Stephanie Walden* says a new report provides insights into how women can achieve leadership dynamism.
Photo: shapecharge
Leading a team in a fluid, adaptable way contributes to long-term success, the study says.
In an era of hard-hitting hashtags championing gender equality, as well as the rise of “lean in” culture, women leaders have never been so publicly recognised — or scrutinised.
A new study conducted by professional services firm KPMG titled Advancing the Future of Women in Businesssuggests that women feel more pressure than men to prove themselves in corporate environments.
Women also report feeling a greater need to adapt their leadership styles as they rise to the highest echelons of organisational structure.
Two-thirds of respondents (66 per cent) agreed that women need to change leadership tactics more frequently and drastically than men do.
In addition, four out of five respondents (80 per cent) said they think women must be more adaptable than men to successfully scale the corporate ladder.
The report details actionable ways in which women can navigate complicated workplace dynamics and excel in executive-level roles.
The findings, distilled
Advancing the Future of Women in Business summarises insights about how women can achieve leadership dynamism.
It also delves into how workplace perceptions impact executives’ decision-making, as well as how these judgements propel — or stall — women’s careers.
KPMG examined five specific leadership styles: authentic, democratic, laissez-faire, transactional and transformational.
The highest percentage of women executives (49 per cent) identified as authentic leaders, but, at the same time, they reported struggling to determine exactly how much authenticity is appropriate.
In other words, the study indicates that leaders strive for authenticity but pause at the idea of being perceived as overly empathetic or emotional — qualities that tend to be associated with weakness.
Another profound takeaway: For women in or on the cusp of the C-suite, an ability to deftly navigate workplace culture by adopting a fluid leadership style contributes to long-term success.
Several speakers at the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit reiterated this concept.
Linda Imonti, Managing Partner at KPMG Chicago, said adaptability is paramount to any leader’s growth and evolution process.
“We all have a core leadership style we’re born with — a set of strengths,” she said.
“But through experiences, we learn to adjust that style.”
A person’s core leadership beliefs, Imonti said, are a foundational “power base” that typically remains steadfast, but the best leaders tweak this baseline for different scenarios.
Leadership styles, for instance, may shift during times of crisis or personnel challenges, or in the aftermath of major organisational restructuring.
They may even change, Imonti suggested, depending on the team members in the room.
Laura Hay, Principal in Advisory for KPMG, said the term “situational leadership” resonated strongly with her.
“When you look at the study, you see five different leadership styles — but many of us feel like we have pieces of all of those,” she said.
“You can adjust your styles and be a little bit more deliberate in what that style means for you.”
“You can take it and say, ‘Here are the attributes, and here’s how I’ll make it work for me.’”
‘Diversity of thought’ makes a difference
Miriam Hernandez-Kakol, Global Lead Partner with KPMG, said: “You need a lot of diversity of experience, skill and thought — and that doesn’t come from having all the same people in the room.”
“It comes from having folks from different genders, countries, nationalities.”
Such malleability isn’t just a theme when it comes to leadership tactics; openness to transformation appears to underpin modern workplace culture in general.
The path forward
Advancing the Future of Women in Business provides recommendations for women leaders seeking to rise up the organisation’s ranks.
Below is a brief summary of the suggestions.
- Embrace situational leadership:Effective leaders stop to evaluate every angle when a problem or challenge arises. They ask: Is this a crisis? Is the problem internal or external? How does this event fit into the bigger picture? Is it an immediate, small-scale problem or an existential threat? They then evaluate which leadership style will be most effective given the situation at hand.
- Ask for feedback and listen to advice: Absorbing and implementing others’ feedback is a key part of mastering situational leadership. This helps leaders foster real, honest relationships. Leaders should also keep in mind that most communication is nonverbal, so being able to read a room for unspoken cues is critical.
- Exude confidence and be your most authentic self:KPMG US Chairman and CEO, Lynne Doughtie said: “To remain authentic, prioritise the things that only you can do.” Imonti elaborated on this thought at the summit, suggesting that bumps in the road provide opportunities to flex leadership skills.
- Embrace growth and seek out like-minded mentors: A support system can bolster leaders’ career trajectories and encourage them to experiment with and master different leadership styles.
“It’s only been the last four or five years — maybe a little longer — that we’ve found opportunities [to come together as women leaders] like this,” Imonti said.
“I think it’s important to empower women to promote women.”
* Steph Walden is a freelance writer and content strategist. She tweets at @StephLizWalden. Her website is stephlizwalden.com.
This article first appeared at www.usatoday.com.
