Women and Leadership: Five Key Strengths Every Organization Needs

The time is right for organizations to fully tap the strengths women leaders bring. Are the women in your organization stepping up to their next level? Does your organization know how to create an environment that promotes the best possible contribution of women?

In my recent conversations with HR executives, questions about how to tap the unique strengths and talents women bring to their organizations have been top of mind. Through my leadership development work with women, I’ve seen firsthand the significant gains women make when they are in women -only leadership development programs.

Many organizations have hired and developed excellent female talent. Those women are looking for ways to make bigger contributions. When they get the right kind of leadership development experience, they successfully lead bigger initiatives, improve their visibility, manage up more effectively and make significant changes.

As a result of participating in a women -only leadership development program, one female leader saved her company more than $500,000 because she had the courage to stand up and change a n HR system that wasn’t cost effective. Another woman leader in a government organization saved over $50,000 by eliminating unnecessary steps in a process that was repeated on a daily basis. Her staff was instrumental in the change and is now engaged in finding other cost and time saving changes.

Most organizations were designed with the traditional model of power and control. That model had a life cycle that is now coming to an end. Today organizations are facing rapid change. Male and female leaders need to build relationships quickly, get varied groups of people to work together well and be effective working in matrix environments.

Women are well suited for the needs of organizations today. Women leaders tend to encourage participation, share power and information, which makes people feel energized and important.

Let’s look at five key strengths of women leaders.

1. Women are relationship builders.

Women are cultured to put relationships first. They become masterful relationship builders as a result. In companies where people are working in matrix environments, strong working relationships are critical to success.

Women are more likely to get subordinates to transform their own self-interests into the broader goal the group is trying to achieve. A greater sense of teamwork and commitment to achieving the outcome with others is the result.

2. W omen connect with women buyers.

Research tells us that 50 to 80% of buying decisions are made by women. Yet, many senior level executives are men. Women automatically understand the perspectives of other women and the motivations behind the purchases they make. They know intimately what will be most appealing to female buyers.

This presents a solid business case for having women move up the ranks and lead in senior level roles. It’s a competitive advantage to have women leading projects that directly touch the female customer.

3. Women intuitively read political dynamics and emotions.

Women have a well developed ability to read the emotions of people. They have a heightened awareness to subtleties and nuances. Paying attention to this data can help women have the competitive edge because they tap into the feelings of others. This allows them to be ahead of the curve in understanding when people are happy or discontented and why. They also know who to influence and who has the power to get things done.

4. Women ask questions.

Women have the courage to ask the seemingly ‘dumb ’ questions. They know that asking questions uncovers the true feelings and perspectives around the table.

They have an ability to ask questions in a way that draws people in and builds trust. The gentle nature that many women naturally have creates an inviting environment of safety and interest. It’s easier for employees to speak their point of view when they know it is wanted and valued.

5. Women a re collaborative in their approach.

It is important to women to be inclusive. They know that collaboration is about working together effectively, sharing ideas and information and integrating the best ideas possible.

They work hard to make people feel part of the organization. They appreciate people and let them know their efforts and their work matters. They encourage others to have a say in as many aspects of their work as possible. This could include setting performance goals as well as determining strategy.

While women bring these powerful strengths to their organizations, they also face challenges. Most high level leaders have been and continue to be men. Women have fewer female role models to emulate. This makes it difficult for aspiring women leaders to experience the validation necessary to encourage and reinforce one’s distinct, authentic approach.

Power and control present a challenge to women. In the minds of most people, assertion and control are traits associated with effective leadership. Unfortunately women are often not well received when they display these traits.

When women decide to step into leadership roles, they find themselves in a double bind. They must find ways to project authority but can’t be autocratic because people find these behaviors in women jarring. If a woman chooses to be assertive and forceful she is giving up on being a ‘good woman. ’ If she chooses to be compassionate , she doesn’t have ‘the right stuff ’ for a powerful job.

The question for many organizations and their leaders is , ‘ How do we fully tap the potential women leaders bring ? ’ One way is to give women demanding developmental job experiences that train them for leadership positions.

Another way is to create opportunities for women leaders to come together in cohort leadership development programs. These programs give women a platform to develop and practice their own authentic style of leadership over time. If we are truly going to tap the natural strengths of women, they need to learn how to integrate both authority and compassion.

Research tells us that women’s approaches are generally more effective in today’s business environment. Their leadership style is more transformational whereas men tend to be more transactional. Yet women often don’t claim the full impact of their leadership style. Accurate feedback from women and men is useful in helping women build the confidence needed to own the strength of their leadership style.

In my experience leading cohort leadership development programs for women , when women come together consistently over time, they begin to articulate the challenges they face, build a community of support and define a clear picture of who they are as successful women leaders. Together they test approaches to power, find their authentic voice and articulate visions that are important to them and their companies.

Through peer mentoring and coaching women develop and refine their own leadership style. They experience greater confidence. They grow and learn from each other. They celebrate successes and learn from failure. They think more strategically, learn ing how to command a position of authority that works and is accepted. As a result, they’ve gotten promotions, taken on bigger projects and asked for more of what they want.

Coaching and mentoring are also powerful tools for women to develop their leadership strengths. Coaching and mentoring offer the intimacy of a one -on -one relationship where women can share experiences with people who can help them get to their next level. Both men and women mentors can help open doors for women leaders by sharing their experiences, insights and networks.

As we continue to support women and deliberately offer opportunities for advancement and learning, both women leaders and our organizations will reap the benefits.

What is your organization doing to tap the strengths of its women leaders? What is strategically possible if their strengths are fully utilized?

Rita Webster is President of WiseLeader, a leadership consulting firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She works with talented managers who need to get to their next level of leadership and with teams implementing new strategies. Webster specializes in women -only leadership development programs and created and leads the WiseLeader Women’s Leadership program. Rita can be reached at Rita@WiseLeader.net or at www.WiseLeader.net.