Stereotypes abound in leadership, as in any other area of life. Often, people perceive women as either exhibiting Thatcher-esque coldness with excessive assertiveness or appearing too soft and maternal. There are stereotypes of tokenism, menopause effects, risk-aversion, and more.
Frequently, women are overlooked at leadership levels, especially in traditionally male-dominated industries such as manufacturing, because of unconscious bias fuelled by these stereotypes.
These subtle biases and preconceived notions about gender in leadership mean that we miss a crucial characteristic of many women as leaders: their ability to make exceptional decisions because of the midlife shift in how they view priorities.
A recent Financial Times article starts with the captivating sentence, “Not caring is the biggest perk of middle age.” For me, it’s more complex than that. In my experience as a middle aged woman, midlife women certainly care – we care deeply about what matters to us – it’s just that, with life experience and stage of life, our caring energy is more refined and better focused on the things that really matter.
With better-focused care, women emerge as extraordinary decision-makers in business. This subtle midlife shift enables many women to separate the important from the minutiae and become visionary leaders. It’s why the most profound business understanding often appears as the classic ‘wisdom’ of old. It’s a heady mix of life experience, life stage and business authenticity.
So, what makes midlife women go through this shift into exceptional leadership material? And how can we identify the female leaders that will empower our businesses to thrive, away from stereotypes and unconscious bias?
Why don’t we see more women at leadership level?
Before we dive into the qualities you need to identify and not overlook in leadership talent, it’s vital to understand why we don’t see more women at the leadership level. Understanding our unconscious bias, in the context of what we’re missing out on, helps pave the way for taking advantage of opportunities.
The UK is actually doing better than many. We sit second in the international rankings for women’s representation on boards at the FTSE 100 level, with nearly 40% of board positions held by women (up from 12.5% a decade ago).
However, the persistent underrepresentation of women at leadership levels is still there. It’s a multifaceted issue rooted in systemic, cultural, and organisational factors.
Gender stereotypes and the double-bind
One primary challenge is the prevalence of ingrained gender stereotypes that perpetuate traditional expectations and biases. For example, the perception that women are less assertive or more risk-averse than men contributes to the creation of barriers that hinder women’s advancement into leadership roles. The double-bind dilemma compounds this bias, subjecting women to criticism for demonstrating either excessive or insufficient assertiveness. This traps them in a perplexing no-win situation.
Structural and systemic barriers
The existence of the glass ceiling, an invisible barrier that hampers women from ascending to the highest echelons of leadership, is a persistent challenge. Limited access to mentorship, coupled with gender pay gaps, creates a cycle of disadvantage for women seeking to climb the ladder. Additionally, workplace cultures that favour long hours and inflexible schedules can disproportionately affect women, especially those balancing family responsibilities in a society that still retains old-school expectations.
The argument for better diversity and inclusion becomes compelling when we stop to consider why many midlife women excel in executive leadership positions.
Why are midlife women extraordinary leaders?
When we step away from the stereotypes and the biases, there are many compelling but often hidden reasons why many midlife women are skilled and focused decision-makers and, therefore, brilliant leaders.
Resilience and experience
Midlife women bring a wealth of experience and resilience honed through years of navigating professional and personal challenges. Life experiences contribute to a robust set of skills, allowing them to approach leadership with a nuanced understanding of complex situations. This doesn’t mean we care less; we just care more about the things that really matter. For example, for me, that’s caring less about what people think and more about doing the right thing for businesses and their people.
Emotional intelligence
Developed over time, emotional intelligence becomes a hallmark of women leaders. They often exhibit a deep understanding of interpersonal dynamics and are adept at fostering positive relationships within the workplace. Emotional intelligence enables effective communication, conflict resolution, and empathetic leadership, creating a harmonious and productive work environment.
Strategic decision-making
Many women leaders prioritise strategic decision-making over micromanagement, focusing on overarching goals rather than getting bogged down by minor details. They have a wise vision that’s harder to secure with less experienced workers. This has a further layer: the insightful ability to communicate vision and strategy is a skill developed from navigating a business landscape that has classically made it harder to be heard. Their communication style is often inclusive, fostering collaboration and ensuring diverse voices are heard and valued.
Adaptability and learning agility
The stereotype is that women are multitaskers. In reality, this is more that experience has equipped many female leaders with adaptability and learning agility, enabling them to effortlessly navigate rapidly changing business landscapes. They embrace new technologies, methodologies, and industry trends, fostering innovation and keeping their organisations competitive.
Collaborative leadership styles
Midlife women leaders are often inclined towards collaboration, recognising the strength in teamwork and collective problem-solving. Egos are typically sidelined, as women leaders focus on business needs. This is balanced with a ‘with-age’ shift away from the societal drive to be people-pleasers and a subtle move to leading by instinct and authenticity. It’s a refined balance that results in exceptional leadership, bringing out the best in the business’s talent through true collaboration.
How do we identify future talent that drives business success?
There is no doubt that there are compelling reasons why many women become exceptional leaders in midlife. It’s not just a matter of gender equity; it’s a strategic imperative for any forward-thinking organisation. However, in the same way that we don’t want to unconsciously avoid diversity at executive levels because of stereotyping and bias, we must also ensure that we select leadership candidates because they encompass these strengths as individuals, not simply because they tick a diversity box.
That’s where targeted, personalised and insightful leadership-level recruitment needs to do things differently. It’s about assessing prospective candidates for decision-making, resilience, collaboration and emotional intelligence skills. Standard recruitment falls woefully short as a result.
Let me help you build a leadership team that not only meets today’s demands but shapes tomorrow’s success.
Contact me today on 07775 700 707 or 0161 359 3111.
sharon@firstgroupsolutions.co.uk
My 100% success in placing transformative leaders and management within SME manufacturers underscores why I am the right person to help you secure your next hire.
#recruitment #executiverecruitment #executivesearch #ukmfg #ukmanufacturing #businessleaders
To sign up to our newsletter click here. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook
If you have a colleague who would find this information valuable, please forward this on to them or tag them below.
Book a call if you’d like to discuss how we can help you find the best people you need for your business. https://tiny.cc/QuickCall
About Us:
We are a small, award winning boutique recruitment agency with 30 years’ experience specialising in SME manufacturing recruitment at all levels, from administrative support to Managing Director and everything in-between. Our reputation is very strong among our client base because we consistently deliver excellent results quickly.
Email Sharon Seville today to confidentially review your recruitment needs.
sharon@firstgroupsolutions.co.uk