How am I doing as a leader? When you’re confused about how you’re doing as a leader, find out how the people you lead are doing? You’ll know the answer.
– Lawrence Bossidy, CEO Allied Signal
Have you ever worked for a woman manager? Most of my female bosses, I’ve found a pleasure to work for. Why? They communicated better and definitely had high people skills. They were inspirational and collaborative.
But, I’ve got friends who had a hard time working for a woman manager. Not good! Men who resist or resent women bosses do so to their detriment. Not good! Women are entering executive and senior management in unprecedented numbers not through affirmative action but through excelling, producing, and monetizing at work.
Let’s look at a myth. A common myth about women executives was they excelled chiefly as nurturers and team players, while male executives excelled because they were proficient at problem solving and other logic based activities.
Whoa…! This myth is being explored and exploded. Women scored higher than men did in the following key performance indicators: problem solving, planning, controlling, managing relationships, leading and communications in a study by the Foundation of Future Leadership. Men scored higher in managing themselves. Other myth-shattering conclusions were that women are more task-oriented, analytical, and controlled in organizing work, maintain high performance, and make things happen.
Life Lesson Earned: Talk about breaking stereotypes! If you work for a woman, for a manager much younger than you, or an older manager, get rid of your stereotypes, biases, and preconceptions. We live in a diverse and global world. If you don’t, you won’t survive. Period!