Senior-level executives have the ability to be great leaders in any organization that creates an environment in which they can succeed. It’s important to realize, however, that women typically bring leadership styles that are different from those of their male counterparts.
“The traditional stereotype of successful leadership emphasizes more masculine qualities – being assertive and competitive – than feminine qualities – being compassionate and collaborative,” said Carolyn Egri, professor at SFU’s Beedie School of Business.
“Research conducted primarily in North American settings generally confirms that this masculine leadership stereotype is more closely associated with the qualities needed for senior executive roles, especially in the view of men and in male-dominated occupations and industries. And while there has been a shift toward less stereotypical [androgynous] views of leadership in recent years; these cultural stereotypes are still prevalent.”
I have found that woman leaders are not only focused on achieving objectives but are always looking at what they can do better rather then what they’ve done well in the past; they’re always looking for that correction, and I think that’s innate.
Assess meritocracy and cultural fit
Meritocracy – the candidate’s technical skill set earned through her experiences – is an important consideration. For example, in my experience when a large organization hires a female CFO within a historically male-dominated industry, she not only has the meritocracy (a solid foundation in operational, technical functions) but also she’s predominately promoted from within to ensure cultural fit.
When assessing cultural fit, some questions an organization can ask to help them envision the ideal female candidate for a leadership position are:
•has the organization’s executive team historically been male-centric? Women tend to have a harder time in male-dominated industries such as mining, energy and shipping; and
•what is the type of leadership style preferred? This is dependent on the size, structure and composition of personnel in the vertical and horizontal organization. For example, what is the reporting structure of the position?
“But in reality, can biological gender be equated with whether a person has a more masculine or feminine leadership style?” asked Egri.
While some men and women have very similar leadership style preferences and behaviours in terms of being task-oriented and/or interpersonally oriented, there are often gender differences in leadership effectiveness depending on the context, said Egri.
“Whereas men are viewed as more effective leaders in supervisory and first-level managerial roles that require higher task ability and direction of others, women are viewed as more effective leaders in middle managerial roles that require a high level of human relations skills,” she said.
Executive search firms survey a candidate’s prior management team and direct reports to assess leadership style and getting input on cultural fit.
Questions one could ask to further assess strategic fit: Has she worked her way up in the company, thus strengthening her meritocracy and cultural fit? If she’s coming from outside, does she have industry-specific experience with a competitor, vendor or customer? Or does she have outstanding achievements that have relevance to the company and that are needed by the organization? Another consideration is, are there generational attributes that could benefit the organization?
“Unfortunately, there has been little research on gender differences in top executive positions, but what has been done indicates that the mismatch between leader stereotypes and workplace reality remains a significant issue for the small minority of women who are senior executives,” Egri said.
It’s important for a female leader to align who she is – her moral and ethical foundation – with what she does and what she believes. This is fundamental for a leader; being authentic allows them to bring their passion, enthusiasm and energy into a role.
The female leadership candidate is not necessarily there to fill a position with the same profile as existing members of the senior management team, but to create a balance of strengths in leadership style and skills.
A longer-term question, one that addresses a three- to five-year timeframe is, how will the organization, and the industry overall, attract, develop and maintain an equitable share of female leadership? •
