These qualities make a woman a great mother and a great leader.
One day after my passionate presentation at the webinar on “Women in Leadership Roles”, a mirror was held up to me.
My son shared a riddle via Instagram. The story goes like this: A father drives his son to interview for a job at a major stockbroker’s firm in the city. The trading company CEO calls the son and says, “Good luck son! You’ve got it!” The father looks at his son. How could this happen?
Some people thought it might be an audio recording from the past, while others suggested that it was the boy’s grandfather or that he was named ‘Son’. Perhaps he had two fathers.
Correct Answer: The boy’s mother was the CEO of the company! Surprisingly, the company’s CEO was not a woman, but another woman, who had aspired to be a CEO. Yes, I was there! We were victims of implicit gender bias, which affects women worldwide and infiltrates leadership in all spheres.
Although women make up only 5 per cent of Fortune 500 CEOs (a small percentage), they deserve to be in the top tier. Diversity is crucial to the success of a company. But, women also make great managers and leaders because they have unique qualities that are nurturers, creators, and healers. Nature designed a woman to be the primary nurturer. This gives her more emotional strength, patience, and sensitivity. Women are naturally skilled at managing people and use that talent to retain and attract talent when they hold senior positions. They have better interpersonal skills and are more persuasive. They are more likely to take risks with their ideas and passions.
Women are more protective of their children and can seek peer advice and counselling better than men. This makes them better at leading and engaging employees. A mother can run a home as well as a company also.
Women must put in extra effort to fight prejudice and perception. This gives women an advantage over their male counterparts. It is a scientific fact that the brain area connecting the left (rational) and right (intuitive hemispheres of the brain is larger in women. This allows them to think and feel simultaneous, while men must separate the two.
Convinced? Convinced? Although she is a mother, that doesn’t mean she is not worthy of consideration. She is a mother, but that does not make her ineligible to run for the top job.
