In some circles 2018 is considered the “Year of the Woman”.
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The last five decades have certainly shown that the female of the species can excel in all aspects of the sporting world, the silver screen and the world of business.
The wage gap between the sexes is still a very real and talked about thing, something that thankfully is being brought out in the open and tackled. It may take some time but it’s looking good for any woman wanting to make her stamp on the boardroom.
Yet women are still backward in coming forward when it comes to taking the reins and seizing power in the office. Women should celebrate their differences to their male counterparts, yet their very real advantages when it comes to management
Why is it that women are fast being considered as the top choice for top cat in the working arena?
We all know just how much our mood affects our working methods and professional relationships but how does this all have an influence when it comes to managerial roles? Women may stereotypically be considered the more temperamental yet a recent in depth study showed female managers tended to have more significant levels of both understanding and authority.
Management techniques do tend to differ between a sympathetic and empathetic, supportive approach to a more domineering, disciplinary approach and both can work. Yet it would seem the girls have discovered a way to strike a happy medium between both of these approaches!
Women, in general, are natural caregivers and are far more likely to be nurturing in their supervision style, showing compassion and care no matter who is in their team, while always managing to maintain their professionalism. That’s no mean feat and is something that their male peers have shown a real difficulty in maintaining.
If we flip that though, girls scored slightly lower than their male counterparts when it came to levels of social confidence and the associated assertiveness which are the traits one may expect when displaying authority. This is probably though down to how women display authority is very different to how other perceive it should be. T
Ladies are also far less likely to seek recognition of their excellent work. They demonstrate a much lower need to be placed in a position of authority for the sake of power alone. They are also more likely to put the needs of their team members first, willing to help them to achieve their full potential above her own needs. This is done by simply being able to talk, to liaise and be constructive with any feedback rather than focusing on the negative. Women are also brilliant at celebrating excellent work.
Female managers are also much more likely to consider all points of view when it comes to making a decision and this would appear to be a direct link to their ability to show empathy towards their peers or subordinates.
The results of these studies show that female managers are much less motivated by getting something back, don’t worry about the glory and will stay focused on the minutiae of the task at hand until it’s all over. There are so many more possibilities now , women are studying for their promotions, even taking on MBA organizational management qualifications, and really are coming out of the proverbial kitchen to hold their own and look fabulous in their pinstripe suits to boot!
Sadly it is true that women sometimes feel they are under pressure to prove themselves, and this leads often to anxiety and stress. Women in these top positions are far more prone to self-doubt and low self-esteem than their male equals as they worry far too much about how their colleagues, especially the men, are perceiving them.
It’s really encouraging that the number of women in power is on the up and up! It would appear though that we need to encourage each other, to lead more women into believing in themselves and taking on more supervisory roles within the workplace without fear or doubt as it is still far more commonly understood that the boss man would literally be that, a man!
Female directors can really have a hugely positive and happy influence on their employees. It’s fact, women are showing themselves as caring managers, and research says far more so than their male peers. This is so important and should not be understated in taking great strides forward for opportunities for women at work.
At the end of the day, it’s believed to be down to the managers overall to increase and sustain their employees’ commitment levels and dedication to their role. A good manager is worth their weight in gold and it would seem that weight has curves!
So the next time you doubt your abilities to step forward in a male dominated arena remember to believe in yourself and consider your inner WOMAN-ager!
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