A Woman's Touch

Jon Stewart of The Daily Show humorously discussed the contrast between the assessments of men and women in politics in several clips titled "The Broads Must Be Crazy". The examined theme is one that women in leadership positions are regarded as ineffective hazards because of the prevailing stereotype that "women are too emotional and unpredictable". However, as soon as men behave in ways that women are exaggeratedly accused of (getting choked up, being too angry or excitable, etc.) they are lauded as courageous, passionate, fiery, honest, forceful, presidential, and even "a man's man". Seems a bit skewed the way that some justify why having females in power is a terrible idea, doesn't it? In contrast to this, studies done by the University of California, Berkley, Harvard Business Review, and Dow Jones have shown that women may, in fact, be better leaders than men in the modern business world.

source: The Malaysian Times

Some advantages that women have been shown to hold over men include:

1. Willingness to deal with emotional qualities/issues

Whether conditioned by society to be as such, or naturally adept, women are more inclined to become more emotionally involved in their work, often showing more self-awareness, empathy, and humility. Women have been shown to care more about developing their personnel, as well as listening to and encouraging them. Along with these come more connections between people within an organization, causing women to be more highly rated as leaders among their peers and employees.

source: Harvard Business Review

2. Women need to work harder than men to prove themselves

A curse, but a blessing it turns out, since women have struggled to make headway in the business world, they feel as if they cannot make a mistake and must continuously prove their value in the system, meaning they end up being more highly motivated and put more emphasis on taking initiative. Women have dealt with an increased sting of rejection and have learned from the experience and come back stronger.

3. Women are more willing to ask for help

The old adage goes that men will never ask for directions, and while that is an overstatement, women more often are not afraid to use their resources and seek out support. They are not as focused on casting themselves within a hierarchy and, thus, regard their status as an egalitarian web, not suffering any blows to their egos if they don't have all of the answers.

Now, a leadership style does not necessarily have to pertain to being either masculine or feminine, both sexes can be successful go-getters, and there is not one way to lead as or be a man or woman. The traits mentioned above are those used by all effective leaders, not just women. The point I should make is not one that either sex is better, but that both should learn from the other.