The conversation around the need for more female leaders in board rooms and in top executives positions is a hot topic nowadays. For good reasons! Despite women’s impressive gains in education and the workplace over the past 50 years, men greatly outnumber women in leadership, especially in top positions.
The business world is still dominated by the male gender and throughout history set the conversation around “leadership”. This is, unfortunately, the premise of history that has taken place.
Thankfully we see more women climbing the carer latter, sitting in top executives positions and boardrooms nowadays. And women are brilliant leaders!
But what strikes me is this:
In our effort to be equal to the male leader, have we ourselves become male leaders?”
This question is meant to provoke, its meant to hit a nerve, its meant to push you to think and take a look in the mirror!
The fact is: We are women, not men!
We are equally as capable of driving growth, turnarounds, transform organizations and lead people through chaotic times - Yes, we most certainly are!
But my hypotheses is that many of us, including myself, have very much done this, as male leaders!
Why is this? It all comes down to our journey to becoming leaders!
Think about all the men, that you have had as leaders, the first job you got as a young teenager, all the mentors and leaders that have crossed your journey. What and how did they teach you? How was their leadership style? How did they communicate? How did they motivate teams? What did you unconsciously learn from them?
We have learned to speak the language, we learn the game, we understand the dynamics, we adjust how we speak, how we interact, how we have eye contact, we push ourselves to “fit in” and slowly over time - we become the feMALE leader!
Why is this necessary? Because people, in general, like to interact with equals, we like people we can mirror ourselves in. However, as men have dominated the business world, women have slowly learned how to enter this world and be part of the game.
I see it time and time again, women getting offended when the title “female leader” is being used. I have been one of these women for a long time. Because the argument is, that in the search and mission for attaining gender equality we shouldn't be defined as “female leaders”, but as “leaders”, just as you never read “male leader drive million-dollar growth”.
So, the question to myself and all brilliant female leaders out there: Shouldn't we start to build the language and foundation of what we define and stand for as female leaders! Because our honest nature is that we are born to lead as women!
In the effort to get more female leaders in top executive positions, I believe there is a need to talk more about what it means to be a female leader and give you some tools to embrace your inner female leader. Skills that are pushing against the male leadership style, which often can be more dominant, hard, tough, sarcastic, cold-hearted and solely driven from numbers and excel sheets.
7 key skills that make you a brilliant female leader?
Embrace these skills and lead with them every day!
1. You lead by example
You lead by example, and are not afraid to get your "hands dirty" to get the job done! As you have climbed the ladder, you have had to learn and continually adjust to a variety of roles before getting to become the leader you are today. Along that journey, you have come across leaders and management styles, which you promised yourself never to become! Leading by example is namely about taking the first steps with the team, show the direction, embrace the pitfalls and stand next to the team with guidance and support.
2. You dream big - with a people-centric view
You have the ability to dream big, challenge assumptions, old ways of working and inspire teams — and you can translate your dreams into concrete action and results. Your dreams are often grounded in the growth of people getting success, they feel empowered to led growth, because of a stronger corporate strategy, more decision-making among middle management and teams.
3. You are nurturing & empower people
One of the key aspects of leadership is the ability to help your team members develop their own skills and strengths. Empower them to be brave and take risks. Empower them to believe in themselves. Empower them to dare and make mistakes - as this is what will enable them to learn and grow. All this starts with "seeing" people and creating a safe environment - all of which comes very naturally to you as the nurturing woman you are.
4. You trust teamwork to reach your goal
The women [I’ve worked with] consistently demonstrate passion, enthusiasm and an immense capacity to serve and be served by others. I’ve observed women make bold and wise decisions as leaders while relying on others to be part of their team. The environment is less authoritarian and more cooperative and family-like, but with solid leadership.
5. Strong communicator
As you have climbed your way up, you have learned to navigate multiple stakeholders. You have been given you the gift of adapting your communication. Whether communicating with employers, co-workers, or partners, an open and transparent communication stream allows for clarity in executing roles and responsibilities. This all creates trust and safety among employees and clear guidance creates highly motivated people, that feel part of your vision.
6. You have a high emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence — the ability to recognize emotions in yourself and others and relate is a powerful skill in leadership. I believe this is something that comes more naturally to women than men, and is something that I’ve personally encountered in my career. To create a great place to work and to get the best of employees, demonstrating emotional intelligence as a leader is critical.
7. You are aware of your ego and to keep it in check
Ego so often gets in the way of good decision-making in all levels of the organization, but also in the C-suite. I believe women exhibit ego differently and we are good at decision-making with the ego held in check. This is a key advantage in working with boards of directors, partners, and customers.
Be proud of being a female leader and lead as a woman every day! This will create the results beyond expected and you will lead your team as an authentic leader, which is core to leaders that people follow.
Camilla Gad Krogsgaard
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