Top 10 leadership tips for women

When it comes to workplace leadership, it doesn’t pay to be a good girl.

Confidence, assertiveness and mental toughness are becoming ever more important, as businesses scale back and resources dwindle. But you don’t have to act like a man to play with the big boys. Neither do you have to stalk the boardroom to polish your management style. Strong leadership helps at all levels of business, with all kinds of people, whether they’re subordinates, co-workers, bosses or clients.

With over a quarter of directors in the UK being female, it’s time to acknowledge that men and women require different approaches to nurture their leadership skills.

Everywoman, the UK’s leading independent network for women in business, is running a flagship Leadership Development Programme, a two-day training course November 6-7 aimed specifically at women. Delegates will learn to become comfortable with power, make tough decisions, and use emotional intelligence to improve team performance.

Here, co-founder and director of Everywoman Karen Gill gives her top tips to help women lead with confidence.

1. Be honest – Openness and integrity will be admired by your employees and they’ll know they can trust what you say.

2. Listen to your team – It may seem obvious but with budgets and business plans to worry about, sometimes you can get carried away and not focus on the day-to-day issues your staff face – and without them, your business just doesn’t work.

3. Use your emotional intelligence – The ability or skill to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups are invaluable tools when managing people. Sometimes it helps to stop worrying and intellectualising about the issue at hand and follow your ‘gut feeling’.

4. Recognise that everyone is different - Different members of the team will have different qualities and skills; there is never a ‘one size fits all’ solution to any business issue. Take the time to identify which staff member will excel with each particular task.

5. Remember to say thank you – It may sound obvious, but it is often easy to forget that recognition of a good job goes a long way. It improves morale, makes people feel appreciated and doesn’t cost a thing.

6. Be open and amenable to new ideas – Although you may have more experience in your field, other members of staff may have a different outlook or perspective on ways of doing things. In particular, be aware of your younger members who will have grown up with a whole different set of priorities and their own view of the working world. Their attitudes toward technology may offer a new dimension to the business as well.

7. Be transparent – Informing staff of any issues affecting the business or future plans will make them feel included and an integral part of the team.

8. But don’t forget you still have a business to run – It’s important to maintain some distance and authority over your employees to ensure they are aware of the position they are in.

9. Delegate – You will never be able to balance your work and personal life unless you learn to trust your staff. Remember it is in their interests to do the job well. Whilst it is inevitable that mistakes will occur, this is part of the ongoing learning process and no problem is insurmountable.

10. Pick a management style that works for you - Above all don’t feel pressurised to assume a leadership style that you do not feel comfortable with. You will earn a great deal more respect and admiration through being yourself.

To find out more about Everywoman's Leadership Development Programme visit the Everywoman website.

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Comments

[Brian Tracy Videos]

i must try to make it

[Jane2]

Hey, Delilah, about the skirt suit issue...

I turned out my work-clothes wardrobe this week, and wore a skirt suit for the first time in at least 2 years. Normally I wear trousers, because I can sit down without arranging my legs first, and I can drop crumbs (eating my lunch at my desk), and the crumbs just fall through the gaps instead of ruining the fabric.

But I threw out a very favourite pair of trousers, and had to find something else to wear.

The first thing that happened was the MD looked me up and down(literally) and said "You're looking very smart today".

I liked the praise, but I didn't like being judged on my body, not my work.

In fact, I felt rather cheapened.

[Christine]

I can understand Brandi's disgust at the blatantly obvious tips for career women, however, I think your view on wardrobe is completely incorrect. Granted, clothes will not make you succeed in a serious career (not in most cases anyway!) they can certainly tip the scales! There will always be men and women who are extremely intelligent individuals and who can apply themselves to their career in a phenomenal way. Those people can dress how they like, as their skills/input are irreplaceable. However, for most of us trying to get through this highly competitive market, where more and more job applicants have Bachelor degrees as a minimum, you have to stand out through other means. Leadership skills are honed and improve with experience, but your ability to present yourself is a tool which is readily available from day one. Truth of the matter is, in my current job, most of the women I work with in my department socialise together and end up talking about clothes/shoes and even swapping! Hence, my 'fresh from university' start at one of the World's leading financial institutions meant I was pretty much broke from student loans and wearing clothes from River Island and shoes from New Look. Now on my introductory team night out, talk quickly went to wardrobe and shoes began being passed around. Names like Gucci, Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Patrick Cox and Louboutin were clearly visible from the brightly coloured soles and large brand names on the inner soles. Suffice it to say, I kept mine on, though the desire to try some of those shoes made the pain almost unbearable. It wasn't long after that that I began buying designer wear exclusively for work. That was 6 years ago, and as most AM bloggers know, I have a terrible fetish for shoes and clothes now. Thankfully, my career has gone from strength to strength, not exclusively because of my wardrobe, but that certainly made decisions tip in my favour.

[N Brandi]

Good God! Am I the only one who can see how utterly pathetic this entire page is? First we have a list of trite, mind-bogglingly obvious "tips" which, according to the author, only apply to FEMALE leaders...but then, worst of all, instead of intelligent comment we somehow end up with a debate on whether us girlies should wear pants or skirts?!!! Yeah, this is what really matters in the boardroom, your WARDROBE is the reason you're not taken seriously as professionals. Get a nice skirt and - ta-dah! - instant promotion. Grow up girls! How about spending more time acquiring & displaying real management skills, and less on cosmetic bull***t.

[Rhys Jaggar]

The same advice could equally be given to men.

One final tip: if you want to manage educated professionals, don't, repeat, don't, try the 'I'm the king/queen of the castle, so despite all the bonhomie, charm and fake promises at the beginning, what I actually want to do is crush you until you are a nigger working to order' approach.

Your whole career may come crashing down around you.

For if there is one thing that NO-ONE with any self-esteem will tolerate, it is a lying, bullying, crushing, racist top dog......

[Personal Deveopment]

Hey,

Your post is awesome!Thanks for sharing these suggestive tips on leadership.Truly worth reading.

[Teri]

Oh Duncan, meow!

[Duncan]

Nothing annoys me more than the array of 'work clothes' open to women. Pant-suit or dress suit and that should be that. No choice means no debate - that's how it is for men.

Here's a bad joke for you: What do you call it when a woman misses out on promotion to the senior levels? The glass ceiling.
What do you call it when a man misses out on promotion to the senior levels? Time to look for another job. Having a career does not always mean progression.

Here's something which is no joke: why is it that women can pick and choose when they pick the sex card but men can't? Is it because women can't be trusted? It happens all the time, but you don't hear women complaining.

Just remember you can't have it all your own way. Oh wait, you already do.

[Fiona]

Slightly trite article aside, the item that's getting me most annoyed is this insistence that you can't wear trousers to work and look smart...I'm a chartered surveyor and need to be able to climb ladders on building sites as well as attend client meetings - often on the same day. I always manage to look professional so let's leave it at 'you might choose to wear a skirt but it depends on what type of career you've chosen'.

[Salt of the Earth]

What a lot of tripe! Most women (and men) have jobs. No great career prospects; no glass ceilings, et al. Get along with it. As to what we wear, most of us will look awful in our work clothes choices!

[Rachel]

I work in a suit-orientated job and I have to say I feel a lot smarter (dressed) when I wear a skirt suit or a dress than I do in trousers. Somehow trousers just seem more casual.

[Another American Male]

All this verbiage about female "leaders" only applies to Socialists/Democrats. Watch the press descend upon a real leader when she is developed and stands up for a strong position in real life - watch what is happening to Sarah Palin. Women eat their young successes. They do not offer support unless the recipient is ideologically on the right (i.e. Left) team.

[LM]

Sorry obviously that was "i've worn suits" - my typing seems to be getting worse.

[LM]

Diana - I'd be interested in your book.

Delilah's comment about a straight skirt is also interesting. I rarely wear them - I work in a very casual environment (software - people come to work in t-shirts with pictures on & shorts) and mostly wear trousers or jeans with a smartish top. I've work suits - both skirt & trouser - in other jobs though, and I'm not averse to the trouser suit per se (it's certainly a lot more comfortable, and frankly, when did you ever see a man thinking about appearance rather than comfort with his clothes?). But it all depends (like skirts) on the cut - think Carla Bruni's wide-leg trouser look rather than Hillary's always slightly conservative/ill-cut style.

[mumoftwo]

Diana, yes, your insights do sound less patronising than 'be honest' (what, about the company finances and the fact that we might not make it til the end of the year?) I just don't think these tips sound like the thinking of top women...nor have hit the nail on the head of what you do have to do to succeed. I'm interested that you mention having a senior male mentor, I think without one, or without a very senior female behind you, this can make a huge difference in how far you go. Being the 'favoured' employee but also one that isn't held back by the immediate boss, is a tricky maneouvre. I remember Supermother citing the old truism that you need to spend 80% of your time doing your job and 20% telling everyone else that you did it. I've held to that recently, as I don't think self-promotion comes easily to many women, who end up being the workhorses in the instutution rather than the leaders. No-one will champion you and your promotion if they are not actually aware of how much you are doing. Plus women tend to think things like 'well, it's just my job' or 'I'm not so much better than anyone else' or 'it will look like boasting'. I see men that are not that great all the time who don't think like this, so neither should we.

[mumoftwo]

That's a really interesting comment, Delilah, I have looked at some of Hillary's pantsuits and thought 'OMG'. Perhaps it's the effect on the thighs...We don't even have the word 'pantsuit' here, pants are knickers for us! I do agree that looking like you have control of your wardrobe gets you a long way, perhaps the same for me. How much is too much in terms of looking a bit sexy is something I've always wrestled with, but I do work in an environment where it doesn't really matter (so I do unbutton my blouse if I think it looks nice). The idea of corporate frumpiness, and 'pantsuits', just horrifies me.

[Diana Parkes]

Sadly, EveryWoman is being lightweight and patronising about navigating the path to leadership.
Following 20 years in commercial front-line management in the consumer goods industry and consultancy and felt the pain of hitting the "reinforced concrete ceiling" descibed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission today, I embarked on a journey of my own first-hand research and exploring the wealth of research available in the US and Europe into the reality for women in leadership.
The positive outcome is that I've been able to distil a dozen practical area's for women's strategic focus to give them the best chance of navigating the labyrinth to leadership - these include uncomfortable stuff like building social capital, and sensible but, maybe scary stuff, like securing a senior male mentor.
I've tested these with women who have made it on to boards in male-dominated industries as part of researching this further for my book providing grown-up insights into why it happens and what to do about it.
The bottom-line, however, is that no significant change will happen without support being given to the men leading organisations to enable them to identify when and where they apply unhelpful, subconscious stereotypes which result in skewing their selecting processes from 100% of the talent available to 50% that's male talent.
Perhaps The Times would like to interview me and get a less rose-tinted perspective on the realities of making it as a woman today.

[Delilah]

One missing - wear suits. And when you wear a suit, wear one with a skirt.

I've been goggle-eyed at the negative comments I've heard from all sorts of people about Hillary's pantsuits. Not just men, either - women. Managers and managees. By the reaction, you'd think she hadn't brushed her hair or worn makeup.

Even as someone who hates tights and skirts, and experimented hopefully with pantsuits, I have to accept the the effect. Not sure why - perhaps pantsuits look a bit too much like lounge attire? Perhaps people instinctively react submissively to a skirt? But there's something about a smart, straight skirt and heels that effortlessly commands respect, whether you're a teacher, a doctor or a CEO.

[Doggerel]

Hm.
Clive is right, about family in small companies up to a point.
I've found that one can win through to directorship in a family owned and run environment by the use of the following tips:
1. Be absolutely excellent at what you do.
2. Always stay focussed at work, and never talk about yourself unless asked. Even then, keep it to one sentence.
3. Watch the time, and aim to complete more tasks rather than less each day.
4. Ignore snide remarks from family members who resent you, and remain focussed and goal-orientated at all times.
5. ALWAYS do what is right for the company, never what would serve your own interests best. Eventually this attitude wins respect even from the most bigoted nepotist.
6. Don't toady.
I expect that these tips probably hold good in larger companies as well, but would be interested to hear. And they are not gender-specific.

[Clive Burghard]

To compete with today's 'managers', you will first require an MBA, then you will need to join a certain secret society. Be sure to work only for publicly quoted companies, as in private companies, the top positions are already spoken for {family}.

[Patricia]

More advertising - Jennifer seems to specialise in this...

[Dumb young manager]

"In particular, be aware of your younger members who will have grown up with a whole different set of priorities and their own view of the working world."

Err, I am the youngest member of the team that I manage. Well done, trying to champion the equality issue on the sexism front and fell utterly foul of ageism instead. It seems the poor young brain who wrote this could only consider one simple issue at a time.

[mumoftwo]

I'm not even going to comment on the trite 'tips', but I would prefer it if press releases (which this so clearly is) were flagged up as 'here's a press release' rather than as if they were journalist copy. Nothing wrong with advertising, just prefer it straight.

[therockofages]

She is woman, hear her whine.

[M Reid]

A flagrant plug for a company course which looks aimed at teenagers.

Ye gods if this is what they are teaching as ''Top ten leadership tips for women'' they are not much good.

What happened to making a profit ? Investing ? and strategy ? for example.