourselves to anyone
- seeking to solve the problem rather than placing blame
- enjoying self-command regardless of uncertain circumstances
- seeing all setbacks as necessary steps to higher success"

In this fast-paced, ever changing, globally connected world, we desperately need agile leaders with real strength. For a reading list of books to help develop your agile leadership strength, visit: http://bit.ly/9sBGnD