Do Women Make Better Leaders? Female as the Future of Leadership

The number of women in leadership roles has increased gradually over the past decades about 30% in 1991 and grew around 36.9% in 2022 from data taken by the International Labour Organization (ILO). However, women’s representation in authority positions is still low in comparison to men while women oftentimes have high competence and unique qualities that makes them an outstanding leader and it’s proven by researchers.

A study conducted by Zenger and Folkman in 2016 and 2019, has assessed 4,779 women and 3,876 men to analyze their leadership effectiveness. The result showed women outscored men in 17 out of 19 categories that distinguished an outstanding leader from an average leader. Some might argue that a single study might not be sufficient for definitive scientific evidence. Nonetheless, Zenger and Folkman have replicated the study during pre-pandemic until pandemic and surveyed over 60,000 participants with the same outcomes. 

What makes women an effective leader than men?

In the study, the assessed leaders were given satisfaction scores from employees on how committed and engaged they felt. The engagement scores for employees working for male leaders was slightly below average while the reports of female leaders were significantly higher.

(Sumber: Zenger Folkman, 2020)

This report suggests that females are competent leaders with indispensable qualities needed in a leadership position. Here are valuable potentials found in women:

1. High Emotional Intelligence

Women tend to have higher emotional intelligence which makes them capable in building strong relationships with their team and creating a supportive work environment. By being inclusive, this helps maintaining harmony within the team and helps inspire their team

1. Great Communicators

They are not just empathetic beings, but women have great communication skills to ensure everyone involved are on the same page. Active communication also creates collaborative teamwork and reduces misunderstandings. 

1. Agility

Women have high learning agility and adaptability to their work environment. They easily absorb new knowledge, adapt during crisis moments, and are quick problem solvers. These qualities make them the best decision maker which helps their environment navigate difficult situations.

1. Ambitious

Females often thrive for perfection and always put great effort into their work. Their dedication is impactful to the quality of the outcomes, yielding consistent high standards and excellence in their work. 

1. High Integrity and Honesty

High integrity and honesty mostly come naturally to women. They value transparency, trust and respect among their team members in order to cultivate a positive work environment. Committing an ethical behavior can help their team uphold a culture of trust and accountability.

Women own great strengths and unique potentials that make them exceptional leaders. Unfortunately, society still undervalued women because they remain to view them through the lens of stereotypes. Therefore, we can start acknowledging and embracing the capabilities of women by giving them enough opportunities to be in equal leadership positions. Organizations can benefit from their innovative ideas and leadership qualities that will help organizations reach their goal effectively.