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Each year, there is an increase in the number of female leaders in the workforce. Promisingly, businesses that employ female leaders have been found to be more financially successful. However, not everyone sees the advantages of female leadership.
We’ll dive into the distinctive advantages women bring to a business and how your business can benefit from more female leaders. From improved diversity to inspiring role models, this guide examines how women in leadership positions enhance organisational success.
By employing more female leaders, diversity, equality, and inclusion in the workforce will be improved drastically. Having female leaders at the table encourages a wealth of perspectives, generating more innovative ideas. Naturally, different people have different perspectives no matter their gender, but the advantages of including female leaders in the conversation, include more original ideas that can benefit business performance.
A diversity and inclusion study by Deloitte has found that companies that have a more inclusive workforce are more likely to generate more innovative ideas and, as a result, are more likely to reach their financial goals. This supports the idea that by employing more female leaders, a business can improve its financial gain, benefit the company, and also encourage the employment of more female leaders within their industry when other businesses begin to see the benefits.
One of the key advantages of women in leadership is the transformational leadership styles they often adopt. A transformational leadership style works by inspiring and motivating others to reach their full potential and develop their personal and professional goals. Features of this style of leadership include:
This transformational leadership style aids in greater engagement from team members and higher productivity as staff feel motivated and empowered by the female leader. A higher level of productivity increases performance, meaning business goals are also fulfilled faster. This shows the need for female leaders, as they can be motivational figures that enable a business to thrive.
Through transformational leadership styles and greater compassion, women in leadership are often responsible for an increase in team wellbeing. Studies show women are more likely to have softer leadership skills compared to men. Soft leadership skills include emotional intelligence, communication, and empathy. Increased empathy and compassion mean greater support of team members, demonstrating a genuine concern for the wellbeing of others, and providing a supportive environment so team members can communicate openly with their leaders. There is also evidence that teams that feel supported and recognised by their leaders are able to perform better in a working environment.
One of the key challenges women face in the workplace is a lack of role models. This is a key contributor to there being fewer female leaders than male leaders in the workplace. Having an inspiring leadership role model to whom one can relate provides greater motivation for an individual’s own self-development. Female role models challenge traditional gender norms and help to showcase that diversity and inclusion can be linked to success. When women occupy leadership roles, they become tangible examples of achievement, resilience, and competence for aspiring females.
These role models help to break down stereotypes, offering proof to others that leadership is not gender-specific but instead determined by merit and capability. Their success stories inspire confidence, ambition, and self-belief, particularly among women, encouraging them to pursue and persist in challenging careers. The visibility of female leaders instills a sense of possibility and ambition, fostering a more inclusive and equitable professional landscape. This empowers women to aspire to be female leaders, increasing the number of women in leadership over time. These role models also contribute to a cultural shift within organisations, promoting diversity, equal opportunity, and the recognition of leadership qualities regardless of gender. This ultimately creates a more dynamic and innovative workplace.
At AWL, we pride ourselves in promoting female leadership through empowering women in our leadership training and mentoring courses. Our female coaches work to encourage future female leaders to have confidence in themselves and to show it is possible to break barriers preventing women from pursuing leadership roles. If you want to develop your leadership skills, sign up for one of our training programmes to enhance your skills today.
Women in leadership have a greater understanding of female consumers, which provides valuable insights for businesses. Women can relate to female consumers and their needs, preferences, and purchasing behaviours. This is beneficial to businesses as it enables them to be more precise when targeting consumers, helping them tailor their marketing strategies effectively.
By championing inclusivity and diversity in decision-making, women leaders contribute to a deeper understanding of the broader market, capturing a more comprehensive range of customer needs. This nuanced customer insight not only enhances customer satisfaction but also positions the business to tap into previously untapped markets, fostering a more responsive and adaptive approach to meeting the evolving demands of a diverse consumer base.
Numerous studies have found an increase in female leaders can lead to better financial performance. This is due to the various advantages women in leadership bring to a business, including more innovative ideas from different perspectives, improved collaboration, and a higher rate of relationship building. All of these factors contribute to an increase in financial performance as diverse and innovative ideas can lead to improved business strategies.
Additionally, female leaders can encourage greater creativity and innovation, which can lead to greater financial performance. Studies have shown groups with a higher percentage of women are more likely to promote sharing ideas, and voicing opinions and will utilise everyone’s skills. This shows women in leadership have the potential to generate greater business performance overall as there is an emphasis on collaboration to promote creativity and innovation.
Although there are many advantages to employing more female leaders in the workforce, the process of inspiring women to become leaders is often overlooked. Women are less likely to aspire to become leaders if there are few inspiring role models to show them that stereotypes and other challenges women face can be overcome. It is, therefore, essential to begin to promote female leaders to allow future women in leadership to see themselves reflected in the current workforce. This can motivate and empower current entry-level females to see a future for themselves in more advanced roles.
Companies can start this journey by offering support to female leaders in various ways. For example, by showing support to women in the workforce and recognising their achievements, you can enable future female leaders to feel more valued and confident in what they do. Additionally, by offering more opportunities to take part in training and mentoring, you can help women in your workplace network with current female leaders, empowering them to strive for leadership roles in the future.
At AWL, we offer leadership training and development for women to empower them to overcome the challenges women face in the workplace. We provide teaching and coaching from our female leaders to help you develop your confidence and inspire you to become a woman in leadership in the future. Our academy packages offer a range of masterclasses and personalised coaching to ensure you reach your full potential. If you want to immerse yourself in our training, why not take a look at our coaching retreat that focuses on networking with like-minded women? Sign up for one of our academy packages today to start your journey to becoming a female leader of the future.
Female leaders can help increase the overall performance of a business, leading to meeting both financial and business goals. There are several advantages of female leadership, including:
Women’s leadership programmes enable women to be empowered to become female leaders. Through coaching and mentoring, you are immersed in a diverse pool of individuals who all contribute different perspectives, allowing you to learn from experienced professionals and develop your knowledge and skills. At AWL, we provide coaching, leadership packages, and masterclasses to help you reach your full potential.
Female leaders typically adopt a more transformational style of leadership compared to male leaders. This means inspiring and motivating team members, visionary thinking, and planning toward the future to invest in long-term goals rather than short-term goals. This provides a more collaborative and open work environment that increases productivity and business performance overall.
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