In an article*, Hilary Lips, writes that leadership by women is a delicate balancing act. A women leader can neither be too “pushy†nor too “softâ€, neither too strident nor too accommodating, neither too sexual nor too sexless. Women leaders are judged more strongly and far more is expected from them than from their male counterparts. They frequently face exclusion from “informal networksâ€, such as evenings out among male colleagues where decisions are made, which strongly impacts their general advancement.
Lips cites research that suggests that people listen and take direction more comfortably from men. In the study, when male and women leaders gave the same solutions, using the same words, the male leaders were received with attention, nods, and smiles and the women leaders by turned faces and frowning.
Perception of women leaders depends on the context. Lips discusses results from another study that showed that in Norway, with its long and deeply-rooted history of women’s involvement in leadership, women felt a strong sense of legitimacy in their leadership roles. In France, in contrast, where this was relatively new and rare, that sense of legitimacy was absent, and women were called upon to prove themselves repeatedly. Norwegian women expressed joy and a sense of efficacy in their leadership roles; while the French women, spoke of difficulties, conflicts, loneliness, and marginality.
Have you experienced this balancing act during your career? How are women leaders viewed in your culture?
*â€Women and Leadership: Delicate Balancing Actâ€, article by Hilary Lips (April, 2009)
(In two weeks time we will blog on differences between men’s and women’s leadership styles)
Since I have been in the working world since the mid-1960s, I experienced great difficulty in the early years, but the attitudes toward women leaders in the US has evolved, generally for the better. My early career was in design/construction and I opted to be my own employer and obtain my own clients. The nearly all men “team” on a project were “forced” to accept me, since I was at the table on the same basis as were they, bringing my particular expertise.
During the late 1970s, a movement started in many areas of the country for professional and business women to start their own “private networking breakfast clubs.” Providing support, often work for each other, promoting and encouraging other women — and bringing ourselves as a group and as individuals into the public eye — has proven to be a positive tactic. Women were encouraged to offer their time and money in the public sphere, particularly government boards, so their skills could be demonstrated. The public began to get used to the idea of women in leadership roles, eventually reducing the “males only are leaders” paradigm.
I was particularly interested to see the source statement for this blog because Hilary Lips visited us in New Zealand in 1999 and was the keynote speaker at the NZFUW Mid-Term Council meeting. During 1998 NZFUW applied to the Fulbright Foundation for funding to bring a Distinguished American Professor to New Zealand. We were fortunate in receiving this award and Professor Lips was the person who took up the award and was the guest of the New Zealand Federation of University Women, as we were known at that time, for her 3 week visit to the University centres of New Zealand where she spoke to Branches as well as to University groups,and of course was the keynote speaker at our Mid-Term Council Meeting in Auckland. The feature of her addresses to Branches and University groups was ‘Higher education: Pathways to Power.’ She made a number of friends while she and her husband were in NZ and I have maintained contact with her and visited her home in Blacksburg, Va and at Radford University. She also attended some sessions of the IFUW Conference in Ottawa in 2001. Hilary was surprised – and pleased – to know that her article had been used for our blog. This is an excellent example of being able to make links with University women worldwide.
On a personal note, having been a leader in our organization at the local, national and international level I wanted to say that I believe that teamwork is critical to achieving the goals of a voluntary group. We each bring a range of skills to our group, at whatever level it is, and the role of the leader is to encourage the members of the group to recognize and use their skills for the common good. Even working in a leadership role in a mixed gender group it has been my experience that appreciating what each brings to the task leads to much more constructive and inclusive decision-making. What it does require is good communication and listening skills together with the ability and willingness to be able develop a way forward that recognizes what each has contributed.
Interesting article, and comments that raise additional issues.
My friend, colleague, and executive coach Lynn Harris has done extensive research and written a book on the subject of women in leadership.
The book, which is expected to be released in January, is called Unwritten Rules: What Women Need To Know About Leading In Today’s Organizationsn (see additional background and podcast with Lynn here: http://www.amazingwomenrock.com/myblog/better-learn-the-unwritten-rules-if-you-want-to-succeed-in-a-mans-world.html
The book will help those women who want to play the corporate game to play it more successfully, and provide role models for those who decide to opt out (of which I am one!).
I’m full of admiration for those women who continue to aspire to and achieve corporate leadership positions – it takes a lot of guts for little glory…
As a leader in government organisations in Australia over two decades I found Hilary’s comments to be relatively true to my experience. I was the first woman at my level in national and state ministries, departments, education institutions and cities. In my experience the chilliest climate was in the university. I made deliberate decision to enter the informal male networks where decisions were made – drinks on Friday nights etc. The most strengthening experience I had as a leader was in the networks women in leadership positions shared with each other.
Madam,
I came to know about your organization from Madam Sushil Bhardwaj. I want to become a part of your org because I have done a very difficult balancing act after marriage. I am juggling work with balancing my kids and my home with an autocratic husband and in a male dominated joint family. In such a set-up, I have completed my Phd. thesis, attended conferences, written papers and written articles for The Tribune. I would like to write and tell you the condition of women in a progressive society like Punjab in India.
Dr. Kanwalpreet