The business landscape has changed forever. We are no longer living in the era of the industrial revolution where factories need to stay open 24/7 with the male as the main breadwinner whilst women stayed at home. Economic changes, dynamic family structures, globalization and the digital revolution have changed society forever. Increasing numbers of women are entering higher education than ever before, more women are entering and staying in the workforce – either corporately or setting up their own ventures – and women are becoming increasingly wealthy.
And whilst the business statistics referencing the numbers of women in senior positions and at CEO level isn’t at all encouraging, I believe change is happening and will happen organically due to the demands of society.
Leaders and organisations have to be ready for the changes that are happening and I am not sure they are. An evolution is needed in corporates and businesses to enable equity in the workforce and at home.
Here’s what I think needs to change:
- Emotional intelligence will need to be combined with economic intelligence.
- There will be an increasing need to care for human capital as much as financial capital.
- Leaders will need to be quick thinkers, decision makers and yet open to change and flexible.
- To keep up with the speed of change it will be impossible to get everything right first time – leaders will need to have a willingness to not get perfection immediately but to allow perfection to evolve, keeping it real.
- Leadership will be more about collaboration and less about hierarchy and position.
- Leaders will need to be willing to share, to mentor others, to guide and to take a step back.
- They will need to adopt a more honest and open approach – to be honest there is no room for hiding behind the desk in the corner office or a title anymore.
- They will need to create leaders in others and leadership around them.
- AND FOR ME , this mean leaders will need to have an inner confidence, a self belief and ability to trust themselves.
Does a traditional masculine approach to business and leadership fit these needs being demanded of organisations and leaders?
We have to start getting in touch with our uniqueness as women, tapping in to the unique feminine leadership that we all have, trusting it and working in collaboration with each other as women and with men to achieve our own goals and success.
Its about a collaboration, a combination and an acceptance of feminine and masculine leadership.
I have had the pleasure of meeting, interviewing, working with and reading about some incredible people. Their secrets of success and how they have evolved within the changing landscape will be shared in my next blog
But for now remember..
“A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.” – Eleanor Roosevelt