Why the Best Man for the Job Is a Woman: The Unique Female Qualities of Leadership

Citation

Reid, J. (2001), "Why the Best Man for the Job Is a Woman: The Unique Female Qualities of Leadership", The Bottom Line, Vol. 14 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.2001.17014dae.001

Why the Best Man for the Job Is a Woman: The Unique Female Qualities of Leadership

Edited by Kay A. Cassell and Marina I. Mercado

Why the Best Man for the Job Is a Woman: The Unique Female Qualities of Leadership

Book, E.W.Harper BusinessNew York, NY2000Keywords: Women, Organizational structure, Leadership

The stock market downturn during 2000 may put a damper on the heightened enthusiasm expressed about the strategies of the women leaders profiled in this book. Nevertheless, this book makes the case that there has been a paradigm shift over the past 20 years that now values traditional feminine traits in leadership. And all the women profiled are not from .com industries.

Why the Best Man … profiles 14 women, each of whom has risen to CEO status in a variety of industries: TV, advertising, technology, consulting, energy, banking, travel, food and software. The book is organized according to leadership attributes these women have in common. Although the author mentions education, upbringing, appearance and family status of most of the women, this book is more about strategies than biographies.

In the 1980s, women were fighting the glass ceiling and believed that in order to succeed they needed to act like (and even look like – conservative suits, padded shoulders) men. Today, the statistics are still discouraging. In a 1991 AAUW study, nine-year-old girls were found to be spirited and aggressive. By the age of 13, girls have lost confidence and, by high school, they have lower goals and aspirations than boys. In 1999, only 5 percent of corporate officers among Fortune 500 advertising firms were women.

The women profiled in Why the Best Man … exhibited confidence and an intense drive to succeed at an early age. Their determination to excel and the perseverance they demonstrated throughout their lives were nurtured in their families. They also share a competitive spirit, openness, and refined networking skills. "Rewards go to women who make their own rules, take big chances, toot their own horns, and don't worry if not everyone likes them," says Kate White, editor-in-chief of Cosmo. The dichotomy in the book is whether or not feminine qualities in leadership are the ticket to today's upper management, or is displaying qualities traditionally found to be common to successful people more important?

Compared with "old paradigm leaders," some of whom, both men and women, are mentioned, the "new paradigm of leadership" includes breaking rules and reinventing new ones, a laser focus on accomplishment, and an obsession with understanding customer preferences. Female traits fit well with the new paradigm. These traits include a natural inclination to build rapport, effective communication, especially listening skills and being willing to share power along with information. The author states that men stay at a superficial level longer than women. Getting to a deeper level engenders a sense of trust, which leads to collaboration and quicker decision making.

This is Esther Wachs Book's first full-length work. A former Forbes Magazine reporter, she is well versed in business reporting, and has published in a variety of business magazines, including Fortune and Working Woman. The ideas presented are not radical. As much of the book reports on strategies used by these women in upper management to lead their companies to success, the individual profiles of these new leaders in business are interestingly interwoven within chapters that highlight qualities these women bring to their businesses. The author sees management strategies touted in the 1980s by management gurus like Tom Peters in Thriving on Chaos as being particularly well suited to female management styles. The book parallels other management books that discuss providing superior service, practicing innovation, empowering staff, sharing information, and working to create flexible teams. On the other hand, the author makes the case that women can develop into leaders by taking advantage of traditional feminine inclinations such as empathy, collaboration and cooperation, along with employing the current requirements for success in business such as confidence, anticipating change, and courage.

The Information Age calls for leaders who develop teams and partners. Women today are helping to define how companies are run. Feminine traits once ridiculed have become clear advantages at the office, such as building loyalty by rolling up your sleeves and getting involved with clients and employees in a meaningful way. The book is accessible, and may provide inspiration for women and men alike in applying feminine traits in the workplace. But it sounds as if the most sensible thing to do for a young woman today would be to major in maths or science and go for it.

Janine ReidDistrict Librarian, Delta County Public Library System (CO)