Genderless Leadership
January 13th, 2009
They say ‘what a man can do, a woman can do better’. I believe that statement should have been, ‘what a man can do, a woman can EQUALLY do’.
Gender inequality is a factor commonly seen in our environment today, a factor with roots dating from tales as old as time. The struggle by women to be seen, heard, respected and given rights just as their male counterparts is a battle which cannot be won as a whole but on individual basis. I read an article from the PM NETWOWK (PMIs monthly magazine) which spoke on the need for women to focus more on leading and less on fitting in. That is another struggle on its own, fitting into an environment which we find ourselves.
As Dr Pearl Maxwell, PhD senior consultant at Advanced Management Services Inc, Canton, MA, USA says,’ the most effective leaders embrace the best of both the male and female styles of leadership’. According to this same article, Genderless leaders are community builders who promote interactive leadership and share power. For women, the ability to be an ‘interactive leader’ requires looking beyond the stereotype of ‘it is because of my gender’, and rather being pragmatic and tough in that role as a leader. While the ability to ’share power’ requires being flexible, empathic and decisive in decision making.
From my personal experience as a project manager i have found that my ability to be a good leader lies in my strength, passion and capacity as being qualified and competent to handle responsibilities. Passion and Competency from women translates directly to respect and growth personally. As a project manager my goal is to not only ensure the success of the project but to also ensure interpersonal growth in terms of creativity, knowledge, commitment, and team capacity for everyone working on the team. It is evident that women are still regarded as less competent and qualified for certain jobs or roles in an organization such as construction, engineering etc, as compared to a male counterpart. Physically this may be true, but intellectually far from it. The case is however not the same in fields such as politics as clearly women hold high positions in office in some countries. However i can only imagine that it must be a silent battle within to command the respect of male counterparts under their command and some of whom are probably older than them in age.
Being a leader is intrinsic to being a project manager and women must learn to walk the fine line between appearing strong and competent enough to lead without coming off as aggressive and authoritative in the bid to drive away stereotypes associated with their role as a leader. A male friend once said to me that when you ask a woman a question the first answer she is most likely to give is ‘i don’t know’, before she then gives thought to the question to respond properly. I have found this to be somewhat of true. As a woman I can say it is not a response out of lack of knowledge or confidence in giving the right answer but more of an expression/figure of speech which says, ‘ oh i have to give this some thought first’.
However considering the battle to be given parity in a male dominated world, women must be concise and clear in their message and be confident in speaking out when necessary.
‘’As a woman i feel there is more a requirement for me to have more professional qualifications than my male counterparts'’- Dr Pearl Maxwell. I agree with this.
A genderless leader must learn to elevate style over stereotype in order to succeed and command due respect and commendation. We must learn to speak up loud and clear and understand that we deserve to be where we want to be in our careers and personal lives. We are not asking for preferential treatment when we insist upon parity. We ask for the right to be heard, seen and respected equally.
Chinwe Anajemba,CAPM
January 13th, 2009 at 4:16 am
True
January 13th, 2009 at 5:14 am
A very powerful message here resounding with truth. Women also need to stop playing the victim role and start taking the bull by the horns in the corporate environment. However the beauty of femininity is the strength which lies behind that compassion that men so often mistake for weakness.
January 13th, 2009 at 5:45 am
Well said.
January 13th, 2009 at 10:59 am
I totally agree with you Chix! You voiced an aspect i penned but didnt publish and for that matter with the same words i used.. We are indeed twins:)..
January 13th, 2009 at 11:00 am
I couldn’t agree with you more. That was a masterpiece with a lot of valuable advice for women. Well done.
January 17th, 2009 at 2:23 am
I am amazed with it. It is a good thing for my research. Thanks
January 19th, 2009 at 2:33 am
I think you are thinking like sukrat, but I think you should cover the other side of the topic in the post too…