OUT
17
Why It’s Harder for Asians to Succeed in the Workplace
What are feminine leadership qualities in the workplace? But no—that does not mean just women in leadership positions. Feminine leadership is a specific style of leading that differs from the most common style of leadership. In other words, it does not embody masculine traits such as competition focused, heavy handedness, and rigidity. Furthermore, feminine leadership is not about who is leading, but rather the principles they hold and how they lead. Of these principles, these are two of the most important.
Balance and Flexibility
Traditional workplace leadership and cultures are extremely result focused and reward those who put in the most hours, rather than those who work efficiently and hold a healthy work/life balance. Often times performance is tied directly to metrics such as revenue, profit, or clients, rather than the overall success of the company.
In comparison, feminine leadership recognizes the need for balance and flexibility in life, and rather than rewarding the toxic culture of metrics-based performance, it values the importance of individual freedom. When workers hold individual freedom, rather than being held on a leash, they are still able to excel at their jobs and find a satisfying balance in life.
Collaboration and Power Sharing
In many workplaces, people feel the need to compete for power and treat it as a limited resource. Whether that’s influence, status, or decision making, workers fight and compete with each other within the workplace. This is harmful to team building and collaboration, as the infighting creates a situation where it is difficult to work as a group. Under feminine leadership principles, everyone’s contribution is valued. Instead of encouraging competitive behavior among workers, leaders who practice feminine traits assign tasks to those who will find the most enjoyment doing them.
Accordingly, workers who complete enjoyable tasks will also complete them more efficiently and with higher quality, benefiting the whole team. In summary, feminine leadership is not about primarily completing work as quickly as possible, but rather, with the highest quality and efficiency as a result of collaboration.
Benefits of Femininity
Feminine leadership embraces principles most commonly associated with femininity, such as collaborative, relational, consensus-building, and intuitive.
It is widely believed that these traits of leadership are the solution to the current failings of masculinity-dominated leadership. For example, in delicate socio-political times, feminine leadership is able to more sensitively handle problems and solutions than the current style of leadership.
Again, feminine leadership is not strictly limited to women, although it may be more natural for them. This style of leadership is simply one that embraces and implements specific principles that are traditionally classified as feminine, although their application is simply a positive way to run a business. At the end of the day, feminine leadership is an important type of leadership.
naisA Global is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization dedicated to helping talented young Asian professionals unlock their potential and become great leaders.
- Jamie Sheen
- naisA Global Staff
About Jamie Sheen
About
- Our Story
- Our Testimonials
- Our Board
Contact Us
- Contact Us
Programs
- Membership Tiers
- Our Services
- naisA Talks
- naisA Flash Advice (nFA)
Support
- Donate
- Sponsorship
Publications
- Blog
naisA Global is proud to be recognized as a Platinum-level GuideStar Exchange Participant, demonstrating our commitment to transparency. naisA Global shares information openly and completely on GuideStar, including our financial data, so that donors can make the best decision possible as it relates to their charitable giving. Learn more by clicking here.