Leadership Qualities that Distinguish Women

By Lavanya Mahate, Program Director, Women’s Business Center

Leadership is not defined simply by a position, but rather by the ability to set and articulate a vision and then to energize people to achieve that vision. Both women and men make great leaders and it is difficult to isolate leadership characteristics. Still, I decided to ask the question of several outstanding female leaders.

I learned that many prominent female leaders in Utah bring distinct personality and motivational strengths to leadership roles – and they do so with a style that is rewarded in today's workplace. These women leaders share a strong profile. They are assertive, convincing, empathetic, willing to take risks, outgoing, flexible and feel compelled to get things done.

The following are some personality traits that many women that I have talked to consider key to their success:

A persuasive style
Female leaders are able to read situations accurately because they genuinely understand and care about the perspective of others. They possess strong people skills, which often translate into business skills. Their willingness to see all sides of a situation enhances their persuasive ability. This allows them to approach a subject from their audience's perspective, so that the people they lead feel more understood, supported and valued.

Sarah Gardner, Co-Founder, Costa Vida & Zenprint.com, says that when she is trying to convince someone to go in a certain direction, she will assess their perspective, rather than push hers. Time and again, this approach has helped her negotiate and close deals in her company’s favor.

Resilience and learning from setbacks
Before opening her own restaurant on 40 acres of historic land in the Wasatch National Forest near Salt Lake City, Margo Provost had to cope with the aftermath of a traumatic childhood living as an orphan and then being adopted into an unstable family. Provost achieved financial success working in the health care industry. Before opening the restaurant, she sold everything that she owned to start afresh.

Today, Log Haven Restaurant has over 50 employees and is considered one of Utah's ten most popular restaurants.

Margo demonstrates a successful approach toward dealing with disappointment, rejection or difficult situations. Despite adversity, she found success and, in the process, inspires others to achieve.

Open lines of communication
When it comes to decision-making and problem solving, female leaders demonstrate an inclusive, team-building leadership style. Female leaders are great at listening, learning, reflecting, and then implementing a plan that incorporates the best of everyone's ideas. This inclusive style of leadership is based on open lines of communication.

We have all had personal experience with leaders who set a clear strategy. I’ve found in my own experience that these leaders are most effective when they operate transparently and share information amongst employees and with stakeholders.

A willingness to take risks
A quote on the wall in Sarah Gardner’s office reads, “Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb; that’s where all the good fruit is,” – an appropriate quote for any entrepreneur.

Successful female leaders are venturesome and less interested in what "has been" than in what "can be." They will run the risk of occasionally being wrong in order to get things done. Some of the women I spoke with before writing this article, pointed to taking on assignments that nobody else wanted. When they succeeded in those high-risk situations it helped to catapult their careers.

These personality qualities combine to create a leadership profile that, one could easily argue, is much more conducive to today's diverse workplace, where information is shared freely, collaboration is vital and teamwork distinguishes the best companies.

Why do women make great leaders? I suspect their persuasive style, resilience in learning from setbacks, openness and willingness to take risks have something to do with it. These qualities, of course, are found in all great leaders, regardless of their gender. In my conversations, these qualities are abundant in women.

The Women’s Business Center seeks to plant the seeds for more great female business leaders in the future. I’ve had the good fortune to work with or observe many of Utah’s great female leaders -- Gov. Olene Walker, Chris Redgrave (Bonneville Salt Lake Radio Group), Lynne Ward (Utah Educational Savings Plan), Lisa Vehrenkamp (American Express), Diana Kirk (Zions Bank), Annette Zimmerman (Mountain America Credit Union), Mary Mark (Mark & Associates) and Deborah Bayle (United Way) to name just a few. We would all do well to emulate the leadership qualities found in these ladies, and groom more for the future.

Editors Note: Lavanya Mahate serves as the program director for the Salt Lake Chamber’s Women’s Business Center. In this role, Lavanya counsels female entrepreneurs and facilitates mentoring and networking opportunities. She wrote this article for Utah Pulse based on discussions with several outstanding female business leaders.

ABOUT THE WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER
The Women’s Business Center is a public private partnership between the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership and the Salt Lake Chamber. The mission of the WBC is to provide programs that help women entrepreneurs become full partners in the national and global economies.

ABOUT THE SALT LAKE CHAMBER
The Salt Lake Chamber is Utah’s largest business association and Utah’s Business Leader™. With roots that go back to 1887, the Chamber has been standing as the voice of business, supporting its members’ success and championing community prosperity for over 100 years. The Chamber represents over 4200 businesses statewide and one in every three jobs in the Utah economy. Chamber affiliate organizations include the Downtown Alliance, Women Business Center and World Trade Center Utah.