We’ve all heard the claims, the theories, and the speculation about the ways leadership styles vary between women and men. 

1. Dulceanu Francisca Andreea
Grupa 8220

2. We’ve all heard the claims, the theories, and the
speculation about the ways leadership styles
vary between women and men.
The majority of leaders (64%) are still men. And
the higher the level, the more men there are.
Female leaders excel at “nurturing”
competencies such as developing others and
building relationships, and many might put
exhibiting integrity and engaging in self-
development in that category as well.

3. Successful women often credit luck for changing
their lives, but there's so much more to the
making of a women leader than luck. Luck is less
about good things randomly happening to people
who happened to be in the right place at the right
time than it is about perseverance, dedication and
the ability to show up at 100 wrong places before
you get that "lucky" break.
So what are the essential characteristics of women
leaders? I asked some women entrepreneurs,
success coaches and mentors what ingredients
they thought went into making the best female
leaders. Here's what they came up with:

4. As a leader, you are going to come across challenges, and
sometimes things won't go according to plan. Sabina Gault,
founder of Konnect PR, understands that it's how you push
through those challenges that make you a leader. "Women
leaders need persistence, perseverance and the ability to
not take "no" for an answer," says Gault.
This attitude, in turn, can inspire others in your organization to
step up. "If you leave the office at 4 p.m. and expect your
team to stay there till 9 p.m. -- you're kidding yourself," says
Gault. "However if you are first in, last out, always hard-
working and always pushing for more, your team will do
the same and you will earn their respect as a leader."

5. "In the past women have been condemned for
being 'soft' or being 'nurturers'", saysDawniel
Winningham, a performance coach, motivational
speaker and best-slling author who works with
emerging women leaders across the country. "I
think our nurturing spirit is often confused with
being lackadaisical or an inability to hold people
accountable which is not the case. I think being a
nurturer, having a sense of being fair and just,
and use of our women's intuition are some of our
strongest traits."

6. For Mallary Tytel, President of Healthy Workplaces, one of the
defining characteristics of leadership is confidence -- having
an "unconditional belief in your own abilities." Having
confidence isn't about bragging or being a show-off, but
about not undermining your abilities and creating a culture
that values your input.
Mallary believes women can learn to cultivate confidence in
their own abilities by actively seeking out and responding
to feedback, "tooting your own horn," taking on tough
assignments and excelling at them, maintaining successful
relationships and developing expertise that sets you apart.

7. Lori Freemire is a marketing entrepreneur who actively
supports several charities, including the Leukemia
Lymphoma Society, SME, Hispanic foundations, library
and college foundations. She believes it's important for
female leaders to look for ways to give back to their
community.
"Be generous and help others without looking to be
reciprocated," says Freemire. "Be trustworthy and
trusting; always be willing to learn about yourself and
others; look for ways to work with people, not against
them. And above all, listen and over-communicate."

8. Throughout human history, it's never been easier for women in Western society to
obtain education. Colleges offer undergraduate and postgraduate programs in a
variety of subjects, and basic skills such as public speaking, networking, computer
literacy and business writing can be learned through professional development
courses and community programs. Scholarships and career advancement programs
aimed at women help to ensure future women leaders have the opportunity to
obtain an education.
But education encompasses more than just a college degree. Female leaders should
seek out those more experienced in their field, and learn from them. Mentors and
coaches can help a future leader push ahead, learn what works, and avoid
potential pitfalls. As Winningham points out, having a coach or mentor also helps
women to make connections they would not normally be able to make.
Winningham says that having a mentor or coach is vital to her success, and wishes
she'd embraced the use of a coach much sooner. "Had I had the benefit of a
private coach much sooner, I would have reached the finish line even faster. A
coach has a vested interest in getting you to the finish line sooner rather than
later, with a structured approach to not only helping you learn, but holding you
accountable for the application of those lessons."

9. When asked what she would tell her younger-self if she
could go back in time, Shannon Sennefelder -- owner of
the Foundational Leadership Institute -- said she would
tell herself to take better care of her health. "That's a
huge one. Had I really understood the value of self care
earlier, I would have done things a lot differently."
One of the things many don't, but good leaders
understand is how important it is to achieve balance in
their lives and take care of themselves. Sennefelder
says, "Women in general have a belief that self care is
selfish! Nope! It is like breathing -- vital to our
survival."

10. A good leader needs to not only be an expert in their industry, but to see the bigger
picture, and understand their role in the wider world. They need to believe that
change is possible and worthwhile, and be able to convey that message to others
in a way that has meaning. This quality is best summed up by one word -- vision. A
leader with vision is a leader who can see the path ahead and inspires others to
help them turn a dream into a reality.
Patti Johnson is the founder and CEO of PeopleResults, a human resource consulting
firm. She agrees that the most important element of a leader is having a vision of
the future. "I think the best qualities in (women) leaders are that they inspire trust,
they can paint a picture of the future and they can lead others through change,"
says Johnson.
"We can create these qualities in women by getting them into the right jobs, giving
them access to mentors and coaches who can accelerate their progress and
encourage them to take ownership for their own career. No one can do it for you."
The qualities that make a good leader don't vary between men and women. After all,
it's the person, not the gender that determines a leader. And although women are
only just catching up to men in terms of leadership roles, their unique experiences
and supportive natures make them more than capable of leading the future.

11. • Women leaders are more persuasive than their
male counterparts.
• When feeling the sting of rejection, women
leaders learn from adversity and carry on with an
"I'll show you" attitude.
• Women leaders demonstrate an inclusive, team-
building leadership style of problem solving and
decision making.
• Women leaders are more likely to ignore rules
and take risks.

12. The argument that women might be better leaders than
men over-emphasizes feminine relationship-building
skills to the exclusion of masculine competitive
instincts. As with most either-or pendulum swings, the
truth falls somewhere in the middle.
In any case, this issue should focus, not on men versus
women, but on organizational culture. At that level, a
mixture of feminine and masculine traits are required.
But there is no doubt that we are in the midst of an
unstoppable shift to more feminine cultures.