When
I finally got around to reading the edition of the Glass Hammer where this
article was, I was glad I did and just had to share a portion of it because the
tips resonated with me.
As
you read these tips, 3 things I encourage every woman (manager or not), to
remember is that:
1. You are a woman and will only be effective
if you remain one in all your dealings – whether you’re leading women or men.
2. Another thing that
has worked for me when I manage people is “tough love” – women are great at
this too.
3.
These
3 tips are already wired into you. We're good at delivering results through
others. Just think back to how your mother got you (and your siblings) to do
house chores or even how you're doing that successfully in your home now. So
just function as designed…be authentic.
So
here’s an excerpt from the article
Three Tips for Leading Women*
Here are some actions you can take to address your staff’s expectations:
Here are some actions you can take to address your staff’s expectations:
1. Be friendly and relational with female staff members. Show
an interest in the personal lives of your staff by asking about their weekends
and vacations and inquiring about sick spouses or children. But be sensitive to
cultural differences. In some cultures, it is not appropriate to share personal
information outside of the family. The only way to be sure you are being
sensitive is to ask people what is comfortable for them.
2. Share some personal information about yourself, within
limits. For example, share stories about your weekends, family, and
hobbies.
3. Listen to complaints and problems—but
put a limit or boundary on how much time you are willing to do so. Let people
know that you want to know when something is wrong in their personal or work
lives and that you will help find solutions if you can. You need to know if
something is distracting them from their work or they are facing other barriers
to their productivity, and they need to feel that you care about them as human
beings.
We can adjust our leadership styles to meet the different needs
of women and men who work for us. Differences in our socialization mean that,
as women, being relational at work is probably easier for us than for our male
colleagues. Our challenge is to use the leadership style that works best for
those we are leading.
When
we take our "leadership" seriously, we can become healers because our
care and compassion would help people at home and at work. When all is well
with people at home, they show up at their best at work and everyone wins. Lead
and empower others as the woman you are… When you do your best as who you are, one thing is sure amazing results and rewards will follow.
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