I’m a sucker for female leadership, fashion and the future so it’d be foolish for me not to mention and relish the Forbes ‘The New Golden Age’ list published in June 2021. For those that are unfamiliar, this first-of-its-kind list is dedicated to the women on the inspiring side of 50 over 50. It shines a light on 50 diverse women over the age of 50 who have achieved significant success later in life, often by overcoming formidable odds or barriers.
It’s safe to say, this is a confident nod to the future of organisational leadership with experienced women at the helm. Members of the elite list are said to be “founding and running companies at scale, leading movements and changing the world … working across all sectors of the economy – venture capital, education, politics, major league sports and more.”
Accolades such as this not only tap a current cultural zeitgeist, they progress the idea of how women lead and that is not by stepping onto the well-trodden path of male leadership but by rebuilding the road altogether. In my experience, one commonality I see is a holistic approach to leadership. This includes balancing financial and performance results with goals of increasing diversity on leadership teams, an inclusive culture, and driving positive change. And more and more studies show that this mix can be a potent one.
A 2021 analysis by S&P Global with researchers from the University of Paris found that female CEOs illustrated greater empathy, adaptability and diversity more frequently than their male peers, per a survey of nearly 8,500 companies across 61 countries. Words like empathy, intuition, compromise, and compassion may have been viewed as soft in previous decades but now are viewed as increasingly necessary in the workplace, perhaps even a strategic imperative.
With all that in mind, I have handpicked a number of reasons why I think the world needs more women in leadership roles.
Women leaders will paint the future
Women just entering the workforce will need to be inspired by other women who are currently smashing their role as a leader in the workplace. Once achieved, it can carve a direction for all young aspiring women leaders to increase the global percentage and break new records.
Women leaders can provide better mentorship
For obvious reasons, this one is a biggy. The power of role models cannot be overlooked. Regardless of a person’s gender, all people need someone who will guide them to progress in their careers. Specifically, for mentoring and coaching young talent, women leaders are better mentors.
What do the stats say? 29% of women believe that their gender will be an obstacle to advancement. To overcome this obstacle, women in leadership positions can take this opportunity and begin empowering the bright young minds of the next generation.
Unique transformational ideas will be brought to the front
A meta-analysis comparing male and female leaders identified those female leaders were more transformational. They demonstrated more contingent reward behaviour than the two-dimensional actions (active and passive management) presented by male leadership.
The enhancement of teamwork
Women are able to make bold and wise decisions as leaders; this helps make the team environment less authoritative and more cooperative. This boosts teamwork across the organisation and helps implement a new culture within the business.
Demonstrate superior leadership values
The national Pew Research Center Social and Demographic Trends survey states 2,250 adults ranked women better than or equal to men in seven of the eight primary leadership traits assessed throughout the survey.
The key statistics from this survey outline half of the respondents ranked women as more honest than men. In terms of intelligence, 38% said they viewed women as smarter, with only 14% indicating men are smarter. For the other cases, women were ranked for being more compassionate, outgoing and creative.
Achieve a better financial outcome
Workplace gender diversity helps increase productivity, creativity, improves performance, staff retention, and, as established, boosts collaboration throughout the business. In a workplace study, 21% of businesses are more likely to experience above-average profitability if the workforce is gender-diverse.
The ability to wear many hats
In a women’s life, wearing different hats within their roles is often a common occurrence. You can find them often balancing careers, households and taking up the mantel of parental guidance along with many other experiences. These combined help women leaders to quickly adjust to new situations and focus on finding solutions to real-life work issues.
And finally, I leave you with some of my favourite quotes from a bunch of admirable boss women.
In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.
(Sheryl Sandberg – American business executive, billionaire, and philanthropist).
I raise up my voice not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard.
(Malala Yousafzai – Pakistani activist for female education and Nobel Peace Prize laureate).
Power is not given to you. You have to take it.
(Beyoncé – American singer, songwriter and actress).
Sehrish Ashiq.
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