Women and LeadershipWomen & Leadership1. IntroductionDespite years of progress by women in the workforce (they now occupy more than 40% of all managerial positions in the United States); within the C-suite they remain as rare as hens teeth. Consider the most highly paid executives of Fortune 500 companies and the composition of women
15% of boards of directors6% with titles-Chairman, President, CEO2% of CEOsConsider comments made by President Richard Nixon, When explaining why he would not appoint a woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, Nixon said,“I dont think a woman should be in any government. Men are erratic and emotional, too, but the point is a woman is more likely to be.”– Richard NixonIn a culture where such opinions were widely held, women had virtually no chance of attaining influential leadership roles. The fact that there have been female chief executives, university presidents, state governors, and presidents of nations gives the lie to that charge.
In truth, women are not turned away only as they reach the penultimate stage of a distinguished career. They disappear in various numbers at many points leading up to that stage.
2. Global LeadershipThe following two charts show the number of the 100 most powerful women globally as of August, 2009 (Forbes, 2009). Women in leadership holding positions of power command 63 percent in the United States. The remaining 28 countries hold 37 positions. These statistics are encouraging for American women. Globally, there is much work to be done in the area of educating women and men that women are competent to hold positions of leadership. The women in the report direct countries, large companies or influential nonprofit organizations with a combination of visibility by press exposure and the size of the organization or country led by these influential women. These power women are not waiting for consent to lead. They are leading.
–Women in leadership hold positions of power command 64 percent of the world’s leaders, but are only 28th in power at stake. The figure will likely surprise some observers, and may have been more indicative of a failure of women’s activism in some countries. However, the overall number of women in leadership positions, especially in fields such as management, public policy and financial services is growing and improving. These rankings are indicative of a new trend in global leadership, with both women and men in leadership leading companies with high, top performing corporate leaders who are highly effective at leading companies in countries where women are not allowed access to the top places, such as the United States, South Korea, Mexico, Canada and Israel, or where few, if any, women are allowed access to those positions. This new trend may not be surprising to any other woman in any role in the future. However, it is certainly a new trend for all women. Women in leadership have been the most powerful force in world leadership, and women have been the most influential in key economic, political and social institutions. That said, leaders seem to have their minds turned to what men want most in the long run. It seems that even if we are in the process of transforming our own values, we don’t have a way of controlling women when it comes to social and economic problems. This change is critical to advancing our own interests, particularly in developing a political movement or a social movement based on social democratic principles (see ‘Women and the Democracy of Power’).
–Why do women dominate and succeed in key organizations and institutions and why do female leaders do so poorly? Many of the factors that can shape success and success in any organization, even with little or no women in power are associated with women’s problems and their failures, such as their lack of ability or ability to lead, their attitude toward power and the lack of interest and appreciation in leadership, and the lack of trust women in leadership have in their children. All of these factors and others can be related to not working as a woman. Women in leadership aren’t as successful in organizations and institutions as men. However, more women are in leadership positions than in more traditional roles, such as managing key government or other public and private spheres. In many industries, that is an important indicator of success. More female leaders are in leadership offices than men, as are more women in roles at all levels of government and private sectors. There are few reasons to believe that women in leadership or public office hold that position within any business or industry, particularly industries that include business administration, accounting, social responsibility, law, policy and education, or even government, unless they are women.
–Women and leadership in countries in the Pacific and Global South, and in the Americas, are dominated by powerful families, with many family members or children in leadership positions, especially given their family history and political and leadership experience. The reasons for women’s political success include the following: poor gender role models in leadership, lack of experience in leadership and family dynamics in leadership,
–Women in leadership hold positions of power command 64 percent of the world’s leaders, but are only 28th in power at stake. The figure will likely surprise some observers, and may have been more indicative of a failure of women’s activism in some countries. However, the overall number of women in leadership positions, especially in fields such as management, public policy and financial services is growing and improving. These rankings are indicative of a new trend in global leadership, with both women and men in leadership leading companies with high, top performing corporate leaders who are highly effective at leading companies in countries where women are not allowed access to the top places, such as the United States, South Korea, Mexico, Canada and Israel, or where few, if any, women are allowed access to those positions. This new trend may not be surprising to any other woman in any role in the future. However, it is certainly a new trend for all women. Women in leadership have been the most powerful force in world leadership, and women have been the most influential in key economic, political and social institutions. That said, leaders seem to have their minds turned to what men want most in the long run. It seems that even if we are in the process of transforming our own values, we don’t have a way of controlling women when it comes to social and economic problems. This change is critical to advancing our own interests, particularly in developing a political movement or a social movement based on social democratic principles (see ‘Women and the Democracy of Power’).
–Why do women dominate and succeed in key organizations and institutions and why do female leaders do so poorly? Many of the factors that can shape success and success in any organization, even with little or no women in power are associated with women’s problems and their failures, such as their lack of ability or ability to lead, their attitude toward power and the lack of interest and appreciation in leadership, and the lack of trust women in leadership have in their children. All of these factors and others can be related to not working as a woman. Women in leadership aren’t as successful in organizations and institutions as men. However, more women are in leadership positions than in more traditional roles, such as managing key government or other public and private spheres. In many industries, that is an important indicator of success. More female leaders are in leadership offices than men, as are more women in roles at all levels of government and private sectors. There are few reasons to believe that women in leadership or public office hold that position within any business or industry, particularly industries that include business administration, accounting, social responsibility, law, policy and education, or even government, unless they are women.
–Women and leadership in countries in the Pacific and Global South, and in the Americas, are dominated by powerful families, with many family members or children in leadership positions, especially given their family history and political and leadership experience. The reasons for women’s political success include the following: poor gender role models in leadership, lack of experience in leadership and family dynamics in leadership,
–Women in leadership hold positions of power command 64 percent of the world’s leaders, but are only 28th in power at stake. The figure will likely surprise some observers, and may have been more indicative of a failure of women’s activism in some countries. However, the overall number of women in leadership positions, especially in fields such as management, public policy and financial services is growing and improving. These rankings are indicative of a new trend in global leadership, with both women and men in leadership leading companies with high, top performing corporate leaders who are highly effective at leading companies in countries where women are not allowed access to the top places, such as the United States, South Korea, Mexico, Canada and Israel, or where few, if any, women are allowed access to those positions. This new trend may not be surprising to any other woman in any role in the future. However, it is certainly a new trend for all women. Women in leadership have been the most powerful force in world leadership, and women have been the most influential in key economic, political and social institutions. That said, leaders seem to have their minds turned to what men want most in the long run. It seems that even if we are in the process of transforming our own values, we don’t have a way of controlling women when it comes to social and economic problems. This change is critical to advancing our own interests, particularly in developing a political movement or a social movement based on social democratic principles (see ‘Women and the Democracy of Power’).
–Why do women dominate and succeed in key organizations and institutions and why do female leaders do so poorly? Many of the factors that can shape success and success in any organization, even with little or no women in power are associated with women’s problems and their failures, such as their lack of ability or ability to lead, their attitude toward power and the lack of interest and appreciation in leadership, and the lack of trust women in leadership have in their children. All of these factors and others can be related to not working as a woman. Women in leadership aren’t as successful in organizations and institutions as men. However, more women are in leadership positions than in more traditional roles, such as managing key government or other public and private spheres. In many industries, that is an important indicator of success. More female leaders are in leadership offices than men, as are more women in roles at all levels of government and private sectors. There are few reasons to believe that women in leadership or public office hold that position within any business or industry, particularly industries that include business administration, accounting, social responsibility, law, policy and education, or even government, unless they are women.
–Women and leadership in countries in the Pacific and Global South, and in the Americas, are dominated by powerful families, with many family members or children in leadership positions, especially given their family history and political and leadership experience. The reasons for women’s political success include the following: poor gender role models in leadership, lack of experience in leadership and family dynamics in leadership,
3. The Centered Leadership ModelFrom research and interviews, Joanna Barsh and Susie Cranston, have created a leadership model, mainly focused on women, consisting of five interrelated yet wide-ranging dimensions. They are as follows:
Meaning – finding ones strengths and putting them to work in the service of an inspiring purpose. Meaning inspires and guides women leaders.Managing energy – knowing where ones energy comes from, where it goes and what you can do to manage it.Positive framing – adopting a more constructive