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| Barriers are less visible than we think |
Ineffective leadership is certainly not a uniquely male
attribute. But research into the reasons
why women don’t put themselves forward for top jobs is increasingly pointing to
what the Harvard Business Review recently called a ‘second generation gender bias’ as a significant cause. The
research suggests that women suffer from hidden barriers created by their lack
of internal confidence in assuming behaviour associated with leadership. Data shows that women aren’t taking the
opportunities to move into the top roles even when they are offered. We’re not solving this problem
It’s a curious conundrum.
Organisations are spending more each year on leadership training to
encourage the development of skills such as listening, empathy and
collaborative problem solving. Potential and established leaders are coached,
mentored and trained to within an inch of their lives because research tells us
that these – traditionally feminine – skills make more effective leaders and
thus more successful businesses.
But returning to the office from team cooking courses we
find an all too familiar round of often ineffective meetings and engagements.
Grandstanding in meetings and Olympic level office politics are an accepted
proving ground for potential leaders – allowing them to show their dominance
and strength to others. Women don’t respond to these signals and often find
them pointless and off –putting.
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| http://michaelmay.us/10blog/02/0226-tarzanjane.jpg |
Some of this is biological.
Men and women really are wired differently. Me Tarzan, you Jane. My husband (who regular
readers already know I consider to be a reasonable and forward thinking kind of
guy) thinks it’s simply evolution. He
believes men are just hardwired to compete with each other at everything
important. Like rutting stags, the prize
is the best mate and if you fail, at least you died trying. Women on the other
hand couldn’t afford to risk their lives – they needed to stay alive to protect
their children. Today this translates
into grandstanding even bullying for men while women look on pityingly, reject
the whole caboodle and go off to do something more productive elsewhere.
But by walking away from this issue and allowing the women
in boardrooms debate to focus primarily on social policy, I think we’re missing
an important opportunity. Yes those
meetings can make us roll our eyes and grumble to our girlfriends about
timewasting. But if you can overcome your flight instincts, the prize is
there. Women who engage actively often
find they have precisely the skills they need to help a group to solve complex
problems collaboratively – usually faster and with less stress all round. And that’s very satisfying as well as being
effective. But to do this, they need to be at the table. And believe a bit of frustration is worth
enduring for a better long-term result for everyone.
