“Great women leaders are not born. They are made.” This quote by Harriet Tubman says a lot about the power of leadership in business and society. In fact, many studies have shown that women can be just as successful as their male counterparts when they possess certain qualities such as assertiveness, self-confidence, and empathy. This blog post will go over some of the most important characteristics of great female leaders so that you can emulate them on your own path to success!
Attract Top Talent
I know the number is high, but I was surprised to learn companies spend between $20,000 and $30,000 to recruit, hire, onboard and train one, just ONE- a single employee who will earn around $40,000 per year. In our world, everything starts from the INSIDE out, and employee happiness, satisfaction, and retention are paramount in the years ahead. The key to staff retention might just be female leaders, who attract Top Talent!
Great women leaders understand that they have to attract top talent if they want their organizations or companies to succeed. This can be achieved by providing a positive working environment and creating organizational cultures where employees feel valued for the work they do every day. If you hire the way you have always hired you will get what you have always gotten, and in today’s day and age, it is time to shift gears; attract diversity, and curate a company culture that cultivates success through equality and inclusion.
Try This: Post your career description in 3-5 communities where you may not have in the past. Perhaps try a religious institution, maybe a diverse Facebook group, or mental health advocacy organization. Get creative- spread your reach – and remember that Top Talent expects your very best, so be organized, and prepared for them just as much as you want them to prepare for you!
Communicate
Great women leaders have mastered the art of being great communicators. They know how to connect with others in ways that matter and they are able to communicate complex ideas simply. 45% of women business leaders say it is difficult for other women to speak up in online meetings[1]:
- 1 in 5 women says they have felt ignored or overlooked by colleagues during video calls.
Try This: At your next meeting have a little fun with communication skills. Create a fun sentence like: “I didn’t say I drank the purple Koolaid”, now ask participants to say the sentence using their facial expressions, and tone of voice. Ask participants to change their pace, and see how when you put an emphasis on just one word, the entire sentence changes.
Inspire
Women leaders also inspire younger generations, by giving back through mentorship or other forms of teaching what they have learned along their career journey. Great women leaders often focus on teaching those people who want to learn, and they focus on teaching them something new that inspires trust and loyalty! If you have hired top talent, you have communicated your expectations, and they have done the same, then it is time stream set your team up for success. Train them, teach them, inspire them to get to the next level.
Try This: Employee Journey Mapping is a fantastic tool used to identify the emotional experience that a team member has with your brand. The last journey mapping session we conducted allowed us to identify where our potential employee was in life six months before she became aware of us!
In today’s world, it is often necessary for women to take on a leadership role. Whether in the office or at home, this can be difficult and intimidating if you do not have the proper skillsets and expertise. However, there are plenty of opportunities out there for those who want to become great leaders themselves; perhaps one of them begins with your own team.
Written by:
Crystal D’Cunha
Chief Experience Officer,
The INSIDE View Inc.
