Harvard: Why Feminine Leadership Styles Are Best

Harvard: Why Feminine Leadership Styles Are Best




  • According to Harvard, female leadership is rated above male leadership
  • What the more desirable feminine leadership styles are and what they are not
  • That it serves men to understand the world from a female’s perspective

Leadership styles are about finding your groove and where you, as an individual, position yourself. As you develop our own style, there are role models that influence you and these can often be categorised by gender. We have to wonder, with research like this, if the days of dressing up like men in suits are over because suits makes us look more serious? Where men are focused and goal orientated, women are more people orientated. With more research being driven by women and glass ceilings*, the benefits of emerging leadership styles are being noticed and measured more.

There is now a bigger calling for feminine leadership than ever before, because women instil trust and hereby bringbalance into the business world. Feminine leaders flow harmoniously and easily, without the painful push that often accompanies the masculine drive and its competitive nature. Women invite the next level of leadership due to theircollaborative nature and the inner wisdom they carry, which recognises personal integrity as they listen with bothheart and passion.

Harvard research has just revealed the most desirable leadership attributes. And of these top 10 attributes in leadership, eight are considered female traits.

When it comes to female leadership styles, two areas take center stage:

There is no reason why men cannot be as good at it as women, if they choose to be. Leadership styles are neither male nor female; there are just attributes within these that can be learned.

What feminine leadership is not, is overpowering the sacred masculine leadership styles because it is seen as ‘better’. This feminine style of leading can be described, perhaps, as more functional.

Apparently, women tend to be the ones who fail to realise the very valuable roles they play in society as a whole, both at home and potentially, in the world of work. However, a woman’s leadership style is one that gently leads, with wisdom and insight.

It is important to ask what does it mean to be vulnerable and have empathy, in a feminine leadership role?

  • To be vulnerable does not mean you are a victim, but rather that you give up the illusion of controlling your environment.
  • Empathy is not about feeling sorry for someone. Empathy is about understanding another’s perspective.  When we truly understand the opposite position we try to empower them.

Today, women lead with a new perspective of presence. Employees cooperate with female leaders who engage with them because they choose to, which, in the long term, improves the team’s overall performance.

This is not limited to the workplace. When it comes to our relationships, the same rule applies.

Here is what Harvard research revealed about feminine leadership:

The top

10 desired competencies

for modern leadership according to John Gerzema* were:

  1. being expressive
  2. the ability to plan for the future
  3. having a decisive leadership style
  4. being loyal, and
  5. reasonable
  6. flexible
  7. patient
  8. resilient
  9. intuitive
  10. collaborative

Of these, only decisiveness (third) and resilience (eighth) were considered masculine traits by the 64000 people that were interviewed on the most highly correlated characteristics for a modern, leader-based interview around the world.

A woman naturally understands other people and what they need. Her nurturing ability assists others and brings balance into both the home and workplace.

The finest leadership style is that women develop others, rather than focuses only on themselves which, in turn, brings the loyalty and trust of others.

The best way to understand women is to see the world from their perspective. And now, according Harvard, there are at least eight good reasons for learning from other women as they teach us important female strengths to focus on. It is time for women to realise just how much inherent value we have to lead with as expressive, loyal, reasonable, flexible, patient, intuitive, co-operative leaders who naturally plan for the future.

Notice how many of these qualities are easy for you to access: How can you show up more like this and focus on your strength as a woman?

Sometimes, until we can claim our own value, it is important to be told what we are capable of. This is one of the most important reasons we need modern mentors leading as feminine role models. Look out for our Naked with Adele

CHAT SHOW for interviews with female leaders.


*glass ceilings is the particular level women reaches when she finds herself not moving up the corporate ladder


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