As the corporate world continues to evolve – with new faces and diversity – more and more women are showing up on the scene. However, the old stereotypes of women workers might still be around, even in these changing times:
- The assumption that women should be at home, not in the office
- Women have to act like men to get ahead in the workplace
- Women are too sensitive to lead
In this article, we’re here to demystify these misconceptions by offering 6 ways that women can excel in leadership, as they take on roles in office management, and even climb up the corporate ladder to finally break the glass ceiling:
- There’s No Need For Transactional Leadership
“The opposite of transformational leadership, transactional leadership is when leaders give out orders and receive updates on the progress, but doesn’t engage with employees on a personal level,” says Jennifer Spradling, a marketer at 1Day2Write and Write My X. “In other words, with transactions, it’s all about the results, not personal development.”
So, women leaders have to have both strength and sensitivity, in order to encourage personal development among their workforce. That means avoiding these practices of transactional leaders:
- Not getting involved in teams
- Waiting until problems arise to take charge of the situation
- Solely engaging with subordinates to give orders and hold them accountable for failures to meet expectations
In other words, women have to “transform” their workforce, by setting high expectations, and reaching out to them on a personal level.
- Find A Good Mentor
Everyone should learn by observing others. As we learn from other people (i.e. family, teachers, etc.), we’re influenced by the actions of others, thus building and shaping our character.
Therefore, it’s important to find a suitable mentor that has your best interest at heart, and is willing to work with you to reach goals. In fact, all leaders have learned from mentors, which has shaped their leadership and thinking. So, don’t be afraid to ask questions, if you need to – mentors should be more than happy to answer your every inquiry.
Plus, mentors should teach the importance of trial and error, since that teaches people about failing and succeeding in life. And once you’ve learned from your mentor, you can one day mentor someone else, and share your wisdom with them.
- Mingle With The Right People
It’s important to connect with the right people, because you’d rather grow as a person, rather than be stunted by certain people in your life. That means picking people who are eager to learn and make an impact with you. And, as you persist and keep trying, your team will look to you for leadership and integrity, and won’t abandon your if you fail. In fact, it’s a win-win for both employers and employees.
- Take Pride In Communication
Another important aspect of a great leader is having the ability to communicate effectively – whether you do so with your employees, the higher-ups in corporate, the public, etc. Communication allows people to better understand others, and to be understood, which prevents any misunderstandings within the team.
Women are considered multitasked in balancing various roles such as:
- Parenting
- A spouse
- A daughter
- A granddaughter
- A friend
- A caretaker
Such roles allow women to perceive different views of audiences ranging from all ages, which would be helpful in marketing jobs. They also tend to have a great ability to persuade various clients, and gaining trust, to invest in a product or service, as they communicate their message effectively.
- Work On Strengths AND Weaknesses
In school, the normal lesson would be to work on improving weaker subjects. However, in leadership, the focus should be on strengths, which makes a person shine. Afterwards, when all is said and done, weaknesses can be the secondary focus.
In other words, one must consider both strengths and weaknesses – leverage strengths by day, while working on weaknesses by night.
- Don’t Be Bossy
“The most well-known stereotype of a woman leader is when she is labelled ‘bossy’ by her constituents,” says Zara Marsh, a business writer at Britstudent and NextCoursework. “At a young age, girls are taught that speaking up and taking charge makes them bossy, which is why most women won’t pursue leadership opportunities.”
However, in recent years, leaders and celebrities hope to change this stereotypical image, by telling girls that they can be leaders, and should no longer be dismissed as “bossy.”
To counter this assumption, women should exhibit the following:
- Leave “bossy” out of the vocabulary.
- Raise awareness about this need to stop stereotyping women as “bossy.”
- Meet the expectations of leading a team.
Conclusion
As you can see, women have more opportunities than ever to be incredible bosses and managers in the workforce. Therefore, there’s no need to be scared away from leadership, due to obsolete stereotyping. As women continue to leverage their natural female strengths, and put them to work, more women leaders will rise as effective and memorable ones.
Michael Dehoyos is a writer and editor at PhD Kingdom and Coursework writing services. He also a contributing writer and editor for various sites and publications like Case Study Help. As a marketer, he helps companies improve their marketing strategies, and helps them adapt new concepts.