Think Like a Woman Part Three

This is part three of a series based upon 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 “Practice Self-Development,” the key to staying relevant and effective as a leader. This week we will learn how to “Display Integrity and Honesty,” another leadership strength in which women outperform men.

As a woman, frankly, this piece of the research surprised me. I’ve met my fair share of candid, authentic male leaders. Likewise, I’ve met some sketchy lady leaders. However, women are generally better connectors and communicators thus they are perceived as having more integrity.

We could all stand to become more honest, authentic leaders. So here’s how:

Know the three major elements of trust:

1. Integrity
2. Dependability
3. Benevolence

According to Jane Dutton (2003), expert on workplace relationships – we show people that we posses all three of these traits: integrity, dependability, and benevolence by what we say (or don’t), and what we do (or don’t).

Communicate

1. DO:
1. Share information that you value.
2. Disclose some personal information about yourself.
3. Use inclusive language like “we” and “us.”
2. Do NOT:
1. Accuse your friend/colleague of bad intent, in other words: don’t jump to conclusions.
2. “Badmouth” others as a way of connecting with someone else – although this may bring you closer in the moment it will ultimately cause the other person to trust you less.

Act

1. DO:
1. Give away control of meaningful tasks. This is especially important for bosses and managers at work gaining the trust of their employees.
2. Give away access to valuable resources. Valuable resources can be material, emotional (e.g. moral support), or attentional (e.g. time).
3. Ask for, and act upon, input.
2. Do NOT:
1. Check up on others so much. Not only does constant surveillance prevent our colleagues from feeling trusted, it also makes it impossible for them to demonstrate their own trustworthiness – since you will never know if they succeeded because they are trustworthy, or if they succeeded because you were monitoring them closely.
2. Punish people for their mistakes – especially publicly.

Trust is a reliable indicator of work group performance (Dirks,1999). High reported trust also correlates with satisfaction, absence of anxiety, and the highest levels of commitment in romantic relationships (Simpson, 1990). So not only is it in your individual best interest to become a more trustworthy leader, it is in the best interest of your company’s bottom-line.

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.

Photo Credit: flickr/contemplativechristian

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