Why Women Leaders are the new Super Heroes

Sheryl Sandberg. Oprah Winfrey. Jacinda Ardern.

What do these women have in common? They are female leaders.

A new breed of leaders is emerging and that breed is female. Women are rising in the ranks of dozens of industries not traditionally welcoming or supporting women. These industries include telecommunications, banking, information technology and construction. These powerful women are noted for their abilities to blend feminine qualities of leadership with classic male traits to run large organisations successfully. These new leaders are redefining stereotypes of how women guide companies and illustrate everyday that they can beat the boys at their own game too and much more.  In fact, today’s women juggle many roles, including an employee, mother, daughter, wife, friend, volunteer and so on. What these successful women don’t realise that is they are super heroes in real life. Women leaders have accomplished great things in their respective fields of careers and paving the way for the next generation of women to rise to the top.

Women are succeeding today, not because they have adopted the style and habits that have proved successful for men, but by tapping on the skills and attitudes they possess as women. A recent study of 51,418 leaders in the U.S. and internationally finds women are considered more effective than male leaders. This was not the case in the past. When women first entered the workforce, few succeeded and those who did succeeded the only way they could: by imitating the qualities and characteristics associated with their male counterparts. It is indeed a far cry from today’s world where the model for leadership relies heavily on “collaboration”, “teamwork” and “engagement”. Rather than seek to dominate or take control like men, women leaders are drawing on their innate qualities to nurture, mentor and encourage collaboration at work.  Much like superheroes who aim to achieve world peace, women leaders are trying to create a more harmonious and inclusive workplace for their employees.

While there is an increase in the number of women in the workforce, current data shows slim representation of women in board seats (19%), and even lower numbers in key executive positions (4% of CEO roles globally and 11% of CFO roles). There are many obstacles to reaching the executive suite. We read of successful stories of women who dared to take on assignments with their courage and self-confidence while overcoming uncertainty and fear. At some point in time, most of us wondered if we are in the right workplace or whether we are on the right career path. We struggle to make sense of our bosses’ demands and are skeptical of whether we are given equal opportunities like our male colleagues to progress in our career. We ask ourselves whether we are “good enough” to be promoted. Just like superheroes, we have flaws and lug around emotional baggage that threaten to sabotage our efforts at work. 

To be a woman in a top leadership position, we have to earn the right to be seen as leaders because leadership is still biased towards men today. Most women start out in their careers and trade it for motherhood and children at a certain time in their lives. And there are those who attempt to stay in the game and plan a gradual return to the workforce full-time. Neither are easy choices to make as they require personal sacrifices on their part. Those who do choose to juggle work and family learn to balance their priorities on a day to day basis, delicately maintaining order in their hectic lives. There are days where they have to make difficult choices (“My kid is sick and I have to miss the important meeting”) between family and work (“I have to miss my kid’s soccer finals because the Head of XX is in town for 1 night only”), all the while facing judgement from their employees and colleagues. Circumstances and situations call for women to make the right decisions and question what their beliefs are at that point in time. At times, even our favourite superheroes have to make hard choices when faced with a difficult decision.

With the rising significance of employee engagement today to drive better business outcomes and consistent success, women leaders are proving themselves to be the best people in doing so. Women tap on their good communication skills by listening to the concerns of others and relate better to them when they can empathise. While men tend to value winning and hoarding power as a career goal, women regard careers as one of the ways to find meaning and purpose in their lives. Thus, their focus is more on getting people to work with one another and motivating them to do better in their strengths in a collegial and non-threatening environment. Striking a balance between work and family is not an easy feat and women leaders are more thoughtful when it comes to balancing work and family needs. This bodes well for millennials (who form the largest proportion of the workforce today) where work life balance is the top priority in their professional lives. Statistics have shown that for the first time since 1953, Americans no longer prefer a male boss over a female boss, according to recent Gallup poll findings. 

In today’s business context, successful leaders not only have to tackle crises and solve problems, they have to anticipate changes and create entirely new organisations to react to winds of change while engaging their employees in the search for innovation. Women leaders are stepping up and re-inventing the rules for women in business. They have defied the odds and will continue to embrace their feminine qualities to overcome challenges and win the hearts of their people while donning their invisible cape.