Why Women Leaders Excel, and What We Can All Learn from Them with Julia Boorstin

"One reason I wanted to write this book is the data are just so crazy: 8% of CEOs of the Fortune 500 are women. 8%, and that is an all-time high. Venture capital funding, which is incredibly powerful, creates the Google’s and Metas and Ubers of the world. Venture capital funding creates the companies that change the way we live, last year, 2% of it went to female-founded companies."

Julia Boorstin?is the author of recently released book,?When Women Lead . CNBC’s Senior Media & Tech Correspondent and has been an on-air reporter for the network since 2006. She also plays a central role on CNBC’s bicoastal tech-focused program “TechCheck” delivering reporting, analysis, and CEO interviews with a focus on social media and the intersection of media and technology.

In 2013, Julia created and launched the CNBC Disruptor 50, an annual list she oversees, highlighting private companies transforming the economy and challenging companies in established industries. She also helped launch the network’s ‘Closing the Gap’ initiative covering the people and companies closing gender and diversity gaps.

A graduate of Princeton University, she has been a reporter for Fortune magazine, as well as a contributor to CNN and CNN Headline News. She was also an intern for Vice President Gore’s domestic policy office.

Julia recently joined the Outthinkers podcast to discuss the unique strengths women leaders bring to the workplace, and what all leaders can learn from them.

Listen to the episode now.

Top Insights:

1. Women bring unique and valuable skills to leadership: Julia's research has found that female leaders are more likely to lead communally, contrasting with authoritarian or top-down leadership, by bringing together diverse ideas and looking for solutions in the field, close to where challenges occur. Women generally have a higher adaptability quotient–the ability to pivot quickly and make decisions based on data rather than personal bias. They are more empathetic and vulnerable, improving their ability to connect with customers and identify needs.
2. We have not made as much progress as we think: Julia's new book busts the myth that the increased focus on diversity and inclusion has moved the needle on women in leadership positions. Inequality continues with only 8 percent of Fortune 500 companies having women in the CEO position. And in 2021, only 2 percent of venture capital funding went to female-founded companies, despite the fact that women-led companies are likely to yield returns faster and more likely to have higher profitability.
3. Focus on data to avoid "pattern matching": Often, the problem with creating transformation comes not from conscious bias or malicious intent, but the instinct to match patterns that we've seen in the past. Companies or leaders may think, "This is what a CEO looks like" or "This is a leader I should invest in" (white males) based on what history has looked like up to this point. Julia's research shows that this tendency is not leading to the best decisions. Instead, use data to make leadership choices and investment decisions. Consider, "Am I making this decision based on facts and data, or am I just matching a pattern I've been exposed to previously?"

Listen to the full interview.

More Resources:

1. Connect on LinkedIn .
2. Follow on Twitter .
3. Find out what happens When Women Lead.