Leadership: A Female Perspective

Part 4 of a 5 part series

Given the benefit of hindsight, what would our panel of women leaders have done differently in their careers if they had the chance to do it all over again? Based upon their more than 60 years’ of collective experience, what advice would they give to young professional women? Are the challenges facing women who aspire to leadership positions different from those facing men? Which sex makes the best leaders?

One of the interesting discoveries for me in interviewing these women leaders was that when we addressed the topic of this column—sharing the wisdom—there was almost unanimous agreement on the advice they would offer young women as they ascend their careers: taking risk, optimism, hiring skills, competence and balance. There was also a last piece of advice that you might find surprising.

Taking more risk early in one’s career and developing a sense of optimism top the list of things they would focus on earlier in their careers if they had a chance to do it all over again. Taking risk can mean a variety of things to the young professional. It can mean volunteering for assignments that create a bit of discomfort in the volunteer because of either the importance or the insecurity one feels—the fear of failure. It can also mean speaking out and sharing your thoughts. Renata Mrazova: “Don’t be afraid. ‘Crazy’ ideas are sometimes an expression of genius.” Taking small steps at first, moving gradually into these areas of risk slowly, will build one’s confidence and allow them to gain a higher degree of personal comfort in taking risk and accepting change.

Klara Starkova offers another approach to intelligent risk-taking: “Learn how to ask open-ended questions. These are questions that involve others at a higher level, help you gather important data, and involve others in forming solutions.” This is great advice, especially if one does not have hierarchical power as is the case in early careers.

Optimism has been shown, in study after study, to be a universal trait of successful leaders. Optimism creates an infectious energy that has a very real impact on everyone around you. And, the optimism of leaders specifically, has a huge impact because others are looking to the leader for guidance as to how they should feel or how they should view a situation. But, a word of caution—Mrazova: “Being optimistic does not mean being unrealistic. You need to know where the risk is, evaluate how ‘real’ it is, and discuss it openly. This process tells people you are grounded in reality. The optimism comes from the belief that you will find a solution. That’s what energizes others.”

Developing solid hiring skills is a sine qua non of the successful leader. This means learning the right questions to ask and developing an instinct that comes from observation. Every leader agreed that it’s also very important not to be threatened by subordinate talent or hiring people who are better than you are. This is how strong teams are built and true leaders are recognized.

Personal development is an obvious element, but Starkova gives us a different perspective: “Charm and charisma won’t do it. To sustain one’s growth to leadership one must develop a competence.” Yes, it’s important for a leader to have general management skills—a broad range of skills, but this person must have a grounding in some relevant competence for them to be credible.

The piece of advice that came forth with the most consistency from all our leaders was balance. Alena Ludrovska summed it up best. “Balance between one’s personal and professional life is what helps one face the difficulties a leader must face. It can come from a variety of things—family, gardening, sport activity, walking your dog, reading—but balance is what gives us strength in difficult times and it gives us the resilience we need to continue.” Balance is what fuels creative thinking and frees us from an artificial world of myopic vision.

Without a doubt, the most unusual advice for the next generation came from Zuzana Reznickova. “I recommend that everyone should be fired once in their career. It provides the impetus for re-evaluation, prioritization and a chance for clarity in one’s life. It’s also a reminder to look to the future, don’t grasp onto the past—learn, reflect, and act!” Wisdom, optimism, perspective, risk-taking, resilience and balance, it’s all there. Spoken like a true leader!

So, what about the last two questions: Are the challenges facing women who aspire to leadership positions different from those facing men? Which sex makes the best leaders?

I will address these in next week’s column, “Conclusions”.

Good luck on your way up!