Reshaping gendered narratives on leadership - WIN London Mind Salons
Women in Innovation believe that positive, constructive and critical conversations about female leadership are vital to build community, drive innovation and support gender equality in business. And to continue to facilitate rich conversation and knowledge sharing from our remote settings, WIN London launched Mind Salons; online breakfast discussions centred on specific challenges faced by women in innovation.
Looking to reconnect and inspire your team and networks? The Mind Salons are designed to be replicated by you, so that you can engage and develop your own community. Download the Mind Salon Toolkit here to learn how.
This month the Mind Salons posed the question ‘How are gendered narratives shaping the conversation on leadership styles?’
COVID-19 has forced a spotlight on the effectiveness of different leadership styles, with many media outlets commenting that female leaders’ empathetic qualities made them better leaders during this time. However the complexity of gender dynamics at play in leadership isn’t always addressed. In The Atlantic article, “The Pandemic Has Revealed the Weakness of Strongmen: Women leaders are a symptom of a political system’s success, not necessarily its cause”, Helen Lewis states that judging leadership styles by gender is limiting for both genders and women especially as it often only emphasises soft social qualities, and does not include hard skills or tangible outputs.
… it’s tempting to reach the conclusion that women must be better at dealing with this crisis because of their gender. A similar narrative followed the 2008 financial crash. A world ruled by women was held up as a gentler, less aggressive one: If only Lehman Brothers had been Lehman Sisters, the crash would not have happened. This time around, commentators are again praising the “empathy and care” of female leaders.
- Helen Lewis in The Atlantic
So, what can we learn from gendered leadership narratives and how can we reshape them moving forward? In our Salon discussions we unearthed 3 important considerations to apply going forward:
1. A focus on individual leadership reshapes limiting associations with gender stereotypes
Describing ‘male’ and ‘female’ leadership qualities is fairly common practice in the media. In these narratives women are portrayed to be more empathic and communicative, while men are seen to be more decisive and analytical. While these different narratives have recently brought an appreciation for ‘female leadership qualities’, characterising women are X, men are Y can have negative impact for both sexes, driving gendered expectations as well as limiting recognition and potential of individuals. For women, as we are often still a minority status in working life, the variety of representation of female leadership is lacking. Evaluating and appreciating leaders for their individual qualities, and life experience can serve as an alternative that highlights them for their unique strengths rather than limiting gendered qualities.
Ask yourself:
How gendered stereotypes drive or limit your evaluation of (future) leaders around you?
What unique personal leadership qualities from you or your team are successful in your organisation and how can you acknowledge them?
Really, this is an argument about leadership styles, which brings us back to the question of gender. Judging “women leaders” as a group is a fraught task, when they are still such a minority.
- Helen Lewis in The Atlantic
2. Amplifying diverse perspectives will unlock fresh leadership narratives
Gendered narratives are grounded in generalisations, often because of a lack of diversity of leadership perspectives and experiences. In order to reshape leadership narratives, beyond the gender binary, taking responsibility is vital to ensure that a diversity of leadership perspectives are being seen and heard. By equipping future leaders with strategies, techniques and tools to develop personally and professionally and showcase their achievements on a company platform, we can help develop leadership narratives in divergent ways beyond a singular gendered narratives.
Ask yourself:
Who in the room isn’t heard and how can you help them be seen?
How can you diversify your team of future leaders - across race, age, ability and socioeconomic backgrounds - and help them amplify their unique narratives and skills?
We should be wary of the superficially appealing argument that women leaders are better because they are “empathetic.” That’s an essentialist view of gender—men are X, women are Y—and one that has tended, historically, to hold women back.
- Helen Lewis in The Atlantic
3. Focus on the team goals to make leadership narratives less individualistic
Narratives on leadership styles in the media tell the tale of grand gestures and exceptional achievement but can often miss out on the day-to-day practice of leadership. This reinforces the gender narratives surrounding leadership styles by forcing comparisons between people, as opposed to discussing the successes of their output. There is an opportunity to shift the leadership narrative away from ‘individual style’ and instead focus on the practice or approaches taken to lead a team, such as prioritising flexibility and creating frameworks for decision making. By establishing team values and the successes of collaboration as the markers of great leadership, we can build narratives that allow the collective, rather than individuals to shine.
Ask yourself:
How can you ensure team goals are aligned with leadership goals?
How do you ensure that your feedback prioritises innovation impact over media impact?
Thank you to WIN’s Justine and Meredith for hosting such thought provoking Mind Salons. And thank you to the WIN London community for attending the session and sharing such rich ideas and provocations - it was a pleasure to discuss this topic together! Keep an eye out for the next Mind Salon invites in the coming weeks!
If you have any suggestions for topics or themes for future Mind Salons or would like to (co-)lead a session, don’t hesitate to reach out, we’d love to hear from you!
The Mind Salons are designed to be replicated so that you can engage and develop your own community.
If you’d be interested in hosting your own Mind Salon on the topic of reversing data gaps, you can download the Mind Salon Toolkit here.
Editorial: Joëlla Bril
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