7 Superpowers of Women
Dear friends -
In Winter 2021, I was asked by Diversity Woman Magazine to contribute to an article as a leadership and gender expert. The topic focused on women's superpowers. What they are and how they contribute to success.
Given that part of my expertise centers on leadership, gender, and emotional intelligence (EQ), it didn't take long to create a list of qualities specific to women. Here's link to the magazine article in case it’s of interest: https://lsc-pagepro.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=60731&i=691715&p=26
In the process of writing this article, I was thinking about men too. What are men's superpowers that enable their success and career advancement?
Turns out, there are 7 key qualities distinct to each gender that serve them well. These qualities or skills stem from how our brains are hard-wired (our neuro anatomy) and how we're socialized to behave as men and women in today's society.
NOTE: I will cover the 7 Superpowers of Men in the next article.
7 Superpowers of Women
Transformational Leadership - There are dozens of well-documented leadership styles, but only 2 have been linked to gender. Transformational leadership - built on collective problem solving, decision making, ethics, emotions, and long-term goals - is one of them. This style of leadership has been linked to women and has been shown to be highly effective in today's organizations.
Divergent Problem Solving - Considering multiple factors before making a decision. Women scan the environment (like a radar screen) and think about the impact of the decision on themselves, the team, the company, or the customers. Women tend to analyze more and think things through so the chances of having to repeat the decision are less.
Empathy - I don't need to define this one for you but know that in millions of people whose taken EQ assessments worldwide, women score 3 times higher than men on this trait. It's a key leadership trait that women can and should be using. People appreciate working for empathetic leaders, yet it's the skill that is most lacking in leaders.
Intuition - This is often an undervalued and unspoken trait at work. What women see is often different than men. Women pick up on non-verbal cues, what's not being said, and can sense tension between people. Don't discount what you notice and don't assume others are seeing what you see.
Communication Skills - Our brain wiring has a lot to do with this one. Women's brains have more connections between the two hemispheres which result in both verbal articulation and multi-tasking ability. When women listen, they focus on the relationship, and are busy picking up and providing non-verbal cues (smiling, nodding, head tilt, eye contact). Verbal abilities and listening with intent are skills that women already have within them.
Interpersonal Relationships - This is another EQ skill where women tend to score higher than men. To build mutually satisfying relationships, you need to communicate effectively, listen, show empathy, be collaborative, follow-though on commitments, and be personally interested in others. Having quality relationships is key for our personal life and careers.
Grit and Resilience - In recent years, a lot has been spoken and written about the power of grit. We know that people with stamina and perseverance are more likely to accomplish goals. In women's lives, they are used to juggling many things and coming up against barriers - whether its gender bias, lack of role models or sponsors, care giving responsibilities (child or elder care), or other issues. Because of these lived experiences, women develop grit (often out of necessity). This is especially true for women of color who need to be extra gritty to succeed due to an added layer of racial bias.
Want to thrive in your career? Be promoted? Be in a leadership role? These 7 superpowers can help women bring the right skills and mindset to the job - and help power your career. Fortunately, most of these skills are innate. Even if some of these are not your strong suit, the good news is that ALL can be developed and leveraged.
If I can help you or your team with any of these, don't hesitate to reach out.
I wish you the best of luck in your career!
Dr. Shawn
You can find more information on my website drshawnandrews.com or my book, The Power of Perception: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and the Gender Divide
