Why are 'leadership traits' so masculine focused?
Laura Weldy, PCC
Leadership Development Coach for high-potential working women | Corporate training and facilitator | Success planning and leadership development for professional women
What makes a great leader, according to the internet:
Obviously, my desired leadership traits would look much different - but this tongue in cheek list pretty accurately summarizes old school ideals of leadership.
Last year, my client Renee* was given a major official promotion that put her into high level leadership for the first time. And she felt 100% out of her league when she compared herself to that list (plus the 25000+ other intangible qualities she felt pressured to have developed overnight).
Here's the realization that blew her mind - that “how to be a great leader” list? It is really just a list of patriarchally rooted ‘masculine’ traits.?The kind of traits that are easy to pull off if you're a white, hetero cis man.
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Unfortunately that means that if you are someone who doesn't identify with these qualities, then there's no roadmap to being a great leader in the workplace. Continuing to try to fit that hyper-masculine mold is a lot like wearing shoes that are the wrong size - uncomfortable to you, and obvious to everyone around you.
Being a confident leader as a woman requires a different framework centered on deep self awareness, confident communication and knowing the value of your unique skill set. This is what we do in?Confident Leader Collective?- in a way that speaks to the unique challenges and skills of the modern woman in business.
Renee* (perhaps like you!) was at a critical turning point in her career. She could retreat, panicking, and look for something that felt more comfortable. Or she could grab this challenge by the horns, throw away the expectations and find a new style of leadership through?Confident Leader Collective.?
She chose the latter, and spoiler alert: a year later, her team can't stop gushing about how much more confidently she shows up and leads, and she didn't need to change her personality to feel like an authentic leader.
Click this link to learn all the details and join this curated community for women leaders if building your confidence and navigating your career with intention is in the plans for 2022.