How Women Leaders Can Shape the Future of Work
Today, the need is for disruption. Businesses need disruptors, not just peacemakers. Someone with a different view who can be bullish and courageous to solve complex business problems through innovation. Women can be themselves by being courageous, taking risks, and setting an example for others. As communication grows increasingly virtual, it inspires a new way of building and maintaining relationships and listening to others.
Women, especially in leadership roles, can play an invaluable role in shaping the future of work.
In a Pew Research Center survey, 80 per cent agreed that women, on the whole, are more compassionate than men. As women leaders, we can share our perspectives and encourage others to greater confidence, enabling more women along the way. By earning the trust of others, we can boost creativity and productivity which have and will continue to define workplaces. Our skills, actions, and instincts at work may be leveraged to benefit us personally and our company for a brighter future of work.
Value Intuition
Those in leadership roles often see warning signs early on. It might be a team in trouble or a project gone awry. The ability to unconsciously recognise these signs, intuition, also play a role in caring for others, listening to them, and finding out their motivations. I have found women to be more intuitive but many are taught or conditioned to ignore their inner feelings or gut reactions, and instead, rely solely on logic or procedure.
However, they might be disregarding one of their most valuable forms of reasoning. This innate ability to know things helps people instinctively decipher situations and assess environments. Intuitive leadership can be especially useful when situational awareness and rapid decision-making is required.
Lead with Empathy
A key element of success is growth, whether it be personal or business-related. Growth always begins from the right mindset. We need to understand the psyche of our colleagues and employees to engage the minds and hearts towards the mission and vision of the company to achieve a win-win scenario. Studies have shown that women are better suited to displaying empathy than men. The many generations in the workforce all seek the need to be understood and empathised with. Compassion and empathy help us bridge those gaps and take us closer to what the employees feel.
Empathy is central to many work-related solutions, be it acknowledging others’ feelings or moving beyond them towards a solution. Women leaders can coach men and women to nurture their empathetic skills and increase their emotional quotient. Being able to empathise allows leaders to engage authentically and influence better work relationships and a more inclusive environment.
Evolve- Empower- Enrich
In our constant endeavour to explore our potential, we seek to evolve beyond our current abilities. We can evolve by taking risks to chase after our passion and learn new skills to suit the dynamic needs of the moment. By making new skills part of our lives, women can build confidence and bring new perspectives and creative solutions to business and problem-solving.
Women empowering women can help grow more diverse talent. Mentoring someone is a way to make advancement more possible for women at work so that they can gain access to opportunities and be better prepared to succeed. A study by Carnegie Mellon University strongly suggests that team collaboration is greatly improved by the presence of women in the group. As a woman who is committed to an equal workplace, it means being willing to be a mentor whenever needed and supporting those in need. Empowering others takes them to the next version of themselves and helps them up their game. It can be through questions or digging deeper into their thoughts and motivations to better understand situations.
Apart from leadership skills, there is currently scope to improve business acumen and financial understanding for women. Successful women leaders can enrich other women by encouraging them to build more business-oriented skills amongst women talent through mentoring, coaching, and connecting people with growth opportunities.
Inspire
To thrive in today’s changing business environment, one must be adaptable and flexible to endless learning possibilities. Women can inspire by demonstrating their passion for pursuing their goals and achieving things that people don’t think are possible. By championing change, sharing experiences, and effective communication, we can be the inspiration for others to follow.
In summary, women must strengthen their strengths. They can shape the future of work by playing to their strengths and helping others grow, thereby strengthening the organization. Being more tolerant and collaborative, we are ideally suited to bringing different sets of people together. These talents, where women hold an edge, offer the possibility to empower distinct groups of people and weave them into a cohesive fabric that is a mark of strong leadership!
