When the first generation of women
entered the workforce in earnest in the 1970s, they succeeded in the only way
they could – by imitating men.
Authoritarian leadership and tight control was the hallmark of that day’s
businessman, and women were not exactly welcomed into the ranks of
management. Well ladies, that was
yesterday, and today is today!
Forget what your mama or your boss
told you, because following the rules can be bad for your career. Today’s CEO/entrepreneur can no longer tap
his/her company’s full potential using a “command-and-control” style. The 21st century business woman
needs to be able to build a vision based on the awareness of economic
transformation, then help her partners and staff fulfill that vision. She must draw on a wide range of skills to
get to the top and stay there. Following
are 7 Key Characteristics that are essential:
1. Sell
the Vision: A leader with a fresh, independent plan for her company’s growth
and future has a distinct advantage in luring and keeping great talent and
investors. Vision is not some lofty
ideal, but an obtainable concept that is easy to understand and will make the
company grow to another level.
2. Reinvent
the Rules: While women have
traditionally been socialized to please others, the 21st century
leader knows that good girls rarely post great returns. The strong managers/owners today not only
anticipate change, they create entirely new organizations that respond to
shifts and search for innovation.
3. Achieve
With A Laser Focus: Go where others fear
to tread! Being aggressive and ambitious has long been considered male traits,
but they are key qualities for new leaders.
Today’s business woman has the ability to home in on opportunities that
others may simply not see, and then excel in that uncharted territory.
4. Use
High-Touch in a High-Tech Era: When a
number of leaders are conducting business by e-mail, voice mail, passwords, and
PINs, the female entrepreneur succeeds because she guides with a strong,
personal, bed-side manner. Today’s business woman is just as technologically
savvy as her peers, but her skill with staff and customers is “high-touch”
which gives her a critical edge and separation from the “pack”.
5. Challenge
or Opportunity ? – Women are great at turning a
challenge into an opportunity instead of using the “slash-and-burn”
approach. They are able to make bold
strokes, but they also win the cooperation of others in the organization in
making any transformation a success.
6. A
Customer Preference Obsession: In this
information age which makes it easier to shop around for the best “whatever”,
businesses must work harder to give people what they want before their
competitors do. There is no substitute
for spending time with clients to become expert at their businesses and learn
their demands. Female leaders are almost
intuitively adept in doing just that, and without the client even suspecting.
7. Courage
Under Fire: Show me any career woman or
female entrepreneur today that isn’t able to “stand-the-heat” in any tough-call
situation. Their decision-making skills
are rooted in a high level of confidence, because they’ve had to weather and
surpass any and all “corporate” storms they’ve encountered over time.
It takes a certain mind-set and bravado for anyone to start
their own business and succeed, but it’s even more difficult for a female
entrepreneur. Let’s face it,
ladies! We’ve always had to be
twice-as-smart and twice-as-confident as any male counterpart in the corporate
world. After all, if we can bear and
raise the future generation, how can running a successful business scare us?
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