Celebrating Women as Leaders..

Today is March 8 and the International Women's day

So.. Happy International Women’s day and hope more women become leaders and facilitators for improving the world while I digress on to something else which is as relevant..

Many wonder today if this financial crisis have precipitated if more women were in leadership roles in the financial institutions?

A January 2009 Harvard Business Review article, 'Women and the Vision Thing by Herminia Ibarra and Otilia Obodaru', illustrates findings from INSEAD’s executive education that women received higher ratings than men in all the following leadership dimensions except envisioning; envisioning, empowering, energizing, designing and aligning, rewarding and feedback, teambuilding, outside orientation, tenacity, global mindset and emotional intelligence.

Even the inability to envision by women was interpreted by the women leaders as follows:

• ‘Women are equally visionary but in a different way’. Their approach is ‘less directive’, ‘collaborative’ and more inclusive of the team members, stakeholders and other partners.
• Women make decisions based on ‘concrete facts and irrefutable analysis, and not unprovable assertions’ about the future.
• Women like to get things done and do not put much effort into building reputation as visionaries. The article quotes Margaret Thatcher, the former PM of the Britian, ‘If you want anything said, ask a man; if you want anything done, ask a woman.’

This may be a reason why the banks in Iceland are now headed by women who were appointed after the banks failed. We also have a great leader in Dasho Neten who leads ACC, an important institution in our country.

The HBR article concludes that women should ‘stop dismissing the vision thing’ and start developing capabilities to envision to become a good leader. The underlying message is you can trust women to deliver at home and at work..

Happy women’s day again.