The similarities among men and women leaders should not be completely surprising.
Almost all the studies looking at this issue have treated managerial positions as syn-
onymous with leadership roles. Both male and female managers have characteristics
that set them apart from the general population. Just as people who choose careers in law
enforcement or civil engineering have a lot in common, so do individuals who choose
managerial careers. People with traits associated with leadership—such as intelligence, con-
fidence, and sociability—are more likely to be perceived as leaders and encouraged to pur-
sue careers where they can exert leadership. This is true regardless of gender. Similarly,
organizations tend to recruit and promote people who project leadership attributes into
leadership positions. The result is that, regardless of gender, those who achieve formal lead-
ership positions in organizations tend to be more alike than different.
Despite the previous conclusion, studies indicate some differences in the inherent lead-
ership styles of women and men. A recent Conference Board of Canada study found
that “women are particularly strong in managing interpersonal relationships and their
approach is more consensual.”^93 Other studies have shown that women tend to adopt
a style of shared leadership. They encourage participation, share power and information,
and try to enhance followers’ self-worth. They prefer to lead through inclusion and rely
on their charisma, expertise, contacts, and interpersonal skills to influence others. Men,
on the other hand, are more likely to use a directive command-and-control style. They
rely on the formal authority of their position for their influence base.
Given that men have historically held the great majority of leadership positions in
organizations, it is tempting to assume that the differences noted between men and
women would automatically work to favour men. They do not. In today’s organiza-
tions, flexibility, teamwork, trust, and information sharing are replacing rigid struc-
tures, competitive individualism, control, and secrecy. The best leaders listen, motivate,
and provide support to their people. Many women seem to do those things better than
men. As a specific example, the expanded use of cross-functional teams in organiza-
tions means that effective leaders must become skilled negotiators. The leadership styles
women typically use can make them better at negotiating, as they are less likely than men
to focus on wins, losses, and competition. They tend to treat negotiations in the context280 Part 4Sharing the Organizational Vision
George Cooke, CEO of Toronto-
based Dominion of Canada
General Insurance, believes in
promoting women to senior posi-
tions. He is noteworthy for this:
Dominion is well above the
national average in the percent-
age of women who have made it
to the executive ranks of
Canada’s top companies.