Gender Disadvantage

Are men at a disadvantage when it comes to leadership?  This may seem like a preposterous question considering that men make up nearly 80% of executive-level leadership positions.  And, are paid more in those positions.  However, if you look at a couple of the most vital requisites for being an effective leader, the playing field favors women.  Men could use some female guidance to catch up.

The two things I speak of where women eclipse men in leadership positions are empathy and listening.  These are not skills that come second nature to most men, and are something that need constant attention.  A lot has been made of the language protein that is more abundant in women, and which explains why girls tend to mature in their speech and word capacity earlier than boys.  However, communication alone does not tend to make for great leaders.  The capacity to listen intently and be empathetic are the hooks that draw people in, and create the credibility that leaders need.

Of course, there are plenty of male leaders out there who are incredibly good at listening and being empathetic, but when that happens it really stands out, doesn’t it?  If you think back to the female bosses you had, I bet you didn’t think much of those skills with them.  They just seemed inherent.  With men, they were “different” if they listened or understood your issues and concerns.  Sexist?  Perhaps, but remove the PC goggles and you’ll see that more often than not that women get the people piece better.  McKinsey studied this at length and found that when women were leading an organization their profitability was 48% higher than competitors run by men.

I had this one boss who was a guy, and he fancied himself a great leader.  He believed he was truly gifted in communication, listening and empathy.  The truth was he sucked miserably.  Conversations were short and stilted without much understanding of the real issues.  Empathy was there if you were on his same wavelength, but otherwise – uh, no.  He was thoughtful and analytical, but not very good at dealing with people.  His group achieved results through their own individual desire to do well, but not through a shared sense of commitment to their leader.  On the other hand, I had a female boss who was amazing.  She was a complete ass-buster, and didn’t take crap or excuses.  She could have easily been intimidating, but she was everything the male boss wasn’t.  She listened intently, and understood what wasn’t being said as well as what was; she understood where the other person was coming from even if she didn’t necessarily agree; she spoke with clarity and passion.  Her group routinely outperformed others because they rallied around her vision.

Routinely, I bounce important decisions and strategic thoughts off the women around me.  The perspective is always enlightening.  It gives me a better sense of the bigger picture and the people who are part of that picture.

Great leadership – credible, transparent, transformational leadership knows no gender.  Men and women can be both extraordinary or loathsome.  However, in those intuitive skills that are hard-wired I think women prevail.  If a man can let go of their ego and know these are skills like any other that need to be continually developed, the good news is that they are in excellent company.  That being the women who have been doing it for years.