The number of women holding leadership is increasing. In Kenya, this can be attributed to the promulgation of the Constitution in 2010. This provided for the quota system that provided for an increase in the representation of women in elective positions. Article 27(8) outlines that not more than two-thirds of the members of elective bodies shall be of the same gender. It has acted as an accelerator for women to be assertive and take up leadership in politics and all other spheres of life. This article will explore the features that define women leadership
Title: 5 Intrinsic Facts about Features That Define Women Leadership
Both women and men hold positions of leadership. Features that are said to make a good leader are similar for both. However, it is common to find that due to the different behavior attributes female and male leadership will have slight undertones that make for the small differences. We will focus on those that define women’s leadership.
Relational-based
Women thrive in situations that require bonding and creating avenues to strengthen relationships. It becomes easy to achieve the set objectives for a planned project. In the long run, the team that has strong bonds will work together and reach the goal. Women leaders are empathetic and will come down to addressing the wellbeing of individual team members. It is not at the expense of work but alongside.
Collaboration-based
Women often go out of their way to reach out to connect with other people. As leaders, they will encourage colleagues to work as a team. They will listen to dissenting voices and put in the effort to create harmony. It is common for them to implement stipulated policies and guidelines by the team without a struggle. Sharing is encouraged and therefore they find it normal to open up the discussions. In the process, ideas are contributed within the team and also invited from other similar teams within and external.
Change compliant
Women’s leadership allows the team members to express themselves in a situation where things are not working as expected. They provide room for team members to suggest alternative methods. They emphasize excellence and remind the team members to adhere to the guidelines in place.
Shared leadership
In the instance that a woman leader has high self-esteem, she will beckon the team members to take the lead in aspects of a project. This allows them to enhance their skills. A team that is updated on the progress of each member is bound to own the process. If a woman leader is away, the work will go on and be completed on schedule. This is due to shared leadership in place. Work and life balance become a reality.
Responsive related
Women are endowed to address concurrent situations successfully. In an instance of an emergency that arises amid a looming deadline, a woman leader will resolve both. This may be possible due to the investment already made in the establishment of resilient team members. They are well informed of the work at hand and also have benefited from empathy. The support system is in place to respond adequately to situations that will arise.
In Kenya, you will find these features in women leaders. We can draw examples from those in public and private office leadership. Women leaders become successful when they find a ground to apply these features. It is common to find high success rates in leadership where the shared parts are undertaken by male counterparts. The complementary leadership provides for the women to accomplish well the areas they are outstanding. It provides an avenue for the men to also take on areas they are well adjusted. Women leaders complement this by their strong feature of allowing for sharing in their leadership.
