Harmony Is Best Thing in Life
Leadership: and why women make better leaders than men
Leadership
What makes a good leader? Toughness, authority, drive and determination? A lot of people would naturally serve up these attributes as being those of a good leader. However, the times they are a changing….albeit slowly.
Think about from where our habits and ideas on leadership originated. Most likely in the military, perhaps from Roman times, or even further back; Greek orators, European royalty. With the exception of some Queens at the helm, for the most part leadership through the ages has been male driven, top down hierarchical and authoritarian. More advanced military systems require discipline, control and following orders without questions. It is no surprise that with modern industrialisation, systems of leadership in business followed systems of leadership in military; hierarchical structures.
That was all fine while the mores of the ages dictated that men took leadership positions and women were not permitted in general. Society has moved a long way since then, however (although many might say not far enough). It has really only been in the last 20 years that modern industrialised countries have been focusing on gender equality in the workplace. Not only that, but the modern worker, male or female, is much better versed in their rights and expectations. Portability of professions and across workplaces means more competition. All of a sudden, companies have to be wiser in how they train their leaders so as to maximise staff retention and productivity.
Do the old systems of top down hierarchical authoritarianism work in the modern workplace? What are the attributes of a modern leader? Are women better leaders than men?
Four Behaviours Shared by the Best Bosses
Positive Expectations and Attitude. The notion that simply holding positive expectations about your team's performance will create a self-fulfilling prophecy and lead to high levels of performance. But there's more to it than
Leadership
What makes a good leader? Toughness, authority, drive and determination? A lot of people would naturally serve up these attributes as being those of a good leader. However, the times they are a changing….albeit slowly.
Think about from where our habits and ideas on leadership originated. Most likely in the military, perhaps from Roman times, or even further back; Greek orators, European royalty. With the exception of some Queens at the helm, for the most part leadership through the ages has been male driven, top down hierarchical and authoritarian. More advanced military systems require discipline, control and following orders without questions. It is no surprise that with modern industrialisation, systems of leadership in business followed systems of leadership in military; hierarchical structures.
That was all fine while the mores of the ages dictated that men took leadership positions and women were not permitted in general. Society has moved a long way since then, however (although many might say not far enough). It has really only been in the last 20 years that modern industrialised countries have been focusing on gender equality in the workplace. Not only that, but the modern worker, male or female, is much better versed in their rights and expectations. Portability of professions and across workplaces means more competition. All of a sudden, companies have to be wiser in how they train their leaders so as to maximise staff retention and productivity.
Do the old systems of top down hierarchical authoritarianism work in the modern workplace? What are the attributes of a modern leader? Are women better leaders than men?
Four Behaviours Shared by the Best Bosses
Positive Expectations and Attitude. The notion that simply holding positive expectations about your team's performance will create a self-fulfilling prophecy and lead to high levels of performance. But there's more to it than