Today, different leadership styles are used by companies and managers alike to bring out the best of employees at work. First came the authoritarian leadership style where a “leader” turns into a “boss”. As time went by, a realization hit the managers that may be using a different style can help boost the efficiency of workers. And thus came different styles of leadership we see in companies, big or small.

Only when people looked into it properly, did they find which one was better than the other. Delegative style, transactional, participative- you name it. Lots have been found interesting, researched upon, and concluded to be effective in comparison to other styles already out there. These days, a new wave of leadership is on the rise called- feminine leadership.

Feminine leadership is a style of management adopted by all genders, to bring about a change in work culture. It emphasizes on the usage of empathy, humility, and relationship dynamics in the workplace. The result is a more thought-out decision-making process than an impulsive one.

The flexibility and the humane element that is brought about by this leadership style is more in tune with a company’s work culture and the needs of its employees. It makes for a better working environment for its workers and helps bring industrial harmony.

Here are some leadership lessons we can learn from feminine leadership.

Lean in only when there is a need.

Women in leadership positions are often told to lean into assertiveness, dominance, and boldness. If leaders were all about this, we would not have good leaders who know their way to a perfect solution for any problems that may arise. There has never been a strong correlation between leaning into such traits and being good at something. We only promote people to authoritative positions when we know they have the right qualities to handle the responsibilities that come with such a role. When you consider that, dominance and assertiveness are not the qualities you must have. 

Confidence.

There are a lot of self-help books that portray women as insecure beings, studies show that they can be confident in the “normal range”. Women have shown time and time again that they can be as confident in their abilities as they need to be. There is a lot of self-evaluation that goes on which keeps them humble. It enables them to see the gaps between where they are and where they want to be. This evaluation gets clouded when there is over-confidence. A little bit of critical thinking never hurt the preparation of events. You will always be prepared for any sudden happening.

Transformational.

Studies show that women tend to lead people by inspiring and motivating them- transforming people’s thoughts and beliefs. Their leadership style includes a balanced mixture of EQ and IQ elements that are linked with higher performance, engagement and productivity. Here, aligning people with meaning and purpose does the trick for quality output.

Team before me.

It is the job of a leader to support people from behind than to walk in front of them. Leaders help in the development of their team members. It can be a tough job to build a group that is high performing and brings in the desired results but with the ‘you before me’ attitude, there will be a change in the culture. Competition is good but in limit. Feminine leadership tends to use this mantra to bring in better results.

Commanding is old news.

Empathize with your team members. Commanding them to do their tasks without taking in their input is a mistake. This leads to employee dissatisfaction. Everyone likes growth. Give your team some space, let them come up with good ideas. Appreciation, kindness, encouragement, and validation is the basic requirement of employees. Make a connection with your team and see the connection it builds with the audience for you. This is the feminine style of leadership.

Leadership styles change with every organization. The better you are with your employees, the better will be the result. Learn to be more accommodating. This is the style of feminine leadership.

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