Why Women In Leadership Is Great For Business

Why Women In Leadership Is Great For Business
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By now it should be obvious that women make great leaders. It should go without saying but there is still a real absence of female leadership in many businesses. That is a real disappointment after the long struggle that women have had to get into leadership roles. Women have always struggled to be taken seriously and be seen as leaders. Historically, people have thought of men as natural leaders and women as followers. Not only have women had to overcome that external bias as they worked to break the glass ceiling but they have also had to struggle with their own doubt about their ability to lead. It is time to look at why women make great leaders.

To begin with, there are recent studies showing that companies benefit from having women in top positions. It is becoming increasingly clear that having diversity throughout a company has an appreciable and positive effect on the bottom line. Why is that? In this article we will take a look at seven reasons why female leadership is good for business.

1. Networking is Critical.

In today’s business climate networking is more important than ever. With the advent of the digital age and an increasingly global economy it is clear that leaders need to be able to effortlessly network in order for their businesses to succeed. Networking is a skill that women excel at. The old-fashioned and rather sexist image is that of the coffee klatch; a gaggle of women sitting around gossiping. That may be an outdated image but it is true that women are great talkers. While those networking skills have historically been relegated to the PTA they have certainly proved transferable to business networking.

2. Creative Thinking is Critical.

We live in competitive global marketplace. There is an absolute necessity for businesses to think outside the box. That is where there is a real need for women and for a diverse workplace in general. Women bring different viewpoints on a variety of issues to the table. Those different viewpoints are valuable. Businesses don’t need a uniform mindset informed only by men. They need the creative solutions that come from diverse minds.

3. Female Leadership Helps Retention.

Retention is important to a healthy company. It takes money to hire and train new workers. There is also a cost to losing capable employees who know your business inside and out and replacing them with new and inexperienced employees. Women have the strong social tendency to be nurturers. That means that they are good at retaining valuable employees. It also means that they are good at cultivating talent and bringing out the best in their employees.

4. Leadership Requires Flexibility.

The business world has never been a particularly laid back place. It has always been hectic and required leaders who could keep up a fast pace. The pace has only become more hectic today. Technology keeps us in constant contact. It shrinks the globe and overcomes distance. That means that good leaders need to multi-task. Take a moment and think of what group of people would win a gold medal in multi-tasking. That’s right; mothers. There are probably no people who are better at multi-tasking than mothers; unless you count working mothers!

5. Good Ideas Make Money.

Businesses exist to make money. The make money for their owners and stockholders and they pay a salary to the people who work for them. The bottom line here is that good ideas make money. Creative ideas for new products and services and advertising drive generate profit. Women have good ideas and come up with innovative solutions. Why would any business want to take a chance on missing out on the next big thing because they are not employing the woman who comes up with it?

6. Communication is Key.

Good business leaders have great communication skills. Those skills help them motivate their team. Those skills help them persuade customers and close sales. Women have historically relied on their communication skills. They tend to be more verbally expressive than men are. Those skills translate to better communication in the boardroom.

7. Woman Are Half the Population.

This should be so obvious but somehow it has been overlooked. Women represent roughly half of the population. That means that they are half of the available talent pool for companies to hire. It also means that they are half of the consumers who use goods and services. Why wouldn’t companies want to take advantage of that? With all the progress that women have made toward equality there is no denying what they have to offer companies.

In conclusion, women's inclination toward a holistic, self-reflective approach could explain women are great leaders because they are able to balance professional and personal leadership skills. This enables them to have a strong understanding of what drives and motivates people, and how to acknowledge different people for their performance.

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