Lead Like a Woman. Better. Part 2
In my last article I wrote about recent research published by Harvard Business Review revealing that women at every job level are rated by their peers, their managers, their direct reports, and their other co-workers as better overall leaders than their male counterparts. The study found that women are rated higher in a total of 12 out of the 16 essential leadership competencies. And in seven out of 16 competencies, female leaders outscored men dramatically (a T value above 7). Last week I taught readers how to “Take Initiative,” what women do BEST.
This week we will learn how to “Practice Self-Development,” women’s second best strength as leaders.
Why do you think female leaders are better at showing the people around them that they practice “self-development”? Could it be the difference in male and female egos? Social norms? Gender roles? Or perhaps women are just more self aware?
My hunch on this disparity is that men are socialized to see self-improvement as a sign of weakness. If you seek out tools to improve your competency and expertise, it must mean that you are not already qualified. Therefore, many male leaders perceive self-development as revealing their weakness.
Women, on the other hand, often start off perceived as “less competent”, therefore not only is it less risky for them to seek out self-development tools. It is a necessary step to proving that they are qualified and constantly improving.
So why should BOTH men and women practice self-development? Well, first because it “develops” our skills as a leader … even if we are already good … self development makes us better. Second, seeking self-development makes us more respectable leaders. Forget what your ego tells you, your peers and direct reports will look up to you if you show that you are seeking to become even better.
How do we become more open to self-development?
Adopt a growth mindset!
Individuals with a growth mindset believe that they can cultivate their own qualities through effort. On the other hand, individuals with a fixed mindset believe that their qualities are pre-determined: we have a pre-set amount of intelligence, personality, social skills, and so on which means that we are on a constant mission to prove ourselves.1
How can we change our mindset from fixed to growth?
1. Stop keeping tally of your daily successes and failures.
2. Try things you aren’t sure you can do well.
3. Try to view company mistakes as self-improvement opportunities, not set-backs.
4. Really learn from your challenges and disappointments as a leader.
- Ask for feedback.
- Read up on the topic.
- Write notes.
- Try again.
5. Make a concrete, goal-oriented plan for improving your skills as a leader. (something you want to learn, a problem you need to solve, something you’re afraid to do, etc.)
- Remind yourself frequently – that individuals with growth mindset are more successful, not less.
- Recall an area in which you once had low ability, but can now perform quite well (playing golf, exercising, writing, speaking, etc.).
- Ask Yourself: How did you develop your skills in this area? Could undertaking similar development initiatives enable you cultivate a current skill and become an even better leader?
When you realize that your success as a leader is contingent upon, and not threatened by, your active self-development, you will have taken the first step.
Sara is one of fewer than 300 people in the world to earn her master’s degree in Positive Psychology – the science of individual and organizational thriving. Sara coaches managers and executives to create an environment where employees work at peak productivity. Sara’s approach to management consulting is to help businesses identify and cultivate their current strengths, as well as identifying shifts in management practices that will have the greatest impact on employee engagement and the company’s bottom-line. After identifying the most important areas for growth Sara guides managers and work teams through positive change. Sara’s website is saraoliveri.com.
1Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Random House.
Photo Credit: flickr/dimnikolov