Team Dynamics – A League of Their Own, Part III

Part 3 of a 3 Part Series

 by Maggie Anderson

In the last two parts of this series, we built our All Star team and discussed starting to coordinate in order to play to our strengths.  Now, I want to point out one source of strength that many people overlook.  Women! 

How many years did men play baseball while women cheered from the bleachers?  Just like baseball, men in business got a head start on women.  First, women were overlooked.  Then, they were underestimated.  McKinsey & Company’s report, Women Matter 2010, confirms that companies with more women in their executive committees have better financial performance. 

When women were finally given the opportunity to play baseball, they wore skirts and attended mandatory etiquette lessons.  They wanted to lose the perception that their women were “manly.”  Surprisingly, the league owner got it right.  Today, it is a common misconception that women must act like men to succeed.  Men and women are different, and not only is that ok – it’s a good thing. 

 

Male Leaders Female Leaders
Task-Oriented

Set Strong Boundaries

Assign Clear Responsibilities

Weed Out Weak Employees

Tangible Accomplishments

Problem Solving

Competitive

Achievement and Success

Authority

Focus on hierarchy/status

Reward-Oriented

Teamwork

Communication & Collaboration

Multi-Task

Mentoring & Encouraging

Creative vision

Nurturing

Building relationships

Detail Oriented

Recognition & Respect

 

The women and men who ignore leadership styles and gender differences are also ignoring the possibility for more productive management, teamwork, and a better bottom line result.  Women do not need to be controlling, distant leaders in order to be successful.  The communication styles that work for men do not necessarily work for women.  First however, women need to be given the opportunity to lead.  Women make up the majority of middle management positions, but the need for gender diversity at higher levels is being ignored. 

Gender Diversity

Gender Diversity is not a priority for many companies.  Those in powerful positions need to take initiative and make changes.  Leaders often get caught focusing on immediate reward and they overlook the small pieces of the puzzle that mean so much.  Leadership development, team building, feedback, and work environment changes are seen as wastes of time and money.  Similarly, gender diversity initiatives are being neglected.  But gender diversity has value for companies and both and women and men need to be a part of the discussion.

Ilene H. Lang, President and CEO of Catalyst said, “The preponderance of men in leadership means their efforts are necessary to advance change in the workplace.”  It is about male leaders helping to pave the way for women.  The effects will be beneficial for both genders.  Lang continues “Research continues to show that diversity well-managed yields more innovation and is tied to enhanced financial performance- factors good for all employees.”  This is not a “women’s issue,” it applies to everyone.

To the Women

Women have proven they are successful in the business world; now it is time to assert themselves.  Part of the reason women are not making it into top positions is that women are holding themselves back.  Women often settle for fewer responsibilities in order to balance the challenging demands of work and family. In order for more women to step up into higher levels of leadership they need additional opportunities for professional and skill development. As Sheryl Sandberg says, “we will never close the achievement gap until we close the ambition gap.”   Women sit in middle management positions or take themselves out of the work force through what Sandberg describes as a series of conscious decisions to back away from responsibility.  Don’t back away!  Women need to overcome insecurity and fear and advocate for themselves and each other.  Studies show that women underestimate their performance more often than men.  Women: here are a few pointers that my boss shared with me during my internship; stop downplaying your successes, stop apologizing, and take credit for your accomplishments.  Men do!  Just like the women in the first All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, we do not need to act like the men we need to act confidently.

To the Men

It is a proven fact that women leaders face legitimate challenges in their roles and responsibilities in becoming leaders.  Both men and women must recognize the need for flexible programs to hire, develop, and retain high potential woman leaders.  To put it simply:

Women + leadership = revenue.

Powerful, motivated women will improve your bottom line.  For years the published data consistently show that companies with three or more women on the executive committee have shown stronger performance then those without women.  To see the data look at McKinsey & Company’s Women Matter and Catalyst’s Bottom Line reports: 

McKinsey & Company 

Catalyst 

Women are underrepresented at the executive level and they feel like they are not being heard.  Without the recognition and cooperation from the men who are at the top now, women cannot break through the glass ceiling in powerful numbers.  It is important to recognize that this issue is not just about making things fair and equal, it encompasses much more than that.  Allowing women more opportunity creates measurable success for companies.

I can’t remember the last time I watched a softball game on TV, but I just drove to St. Louis for Cardinals versus Cubs game last weekend.  Women did create a league of their own, but just like in business, men are the big players making the big bucks.  I do not see a major change in softball game attendance happening anytime soon, but a cultural business change is possible.  It is critical that companies see the power and the business opportunity of creating meaningful and comprehensive gender diversity initiatives to have the ability to improve the bottom line of their organization.

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