While I’m stepping into dangerous territory here, let’s be real—if leadership is about emotional intelligence, decision-making, and managing people, then women have the edge. Here’s my take.
When I studied for my MBA, one of my textbooks was titled Leaders & the Leadership Process (ISBN 978-007-126376-4). I found it a compelling compilation of 100+ years of studies about what makes a good leader. Sadly, the answer remains elusive.
But I’ve found one attribute that consistently stands out among successful leaders: gender, the female one.
Why? Because women are more emotionally aware than men. This heightened awareness, reflected in consistently higher emotional intelligence (EQ) assessments, translates into better leadership. Women have had more practice managing emotions and, as a result, have honed the skills that come with it.
While I’ve heard many male leaders express concern about women’s ability to control their emotions, I’ve consistently found women leaders more in tune with their emotions than their male counterparts. This self-awareness and experience lead to major benefits in numerous areas such as:
• Dealing with sensitive personnel issues
• Managing emotionally charged personnel situations
• Leading negotiations
One often overlooked advantage of emotional mastery is the ability to develop personnel review skills that connect. Women leaders excel at recognizing and rewarding good performance in ways that truly make people feel valued, while also offering constructive feedback that inspires improvement.
Strength in certain areas doesn’t mean weakness in others. Female leaders share excellence in many areas with their male counterparts.
While multitasking is a concept from computing, it’s become more associated with women, likely due to their ability to juggle social, personal, and professional demands. This skill translates directly to leadership, where the need to balance competing priorities is crucial.
Delegation is another area women often have a greater need, and therefore, develop superior skills.
Decision-making is inherently emotional. We tend to lean toward what we want, not what we need. When decisions need to be made, emotions must be set aside to allow data to inform and guide. Women’s heightened emotional awareness gives them an edge in making decisions that are grounded in need rather than desire, often leading to better outcomes
Bottom line: Leadership is situational, and after over 100 years of research, no one has definitively pinpointed what makes a “good” leader. However, certain skills apply across a wide range of situations, and women tend to excel in these areas more than men. Emotional intelligence, decision-making, and the ability to connect with people are just a few of those skills. If you’re looking to develop leadership qualities that work in any situation, take note of what women do so well because good leadership requires more than one-size-fits-all answers.
If you want more information about how to increase diversity within your leadership team in all respects, or to just talk about how to start incorporating create space …
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