Women-Led Organizations Can Guide The Way To The Next Generation Of Good Bosses

Everywhere you look, women are continuously inventing and reshaping the world around them. They are also taking on more leadership roles than they ever have before. The State of Women-Owned Businesses report, commissioned by American Express, found that women-owned businesses with more than $1 million in revenue grew 46 percent over the last decade, compared to just 12 percent for all businesses in the United States. In fact, numerous studies have shown that women-driven businesses tend to outperform those headed by men.

Women-led organisations regularly make headlines for breaking new ground and rewriting long-accepted conventions of corporate conduct that have, until now, been dominated by men. But that’s not all.

Women leaders have not only proven their mantle in shattering the glass barrier, heralding more profits than ever and changing the paradigm of growth in organizations; they have also shown their competence in leading the employees of their organization.

Women make good bosses

More and more employees are appreciating women in leadership roles. A recent study from ResumeLab found that 38 percent of employee respondents preferred to work for a female boss compared to the 26 percent who want to work for a man. Plus, 38% of respondents believe that women are superior to men in leadership roles.

Why employees prefer working for a women-led organization over a men-led organization is because they're more purpose-driven, have better access to child care and are more likely to offer equal pay.  Women managers are also more consistent in their efforts to promote employee well-being, such as checking in on their team members, helping them manage their workloads, and providing assistance to team members who are coping with burnout or managing work–life issues.

Potential Project’s latest The Human Leader report reveals while all leaders are looking for opportunities to become good bosses – especially in the light of the harassment that many employees faced during the pandemic – women-led organizations have shown more promise. 90% employees have access to improve their leadership abilities in women-led organizations as compared to only 55% in men-led organizations. Simultaneously, 100% of employees in women-led organizations are motivated to access leadership opportunities compared to an 88% in men-led organizations.

What sets women leaders towards success?

Since the pandemic, employees have high expectations for the type of workplace environment they want to experience. The values they are looking for in an employer now include compassion, collaboration, and the space to be who they want to be.

And women leaders fit the bill exactly, so to say. The third edition of Potential Project’s The Human Leader study revealed that women display 28% more wise compassion than their male counterparts and are 32% less indifferent to their employees’ needs than male leaders. Wise compassion, here, simply means that more women are able to do difficult things in a human way.

How can all leaders become good bosses?

In their effort to become good bosses, leaders can take inspiration from the following precepts:

Change never stops: As a leader, your work is never truly done; there is always room for growth in your abilities and skills. Accept the idea of lifelong learning as an integral element of your leadership path.

A leader never stands alone: The only way to become a better leader is to recognise the impact you have on others, which is inherent in the very nature of leadership. Listen to your employees. Take the time to get to know them and address their needs compassionately.

Leave the And/Or commitment: Compassion and competence are not mutually exclusive concepts. You don't have to choose between being a good leader and being a good person.

Women led-organizations have seen great results in terms of growth and development. But now, with the focus shifting to the human side of organizations, they are also proving to be better at compassion, wisdom and kindness. All leaders can take inspiration from women leaders, creating a new world of work.