Why We Need More Women Leaders in 2024

Article by Steven Lane – Co-Founder of SoulWise, and Transformational Coach and Trainer

What if, more female leaders and the qualities they bring, is a key solution to many of the problems faced by organisations, and how they show up in a rapidly changing world?

According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2022, only 31% of leadership roles are held by women globally, and the gap is even wider in some fields such as technology, finance, and politics.

This is not only a matter of fairness and justice, but also a missed opportunity for innovation, growth, and social impact. Research shows that women leaders bring unique and valuable qualities to the table, such as:

- Intuition: Women leaders are more likely to use their intuition and gut feelings to make decisions, especially in complex and uncertain situations. This can help them to identify opportunities, anticipate risks, and adapt to changing circumstances.

- Empathy: Women leaders are more empathetic and compassionate than their male counterparts, and they are better at understanding and caring about the needs and feelings of others. This can help them to build trust, collaboration, and loyalty among their teams, customers, and stakeholders.

- Whole brain thinking: Women leaders are more adept at using both the left and right hemispheres of their brains, which enables them to combine logic and creativity, analysis and synthesis, and facts and emotions. This can help them to generate novel and effective solutions, and to communicate their vision and strategy in a compelling way.

- Emotional intelligence: Women leaders are more in touch with their own emotions and those of others, and they are more skilled at managing and regulating them. This can help them to cope with stress, handle conflict, and inspire motivation and engagement.

These qualities are not exclusive to women, of course, and there are many men who also possess them. However, they are more prevalent and pronounced among women, and they are often undervalued and overlooked in the traditional male-dominated leadership culture. This culture tends to favor qualities such as assertiveness, confidence, courage, and resilience, which are also important, but not sufficient, for effective leadership in the 21st century. Of course, women possess many such traits too.

Regretfully, to compete in a male dominated environment, women often attempt to emulate a male way of being. At SoulWise we believe women need to feel comfortable with their femininity and innate strengths (as mentioned earlier). Not only will these innate strengths make them excellent leaders, they will also enable them to lead beyond mere profit, to include people, purpose and sustainability.

To close the gender gap in leadership, we need to recognize and appreciate the diversity of leadership styles and strengths, and to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for women to thrive and advance in their careers. Some of the actions we can take are:

- Recognise that now, as a paradigm shift is taking place in leadership and how organisations shows up, many female qualities have equal if not greater importance than traditional male ones.

-Provide more mentorship and sponsorship opportunities for women, especially from other women leaders who can serve as role models and advocates.

- Offer more leadership training and development programs for women, especially those that focus on building their self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-efficacy.

- Address the structural and systemic barriers that hinder women's access and progression in leadership, such as gender stereotypes, unconscious bias, discrimination, and harassment.

- Promote a more flexible and balanced work culture that enables women to manage their multiple roles and responsibilities, such as family, caregiving, and community involvement.

By doing so, we can unleash the full potential of women leaders, and benefit from their contributions to our organizations and society. We can also create a more diverse and dynamic leadership landscape that reflects and represents the world we live in. This is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do, for a more prosperous and sustainable future for all.

Some interesting articles and references:

Thoughco.com – Qualities of Female Leaders

Forbes.com – 8 Traits Female Leaders Possess

Weforum.com – gender gap report 2022

We’d love to hear any additional perspectives to this article and suggestions we can add to what needs to happen to include more female leaders.