In an article recently written by Beate Chelette on the Glass Hammer, Beate believes that we need a new leadership model.
She believes that although women have successfully worked to create a place in the corporate world, they still take on male traits to be accepted. While that may not be the case across all industries, Beate says: “We need an updated leadership model that’s better than the century-old code that men created for themselves. We need our own Women’s Code.”
Beate defines the male leadership model as three basic principles: Power – Persuasion – Strategy.
Women lead differently. Power – force – aggression from a woman would not be successful tactics in the boardroom.
Does this resonate with you? Perhaps there is more to the female leadership model.
The ATHENA Leadership Model®, developed through a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, identifies eight distinct attributes that are reflective of women’s contributions to leadership:
- Authentic Self,
- Relationships,
- Giving Back,
- Collaboration,
- Courageous Acts,
- Learning,
- Fierce Advocacy,
- Celebration,
- Joy
ATHENA International identifies that these “personal traits that are more intuitive to women, and combined with the strongest aspects of traditional leadership—taking risks, assertiveness, hard work—prepare women to be successful leaders in the 21st century.”
Women are complex. There is more to us than just power, persuasion and strategy and therefore our leadership model also needs to reflect the depth and breadth of who we are in the business world.
My Linkage takes the discussion a step further in their definition of a woman leadership model. The above image breaks the leadership roles into three sections:
1) Lead Authentically
2) Lead the Future
3) Lead Others
I agree with Beate Chelette. Women do need to develop their own leadership model to follow in order to be successful. It isn’t the “good ol’ boy’s club” anymore. Women are taking on more leadership roles in companies, communities, and countries.
As Beate says in the conclusion of her article:
There are enough of us in the corporate world right now to start the chain reaction that will ultimately lead to true workplace equality. Let’s do this together.
