Once you examine some of the common traits of women’s leadership, it is clear that there are many benefits to having women in leadership positions. One excellent way to encourage your organization to focus on developing women as leaders is to articulate the many benefits of having women in such positions. While we can never assume that ever woman leader will demonstrate all the common traits of women’s leadership – nor can we assume that male leaders will not demonstrate any of these traits – putting women in leadership positions does increase the chances of your organization benefiting from these practices.
Greater Collaboration
One of the greatest benefits of having women in leadership positions is that they foster greater collaboration. Because women tend to be relationship focused, they are often able to draw in stakeholders from many different areas to work toward a common goal. Add in the tendency of women leaders to unite diverse groups around common goals and values, and it becomes clear that women leaders value and encourage collaboration. A culture of greater collaboration is beneficial for countless reasons. Collaboration helps to build relationships among employees and across traditional divisions such as department or function. It helps to clarify common goal and values, which can further boost employee investment in the organization. When people collaborate, they invest in each other. And when people feel invested in, they have higher morale, are more productive, and are more likely to stay and grow within the organization. Finally, greater collaboration makes the best use of the organization’s most valuable resource – its people.
Culture of Work-Life Balance
Organizations with women in leadership positions tend to have cultures of work-life balance. They may offer flexible work arrangements – working from home, flextime, shared positions, or part-time options – that allow employees to maintain their career while also attending to life outside the office. Organizations with a culture of work-life balance also help to foster a sense that employees’ lives and happiness outside the office are beneficial to the organization, too. A culture of work-life balance means that employees don’t feel as if they have to choose work or family life, but can instead attend to both equally. Even more, a culture of work-life balance tends to promote employee satisfaction and happiness, stave off burnout, and promote retention. Employees may also end up taking fewer sick days or otherwise being absent, which is good for the bottom line. A culture of work-life balance helps employees feel like people, not just cogs in a machine. This in turn promotes happier, healthier workplaces.
Culture of Accountability
Because they value personal accountability, for themselves and others, women leaders tend to promote a culture of accountability across the organization. A culture of accountability is one in which people take responsibility for their actions rather than seek to blame others, in which people are rewarded and recognized for their efforts and successes, and in which people act with honesty and integrity. The benefits of such a culture are clear and obvious. Accountability fosters a greater sense of trust, both between employee and peers and between employees and management. The knowledge that one will not be blamed for things they did not do, and that they will not be punished for owning up to a mistake, makes people feel safer and more valued at work. On a larger scale, accountability and transparency help to discourage stealing, dishonesty, policy violations, and more – including sexual harassment, financial misconduct, and even more egregious violations. A culture of accountability promotes workplace safety and workplace harmony, which results in better productivity, better retention, better morale, and a better bottom line.
Assists in Recruiting Millennials
One of the most surprising benefits of having women in leadership positions is that it helps in recruiting millennials – an incredibly important group of new workers. Millennials overwhelmingly want to work for organizations where they see women in leadership positions. This appears to hold true for both male and female millennials. Young women, especially, are likely to be less attracted to work at organizations where they do not see women in the ranks of leadership. Seeing women in leadership demonstrates to these young women that they have the potential to advance within the organization. It also indicates a dedication to gender equality, something that millennials of both genders say in repeated studies is important to them. Millennials are also likely to value the traits common to women’s leadership, such as accountability, diversity, and relationships. If you organization wishes to recruit millennials – and there is hardly an organization that does not – having women in visible leadership positions is one key component of your recruiting strategy.