SECTION II I Scouting for leadership potential
M
ost research studies point
to the fact that data
around gender and
leadership styles is not
conclusive. However, intuitively we
do ascribe differentiation for the
same based on our own experiences
and observations. For example, we
do hear echoes around women being
better at multitasking and conflict
resolution using a participative style
of leadership, while men are more
task-oriented and good at
networking and the list goes on.
However, leaders bring to the
workforce their unique styles of
leadership which varies from being
WOMEN
CAN BE BETTER
LEADERS?
participative to empathetic to
autocratic to democratic. The Myers
Briggs Type Indicator, also called the
MBTI, earlier had a separate scoring
scale for men and women on one ,
which is the feeling and thinking
dimension and that relates to choices
while taking decisions; some are
more empathetic in their approach
while others could indicate a
preference of being more logical and
analytical. Interestingly, today this
50 I June 2012
divide no longer exists in the scoring
scale, and the same scoring scale is
used for both the genders. I would
also reiterate by saying that I do see
an upsurge in the percentage of male
leaders indicating a preference
towards being more person centered
and empathetic while taking a
decision as compared to women
leaders. This often causes surprises
and a worried look followed by a
quick question, 'am I ok?' So, is this
against the mould of leadership styles
for the two genders?
As I began to develop and design
leadership programs for women, a
few themes that seemed to
HOW
repeatedly arise for women across
early and mid careers, with 5-12
years of experience, were around,
which style of leadership is most
appropriate; is it alright to
demonstrate a range of emotions at
the workplace; is it alright to cry; is
there a successful and unique style
of leading for the two genders? Is
there a feminine and masculine style
of leading? Surprisingly, I heard
similar questions even from across
students studying MBAs. Questions
around: Do women make tougher
bosses and managers? How can one
effectively manage perceptions and
control biases? Networking is crucial
for career advancement and do
women network enough? The
answers to these questions were
explored and answered by
participants by challenging their own
myths and stereotype and listening
to leaders of both genders. It comes
as no surprise that many of the
assumptions were based on one's
own socialization experiences, birth
order and backgrounds to name a
few. Hence, ascribing stereotypical
leadership attributes to either gender
only deepens and reiterates the
notion of stereotypes even further.
As I spoke to several leaders across
industry, a humanist prototype of
leadership seemed to emerge that
scales gender and is both pragmatic
and situational in nature. According
to the Mckinsey's Centered
Leadership Model, developed in 2008
for women leaders, states five
dimensions that are crucial for
www.humancapitalonline.com I

women leaders to find meaning and
enjoy what they do; managing energy
and knowing where the energy
comes from and restoring balance;
positive framing or staying resilient
in the face of tough times and
change; connecting and networking
with mentors and sponsors; engaging
and becoming confident. Each of
these dimensions is well researched.
According to the study, the reason
this is called a centered leadership
model is because it tries to address
the unique demands made on a
woman's time and energy given the
multiple roles that women juggle with
and lead both at work and home.
I BY TANUSREE MAZUMDER
How women can be better
leaders is a long debatable
question that has racked
many a minds. However,
research has proved that
leadership talent and ability
is not gender based. It is
based on the knowledge,
experience, style, ability and
DNA of the individual...
I www.humancapitalonline.com
Scouting for leadership potential I SECTION II
This is a useful read for those trying
to find a model of leadership that
addresses their unique set of
challenges and demands.
However, one would agree that
roles in organizations are not defined
keeping gender in mind and most
surely the most competent individual
is given the charter to lead
irrespective of the gender. Hence, I
would like to repeat that leadership
is not about gender. It is not about
one gender versus the other in fact
based on my experience over the
years both genders stand an equal
chance of success given role
strengths and leadership
determinants such as resilience, long-
term approach and change agility
amongst several other leadership
dimensions. Strength-based
approaches help individuals
understand and define their strengths
and lead with their strengths. 360
feedback is particularly useful to
understand the views of others and
of oneself, along with self-reported
questionnaires to name a few, such
as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator
and FIRO B are particularly useful.
While skills can be learnt, it is harder
to change and impact attitude.
Business history is replete with
stories of charismatic leaders across
June 2012 I 51
 SECTION II I Scouting for leadership potential
TANUSREE MAZUMDER
Head - Personal Leadership
Development I Wipro Ltd
A post graduate in HR with
specialization in counseling, Tanusree
leads various 'women in leadership
development' programs and leadership
development interventions for leaders
across the organization. She is actively
involved in high potential leadership
development programs, competency
profiling and development, assessment
and development centre design and
execution, OD interventions such as
culture building, HR capability building,
change and transition management and
employee initiatives.
52 I June 2012
both genders ranging from
autocratic leaders, democratic or
participative leaders. Each style of
leadership is distinct and largely
influenced by the core DNA of the
leader and hence harder to imitate
a particular role model and
demonstrate similar leadership traits
and qualities as it is influenced by
the personality of the individual.
Keeping this in the backdrop, can
we say that women make better
leaders? I would argue saying that
leadership requires certain basic
skills irrespective of the gender, like
the ability to state one's point of
view assertively, the ability to make
tough decisions in the face of the
opposition, the ability to navigate
one's emotions in the face of
uncertain times and tough
environment.
Is there any data in support of the
genders that does this well? The
answer is clearly a no!
Here are some recommendations
for organizations as they develop
leaders based on our own leadership
development journey at Wipro:
G Provide an equal level playing
field to hone leadership skills and
competencies. At Wipro, we have a
lifecycle approach to leadership
development that ranges from
offering programs for leaders across
roles ranging from first-time
managers to manager of managers
and strategic leaders. The threshold
and differentiating competencies
are defined and programs are
designed to address each of those
competencies across roles and
seniority levels. Multiple inputs are
offered across programs and other
developmental efforts like role
rotation, mentoring and coaching
amongst several other
developmental efforts.
G Women in leadership programs
are designed across life stages
ranging from early careers to mid
careers and senior careers to equip
women leaders to share and learn
from each other while also
leveraging the learning platform to
network and understand their
strengths and develop a career plan.
G Mentoring program is a nine
month long program specifically
designed for women in early careers
to provide a formal platform to
network and learn from senior
leaders in the organization.
G Leadership developmental efforts
such as coaching and mentoring are
supported and championed by
senior leaders across the
organization to ensure
developmental gaps are addressed
and a leadership pipeline is created.
G Career conversations and career
dialogue is crucial as leaders navigate
their own career maze and reach to
fulfill their own aspirations.
Though we continue to harbor
thoughts around strengths and
developmental aspects for both
genders, as HR professionals it is
imperative that we lead and define
the leadership development agenda
and don't become myopic in our
view. Bootcamps are known to be
the most effective way to galvanize
learning and efforts towards seeding
desired behavioral outcomes
irrespective of the gender. Warren
Bennis speaks of 'crucible
experiences' as defining moments
that pave the path to learning and
commitment to bringing about a
behavioral change and are gender
agnostic. Today the thrust is not on
whether 'women can become better
leaders' or 'how do women make
better leaders', as we have seen a
multitude of successful role models
across geographies, industry ranging
from pharmaceuticals to information
technology to education and even
politics over several decades now but
rather how can we hone and develop
leaders from both genders who have
the skills and competencies to lead
businesses and thereby create a
pipeline of leaders who are ready to
lead and create a lasting impact for
both people and business.
Leadership is about making sure
we get the most competent
individuals to lead organizations and
provide a holistic view to leadership
development. It is about equipping
our leaders with skills and
competencies to lead in an uncertain
terrain and to nurture leadership
skills early on and most importantly
to help leaders believe in themselves
and to realize their dreams. HC
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