The Evolution of Women’s Leadership

Working with women leaders around the world for the last 30 years has been a remarkable privilege. And it’s given me a front-row seat to witness how women–– and the whole field of leadership–– have evolved over the last three decades. When people lament that “nothing has changed,” I am left to wonder, “Were you there? Do you have any idea what it was like back in the eighties?”

Women have become far more confident of what they have to contribute, more skilled at articulating their strengths, their vision and the gifts they bring as leaders. They have developed a greater appreciation of the need for solidarity with one another. Most senior women now strongly support the development of younger women and work actively to bring them along, rather than falling into the scarcity thinking of earlier decades. Women have also recognized the need for male allies, champions and supporters and become more skilled at engaging them. At the same time, and despite some of the fears that arose at the height of #MeToo, I find far more men eager to champion and support women.

Even a decade ago, male leaders used to challenge me: We’ll do better with women leaders if you can tell us exactly how it will benefit our specific company’s bottom line. Now they say: We know we need to do a better job developing our talented women so don’t waste your time giving us the business case for doing so. What we need to know is how to do it.

One reason for the ongoing shift is that our common understanding of what constitutes excellence in leadership has changed. In my observation, women’s increased numbers and growing influence and authority have been key to this evolution. Thirty years ago, top-down, my-way-or-the-highway leaders were endlessly lauded in the business press, given affectionate nicknames like Chainsaw Al and profiled as men unafraid to “get it done.” By contrast, organizations today list skills like empathy and self-awareness when scouting for leaders. Being able to communicate across levels and engage highly diverse employees and spur the kind of engagement that leads to innovation are considered essential to executive success.

Of course, the networked nature of the technologies we use to do our work has played a strong role in this development. Because networks by their very nature undermine hierarchies and spread information broadly, they have changed our perceptions of what an effective leader looks like. The shift to an economy based on knowledge has also surfaced the need for leaders with the humility to solicit others’ views and develop a strong and self-confident talent pool. But women’s participation in the workforce has also been instrumental in reshaping our view of how effective leaders operate. Driving home that point has been the purpose of my life.

And so I was fortunate last winter that Strategy + Business asked me to reflect on what I’ve learned and witnessed over the last 30 years. The result of that invitation was published online a few weeks ago and is available in the print edition today. If you’re interested in how women’s leadership has evolved and, just as important, what may lie in the future, you’ll want to read it, study it and–– if you are so moved–– let me know what you think.

Link to the full article: https://www.strategy-business.com/art...