MightyRecruiterWomen at Work: How to Grow Leaders
Thanks to powerful female role models such as Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, and Jess Lee, co-founder of Polyvore, women at work in today’s economy are consistently inspired to achieve higher levels of profitability and success. However, business owners still struggle to harness this same attitude of encouragement to develop more female leaders in the workplace.
A critical argument of organizational culture is that women require a special set of circumstances in order to become wise and efficient leaders. This theory is responsible for many misconceptions related to women at work. Although women tend to demonstrate values that are vastly different from those of a man, at the heart of the issue lies a general failure to incorporate equal opportunities for growth and leadership.
If this trend of feminine innovation and prosperity is any indication of what the future holds, business owners should be fully prepared to join in the transformation of traditional stereotypes about men and women in the workplace. To help you create a more inclusive and supportive atmosphere, we have listed three basic strategies that are guaranteed to revolutionize your perspective of women in terms of leadership and productivity.
Evaluate the Availability of Strong Mentors
When it comes to honing the true qualities of good leadership, businesses must first develop a program that offers concrete opportunities for mentoring to both women and men. In some cases, companies that have already established this type of program may be forced to make significant changes to encourage the participation of female employees.
In a world where company mentors are predominantly men, this can present a bit of a challenge. In fact, studies have shown that women often feel pressured to conform to the male model of leadership, causing them to avoid the situation altogether and forfeit any chance of professional progress.
The most obvious way to encourage women at work to pursue roles of leadership is to increase the number of female mentors in the organization. If there is a shortage of qualified individuals within your company, you can take advantage of external resources for mentoring as well.
Unfortunately, providing female mentors is not the only solution to this problem. Business owners must also learn to choose mentors based on their experience and a natural ability to communicate the core concepts of organizational leadership. Whether an employee is male or female, finding the best possible mentor ultimately depends on the needs of each individual person.
Give Women Enough Room to Lead
As far as the actual execution of leadership, women do have a unique way of handling things compared to men. Critics often maintain that women at work exhibit an unnecessary amount of maternal instinct, but others see it as a natural ability to identify the needs of the organization. Some women even attempt to compensate for this trait by cultivating a cold and calculated style of leadership instead.
The primary issue here is viewing this alternative perspective as a weakness rather than a strength. Many business owners mistakenly think that by allowing women to have a voice, the overall objectives of the organization will suffer. However, the tendency of women to establish a distinct work-life balance has been proven to increase the satisfaction and productivity of employees.
Focus on Filling the Void
Another way to inspire women at work to take on new forms of leadership is to focus on improving the skills of your employees. In most situations, minimal interest in the responsibilities of leadership is due to a lack of education or qualifying characteristics.
To change this aspect of organizational culture, you must provide employees with the chance to develop additional skills according to the level of performance that is required. If you expect women to step up to the plate, they should feel confident in their ability to achieve the desired results.
The easiest way to encourage in-depth involvement is to consistently offer employees the opportunity to learn new skills through regular seminars and events. By recognizing the need to set realistic training goals, you automatically transform the culture of the organization to one of commitment and dedication. Furthermore, both men and women at work will demonstrate a willingness to take on more responsibility once they are able to apply relevant knowledge and experience in the field.
In the end, women at work can become wise and efficient leaders using the same basic strategies as men. What truly matters is how you communicate these opportunities in the workplace. Use the resources here at Mighty Recruiter to find further advice on establishing a women’s initiative that will benefit your entire organization as well.