ROLE OF WOMEN IN CORPORATE LEADERSHIP
1. value work-life balance.
“Women are great leaders because we are able to balance professional and personal
leadership skills. It’s easier to approach a women leader with a personal request, or a
sensitive question. I care about my team and their well-being, which includes their
performance at work and their work-life balance. I also find women more proactive in
becoming mentors, and sometimes it’s already such an open and communicative
relationship that the transition to mentor is easy.” – Amy Killoran, creative manager, I
Love Travel
2. empathetic.
“Most women are naturally empathetic and value relationships. This enables them to
have a strong understanding of what drives and motivates people, and how to
acknowledge different people for their performance.” – Anna Crowe, CEO and
founder, Crowe PR
3. great listeners.
“Women make great leaders because we take the time to listen instead of reacting
right away. We appreciate people and their viewpoints. Whether they are right or
wrong, we hear them out and then make our decision. We tend to give people chances
that no others do.” – Jo Hausman, career and leadership coach and author, “Go For It!
A Woman’s Guide to Perserverance” (Best Seller Publishing, 2016)
4. nurturing.
“One of the key aspects of leadership is the ability to help your team members
develop their own skills and strengths. Women are naturally nurturing, which in the
best scenarios can translate to helping those around you succeed.” – Marilyn
Heywood Paige, vice president of marketing, FiG Advertising
5. focus on teamwork.
“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.” – Katharine M. Nohr, principal, Nohr Sports Risk Management
6. good at multitasking.
“Women make great leaders as we are natural multitaskers. The ability to decisively
and quickly respond to simultaneous and different tasks or problems at a time is a
critical component to successful leadership.” – Carolann Tutera, president, SottoPelle
7. motivated by challenges.
“We are creative problem solvers motivated by obstacles. The desire to overcome a
challenge fuels us to get things accomplished. Leaders don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
– Jackie Zlatanovski, founder, Flik Flops
8. strong communicators.
“Communication is said to be among a woman’s strongest skill — and female leaders
know how to use it! Whether communicating with employers, co-workers, or partners,
an open communication stream allows for clarity in executing roles and
responsibilities. Female business leaders are able to communicate regularly, clearly
and openly.” – Tina Bacon-DeFrece, president, Big Frog
9. dream big.
“Women make great leaders because they have an innate ability to dream big,
challenge assumptions and inspire teams — and they know how to translate big ideas
into concrete action and results.” – Angela Dejene, executive vice president,
Crosswind Media & Public Relations
10. handle crisis situations well.
“Many women, especially moms, are trained caretakers and know how to deal with
crisis situations at home with compassion and patience. These attributes become very
relevant when a woman leader is dealing with crisis situations whether this is related
to HR or [clients].” – Huma Gruaz, president and CEO, Alpaytac PR
11. wear many hats.
“Wearing many hats is often a regular occurrence in a women’s life. They often
balance careers, households and even aging parents, among other things. Women
pivot, adjust and focus on solutions. Resting in the doom and gloom can be time-
consuming, so many shift to find positive solutions to life and work problems.” –
Gretchen Halpin, chief strategy officer, Hewins Financial Advisors
12. They check their egos.
“Ego so often gets in the way of good decision-making in the C-suite. Women exhibit
ego differently and they 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.” –
Joan Wrabetz, CTO, Quali
13. high emotional intelligence.
“Emotional intelligence — the ability to recognize emotions in yourself and others
and relate — is something that has recently gained momentum as an essential
leadership behavior. 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 truly
create a great place to work and to get the best of out employees, demonstrating
emotional intelligence as a leader is critical.” – Lakshmi Raj, co-founder and co-CEO,
Replicon
14. flexible.
“Women make great leaders because we are flexible, and agile. We can see the
direction we thought we should take our company in isn’t working and we regroup
and change course for the better without much deliberation.” – Danita Harris, CEO,
Rated M
15. lead by example.
“Women lead by example, and in so many cases, women have climbed the ladder so
they have experienced a variety of roles before they get to the leadership ones.
Experience is key.” – Harriet Taub, executive director, Materials for the Arts
16. jobs look effortless.
“I believe women make phenomenal leaders because they are experts at making the
impossible seem possible. And sometimes on a good day they even make it look
effortless. Women are pragmatic, resilient and usually able to maneuver tricky
situations with grace. Their perspectives are borne out of a mix of trial by fire and
sheer fortitude. They look at the world with bravery and are able to piece together the
world around them like a complex puzzle.” – Jody Clower, founder and CEO, Nestiny
17. defy the odds.
“Women make great leaders because the odds are against us to lead. When you’re the
underdog, it takes an extra push to get to the top. That’s why the women who emerge
on top are extraordinarily strong and capable. We had to fight to get there!” – Sarah
Attman, principal, Sarah Rose Public Relations
Examples
