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12 Insights into Leadership for
Women
By Diann
Rodgers-Healey, Founder
Centre for Leadership for
Women
8 March
2003
Released for International Women’s Day 2003
I.
Background
II.
Methodology
III.
Overview of Results
IV.
Results of each Question:
1.
How do you define leadership?
2.
Who are the leaders you admire
3.
Why do you admire them?
4.
Do you believe that a woman can be as good a leader as a man?
5.
What aspects of a woman’s life do you feel develop her
leadership potential?
6.
Does your workplace encourage women to develop their leadership
skills?
7.
What forms of support would you like to see in your workplace to
help women develop leadership skills?
8.
Do you feel that women in a work and personal setting help each
other become leaders?
9.
In what area of your life do you see yourself as a leader?
10.
In what area of your life would you like to become a leader?
11.
What is your vision as a leader?
12.
What forms of support do you need to make this possible?
V.
Summation of Results
VI.
Conclusion
12 Insights into Leadership for
Women
I. Background
The Leadership Questionnaire was designed to
explore women’s definitions of leadership, their perceptions of how
leadership developed and how its development in the workplace was
encouraged. It was also designed to be a reflective tool enabling the
respondent to identify their vision and what they needed to do to make
their vision a reality.
The Questionnaire was launched on 1 August 2000
when the Australian virtual Centre for Leadership for Women (CLW) was
launched on the Internet.
The
Questionnaire was accessible by members and non-members through CLW’s
Home Page and the Menu on the other CLW pages.
The Questionnaire required the individual to
respond to any or all of the questions and then submit their responses
via a Submit Key at the end.
Although
the Questionnaire asked the respondent for contact details, it was not
compulsory as it was indicated that the Questionnaire was anonymous.
The Questionnaire was de-activated on 1 May 2002
when the Submit button's function was cancelled. The Questionnaire,
therefore, was on CLW for the duration of 21 months.
II. Methodology
Responses to the
Questionnaire were collated and the date and time of submission were
recorded.
Each response was
analysed to see if it contained common key words.
It was decided that for the analysis, a key word would be called
‘Reference’, for example in response to the question, “Does
your workplace encourage women to develop their leadership skills?”
the word ‘Networking’ is a Reference in the following response, “her
natural networking ability.”
Once this
Reference was identified, the remaining responses for that particular
question were checked to see if they contained this Reference. The
occurrence of a Reference in the batch of responses for a particular
question was tallied.
If
the response did not contain the specific Reference, but its context
contained the same theme, then that Response was included in the count
for that Reference.
References were then grouped together if they
related to the same area, or if they were linked in some way.
For example, the References, “Work” and “Profession”,
were grouped under the umbrella of “Work related areas.” The score
for all the References in a Group were then totalled. Finally the Groups
were ranked to ascertain which Group of References was the most
prevalent.
For 5 questions, References were not grouped
as it was deemed that they were noteworthy in their own right. For the remaining 7 questions, due to the variety of
expressions submitted by respondents, it was felt that the Group of
References and their ranking were of more significance than merely the
frequency of individual References.
This Report includes for each question, a table
that lists the References and the Frequency of the References in the
batch of responses.
A table
that shows which References were grouped and their subsequent ranking is
also included when this step was taken.
This Paper was titled, 12 Insights into
Leadership for Women as it focused on 12 questions of the Leadership
Questionnaire, each culminating in perspectives that capture the
thinking of women with respect to leadership as they begin the new
millennium.
III.
Overview of Results
193 individuals responded to the Questionnaire with
the largest category of respondents being in the age group of 40-50. The
second largest age group was 30-40 followed by 20-30 and thereafter
50-60.
Table 13
lists the Occupational Background of 117 participants
who forwarded this information.
Specific
details were removed to maintain anonymity.
The numbers responding to each question varied.
Table 14 lists the numbers responding to each question. Each
question had an 80% response rate. Recognising that the total number of
respondents to the entire questionnaire being 193, statistically
represents a small size, it was felt that the analysis of these
responses were important as the common themes that emerged presented an
informed understanding of leadership from new perspectives that are of
relevance to places which employ women, both public and private,
women’s organisations and women themselves. It
shows how
leadership is interpreted as it is experienced in various domains of
one’s life. It translates the academic understanding of
leadership into that which is lived and aspired. It delves into
what women are doing about leadership and what can be done for them by
organisations and individuals, if their empowerment is taken seriously.
Moreover, as the Questionnaire itself did not constitute tick box
questions, but open-ended questions, the responses bear more information
about the issues being focused on.
As the Questionnaire was conducted over the
Internet and gave the respondent the choice to remain anonymous,
absolute certainty cannot be claimed as to the gender of all the
respondents or the geographical location of all the respondents.
However, it can be said with certainty that due to the nature of
the responses, the respondents are women.
As CLW and the Leadership Questionnaire were being promoted to
women’s networks and organisations within Australia, it can also be
said with certainty that the respondents are primarily from Australia.
IV. Results of each Question
Question 1: How do you define leadership?
164 individuals responded to Question 1.
Analysis of the data for the occurrence of References showed that
three References are the most prevalent. They are Vision, People
and Goal.
Therefore,
it can be said that the majority of respondents defined leadership in
terms of leaders having a Vision. Ranking second were the number
of respondents who saw leadership in terms of leaders leading People,
and the next largest group of respondents saw leadership in terms of
having a Goal.
Table
1A
lists the Frequency of the References in the batch of 164 responses.
When the References were grouped together, the
Group of References relating to How do leaders lead? ranked the
highest. The Group of References relating to, What do leaders
do? ranked second and What qualities do leaders possess? ranked third.
Table 1B
shows which References were grouped and their
subsequent ranking.
Collectively, the majority of respondents defined
leadership in terms of how leaders lead, alluding to the way in
which leaders help others, take charge, make decisions, listen, inspire,
influence, motivate and empower others while offering support, trust,
understanding, direction and guidance.
Leaders were seen to collaborate with others, facilitate change,
formulate visions independently or with others and achieve their
implementation.
They were
good communicators who willingly mentored others.
Ranking second were the Group of References
that related to, What do leaders do? In this Group, respondents
defined leadership in terms of leaders having clear vision, setting and
reaching goals singularly or jointly. They respond to a situation with a
vision that is usually for the betterment and common good of society or
the organisation. They strive to attain the best in others and
themselves. They are forward looking managers, finding purpose with a
desire to identify others’ needs and initiate positive change, growth
and new ideas.
Ranking third were the Group of References
that related to, What qualities do leaders possess? In this
Group, respondents defined leadership in terms of the attributes of
leaders. Leaders have skills and strengths, values, ethics, self-belief
and integrity.
They respect
others, recognise the gifts of others and are passionate, determined,
fair and focused.
Inspired
by role models, they are creative, wanting to make a difference and
solve problems.
Question 2: Who are the leaders you admire?
153 individuals responded to Question 2.
Analysis of the data showed that the majority of respondents
admired Nelson Mandela. Ranking second was Natasha Stott
Despoja. Ranking third was the respondent’s Mother.
For this question, the References were not grouped
together due to their specificity.
Table 2
lists the frequency of the
References in the batch of 153 responses.
Question 3: Why do you admire them?
161 individuals responded to Question 3.
Analysis of the data showed that the majority of respondents
admired those whom they saw as leaders, firstly because they were Courageous,
secondly because of their Strengths, and thirdly because they had
a Vision. As the References are qualities admired by the
respondents, it was felt that it would not be beneficial to group them
in categories of qualities.
Table
3
lists the frequency of the References in the batch of 161 responses.
Leaders were seen to be courageous in terms of
saying and doing what they believed in, despite the consequences and the
opinion of the crowd.
They
challenge the status quo.
With respect to admiring leaders because of their
strengths, respondents addressed issues of the individuals having
strength of character. This strength manifested itself in the
individual’s self-belief and values, vision and determination to carry
out this vision, and in their decision-making skills.
Leaders were described as visionaries with a
passion and determination to follow a vision that they could articulate
clearly.
It showed strength
and was far-ranging.
Question 4: Do you believe that a woman can be
as good a leader as a man?
138 individuals responded to Question 4.
Analysis of the data showed that 69% of the respondents believed
that a woman can be as good a leader as a man with 25% believing
that a woman was a better leader than a man. The remaining 6%
either thought that the premise of the question was ‘silly’ or that
gender should not be an issue.
Below is a collation of some of the reasons given
for a woman being a better leader than a man.
·
shows more preference towards consulting
·
listens
·
is a doer
·
is strong
·
is more compassionate and helpful
·
has more skills generally
·
is much better at communicating and trusting
·
does not only use her head but also her hears
·
has an innate empathy for humankind
·
values relating and relationships
·
has more insight
·
is committed
·
looks at issues from many different angles
·
due to the conditioning of being female, she has an inner
strength to persevere despite the barriers
·
uses maternal instincts of taking the lead in sorting out
the daily activities of a household
Whilst most of the responses commented on specific attributes of women,
a few respondents argued the pointlessness of the question itself.
“Absolutely,
but a strange question, it implies a man as a leader is a standard to
which a woman should aspire…”
“Too general -
some women are better than some men and vice versa.
Don't believe women necessarily make better leaders just because
they are women. Resent statements that insist women are more nurturing,
caring, team oriented etc”
Some respondents pointed out that leadership should not be restricted to
gender but instead, be reflective of merit.
“yes, leadership skills are not
gender specific”
Question 5: What aspects of a woman’s life
do you feel develop her leadership potential?
190 individuals responded to Question 5.
Analysis of the data showed that the majority of respondents felt
that Work developed a woman’s leadership potential. Women
ranked second, with Experience being third.
Table 5A
lists the frequency of the References in the batch of
190 responses.
When the References were grouped together, the
Group Self ranked the highest. The Group, Home related
References ranked second and Work related References, third.
Table 5B
shows which References were grouped and their
subsequent ranking.
A group of References that appeared to be about the
Self emerged as a category, when the References needed grouping.
In this category, the individual’s age and emotional maturity;
qualities of understanding; tolerance; empathy and support; their
perseverance; strengths; self- awareness; ability to communicate and
make decisions; were grouped together. Also included, were their
experiences and knowledge, the challenges they had faced and the roles
they had undertaken.
In
attaining the highest rank, this Group that was entitled the Self indicated
that the majority of respondents perceived leadership to develop first
and foremost in the Self.
The
qualities of the individual, their own development through challenges
faced and experiences encountered, attributed to developing their
potential for leadership.
The References that related to one’s home
life
such as family, home, childcare, parent, partner, motherhood, father
and relationships gained the second highest ranking as a group.
This Group, in attaining such a significant ranking indicates the
proximity of areas related to the Self that contribute towards the
development of one’s leadership.
It is then interesting to note that Work
related References gain a third position.
One’s leadership potential is perceived to develop at work
through one’s management experience, career development, being
mentored and networking with others in leadership positions.
Question 6: Does your workplace encourage
women to develop their leadership skills?
117 individuals
responded to Question 6 Analysis of the data showed that 28% of
respondents said that their workplaces did encourage women to develop
their leadership skills through policies, programs and access to courses
and training, and in some cases, from opportunities in the form of
experiencing higher positions.
Equally 28% said
that their workplaces did not encourage women in this regard.
There was no evidence of it.
“not at all - very segrated workplace with different roles for each
gender”
21% said that
their workplaces only partially offered encouragement with policies
existing but not being followed across the board, or practices only
being tokenistic in nature.
The remaining
responses account for those who were unsure or who did not give a
comment.
Question
7: What forms of support would you like to see in your workplace to help
women develop leadership skills?
164 individuals responded to Question 7. Analysis
of the data showed that the majority of respondents wanted Mentors
and Mentoring Programs to help them develop their leadership skills
in the workplace. Ranking second was Assistance from People,
including experienced managers, guest speakers and peers. Support from Networks/associations/schools/clubs
ranked third.
Table 7A lists the frequency of the References in the
batch of 164 responses.
When the References were grouped together the
Group, People related Support ranked the highest. Specific
Needs related References ranked second.
Table 7B
shows which References were grouped and their subsequent
ranking.
The Group, People related support included
support from mentors and mentoring/coaching programs; assistance from
people in general; support from networks and associations such as
schools and clubs; as well as support from family; friends; other women
and role-models.
Thus, it
can be said that support from people within the workplace; in
professional networks outside the workplace; in the home and social
environment; are perceived to be quite significant for the development
of leadership skills.
Specific Needs related References
referred to specific forms of support the respondent required in the
workplace in order to develop leadership skills. This category included
need for recognition; time; training; education and information;
personal development; confidence and assertiveness; finance and
experience doing higher level jobs.
Question 8: Do you feel women in a work and
personal setting help each other to become leaders?
145 individuals responded to Question 8 with 26%
saying Yes, 49% saying sometimes women help each other,
and 15% feeling that women did not help each other.
As the two latter figures are not absolute affirmations, it they
are added, then it can be seen that 64% say that women did not help each
other all the time.
Table 8
lists the frequency of the References in the
batch of 145 responses.
Competition, jealousy, backstabbing,
territoriality, afraid of being toppled, the attitude that "I did
it the hard way, you should have to as well,” are some reasons offered
by the respondents for why women do not help each other.
Reasons given for why women do help each other
indicate that those women who are “confident in their own skills will
encourage others; they will not be threatened by others.”
Other respondents claimed that generalisations
cannot be made and it depends on specific circumstances.
Examples of such comments are:
“(it)
depends
on each individual, some actively support, some actively undermine,
people are people and will always react in conjunction with their
personal prejudices.”
“Absolutely not - other women are usually our worst own enemies -
especially women without children towards women with children.”
Question 9: In what area of your life do you see yourself as a
leader?
162 individuals responded to Question 9. Analysis
of the data showed that the majority of respondents saw themselves as
leaders at Work. The Reference Work ranked the highest,
with Community being second, and Family, third.
Table 9A
lists the frequency of the References in the batch of
162 responses.
When the References were grouped together the
Group, Work related References ranked the highest. Family
related References ranked second and Community related
References, third.
Table
9B
shows which References were grouped and their subsequent ranking.
The majority of respondents saw themselves as a
leader in their work, profession, business and career.
Family, home, personal life, parenthood and relations with
one’s husband/partner were next seen to be areas where women saw
themselves as leaders.
There were a small proportion of respondents
who specifically strove to be a leader to advance women’s rights and
empower women either at work or in their personal life. An equal
proportion of women saw themselves as leaders amongst their friends or
colleagues.
A recurring theme to note amongst the responses was
that one need not compartmentalize which areas one was a leader in, but
rather that one was able to demonstrate leadership qualities depending
on the situation at hand.
“I
don't really divide my life into areas as all of it contributes to who I
am as a whole person - and I try to use leadership to a greater or
lesser extent depending on the situation.
This can be as simple as role-modelling, or as challenging as
helping”
Also some respondents answered this question with
the awareness that being a leader depended on whether others perceived
them to be so and that this could vary.
“To some you will always be seen as a
leader, for others there will be a differing perspective on who are
leaders and who are not.”
There were some who referred to their future ambitions of leadership.
“I
aspire to become a member of a Presidential Cabinet or an Embassy Attaché.”
Question 10: In what area of your life would you like to become a
leader?
183 individuals responded to Question 10.
Analysis of the data showed that the majority of respondents
wanted to become a leader at Work. Ranking second was the
Reference Community, with Profession, third.
Table
10A
lists the frequency of the References in the batch of
183 responses.
When the References were grouped together, the
Group Work related ranked the highest. The Group,
Specific Areas References ranked second and Community related
References, third. Table
10B shows which References were grouped and their subsequent ranking.
The majority of respondents wanted to become
a leader at their work/employment, in their business, career and
profession.
In second
place, specific areas that were identified included politics, being a
mentor, with respect to their education and in developing specific
skills. Empowering other women and being a leader in their church and
community were identified as the third most desired areas for becoming a
leader in.
Question 11:
What is your vision as a leader?
155 individuals responded to Question 11. Analysis of the data showed that the majority of
respondents’ vision was about
helping women.
An equal second place applied to three themes:
reaching
one’s own or helping others reach their potential; developing the
workplace and; including others and working with a team.
Ranking third were the visions that related to
creating
change in the workplace. Table 11A
lists
the frequency of the References in the batch of 155 responses.. Table 11A
lists
the frequency of the References in the batch of 155 responses.
When the References were grouped together, the Group
Self/other
person's development
ranked the highest
with Working with others being
second. Ranking third was the Group,
Women related.
.
Table 11B shows which References were grouped and their
subsequent ranking.
The majority of respondents indicated that their vision focused on
developing their self and helping others develop.
Reaching
one’s full potential through self-development, developing one’s
integrity, self-respect, education and skills competence while helping
others, valuing others, imparting knowledge and showing understanding
were themes that were prevalent in the majority of vision statements.
Including other people, working with a team, empowering, influencing,
inspiring, motivating others, leading by example and achieving personal
or organisational goals were themes that were common to a large extent.
Grouped together under the umbrella of
Working with others, visions
with these themes were focused on a work setting rather than a personal
setting.
There was a strong recognition of a bias against women
particularly in the workplace leading to many women wanting to help the
cause for women and work towards achieving equity and equality for women
in a work environment.
Question 12:
What forms of support do you need to make this possible?
159 individuals responded to Question 12. Analysis of the data showed that the majority of respondents
needed recognition and
encouragement to develop and achieve
their vision. Ranking second was the need for equality in their workplace.
The need for Role models ranked third.
Table 12A lists the frequency of the References in the batch of
159 responses. When the References were grouped together, the Group
Education/training
ranked the highest with Opportunities to encourage leadership
being second. Guidance from others ranked third.
Table 12B
shows
which References were grouped and their subsequent ranking.
Most of the respondents needed some form of
training and education, as well as the time, money and childcare
assistance to undertake any form of education.
Opportunities to encourage them to become leaders
and the need for equality in the workplace so that they can also take up
these opportunities were recognised as being important for them to
achieve their vision.
Guidance from others in the form of mentoring and
professional guidance, through role-models and networking or from their
own drive for self-development were perceived as being necessary for
them to achieve their leadership objectives.
V
Summation of Results
Leadership was defined first and foremost in terms of leaders having
a vision, secondly, in terms of leaders leading people and finally in
terms of the goals leaders set and achieve.
When the references were
grouped, it was found that the question, How do leaders lead?
alluding
to the way in which leaders empower others, make decisions, facilitate
change and formulate visions, emerged as the dominant category to which
most of the references referred. Ranking second was the Group of References that related to, What
do leaders do? in terms of leaders having clarity and the best
interests of the people and organisation at the heart of what they do to
achieve goals.
Ranking
third were the Group of References that related to, What qualities do
leaders possess? referring
to the attributes of leaders, such as their skills, strengths,
values, and self-belief in wanting to make a difference and solve
problems.
Aspects
of a woman’s life that were thought to develop her leadership
potential were their involvement at work, assistance offered by other
women and their own experiences of leading others or taking charge of a
situation.
In contrast,
work emerged as the third category when the references were grouped to
incorporate all the common themes raised.
Development of the Self emerged as the dominant area that led to
building one’s leadership potential with one’s home life being
subsequently significant.
Work, community and family, in that order, were the
three areas that were nominated as domains in which the respondents
perceived themselves as being leaders.
Work and community were again nominated as the areas of choice
when they considered the areas they would like to lead in, with their
profession being the third choice rather than the community.
When the References were grouped, work, family and community were
found to be apparent as domains in which the respondents perceived
themselves as leaders.
Grouping
the References showed that at work, in specific areas and in the
community, respondents wanted to take leadership.
The
vision of the majority of respondents was to help women. In second
place, were visions aimed at reaching one’s own or helping others
reach their potential; developing the workplace and collaborating with
others in the workplace.
Creating
change in the workplace was identified, thereafter. In contrast, when
the References were grouped, developing the Self and helping the other
person develop became apparent as the most prevalent vision objective.
Working with others followed by empowering women were subsequent
groups.
Recognition
and encouragement, equality and the presence of role models were seen to
be necessary in the workplace for respondents to achieve their visions.
Education and training;
opportunities to encourage leadership, and guidance from others were
identified as much needed when the References were grouped.
Nelson Mandela, Natasha Stott Despoja, and in some
cases, the individual’s mother were recognised as leaders and were
highly esteemed.
They were
admired for their courage, strengths and vision.
Most of the respondents believed that a woman can
be as good a leader as a man with some of them believing that a woman
was a better leader than a man. Most women, however, felt that women in
a work and personal setting did not help each other to become leaders.
On the whole, respondents felt that their workplace did not fully
encourage leadership.
Mentors
and Mentoring Programs, assistance from people and networks were
identified as important forms of support that were needed for leadership
to develop in the workplace.
In
the same vein, people related support, featured as the primary need when
the references were grouped, followed by support for specific needs such
as the need for recognition; time; training; education and information;
personal development; confidence and assertiveness; finance and
experience doing higher level jobs.
Table 15 summarises the results of each of the 12 Questions.
VI
Conclusion
Due to the variety of expressions submitted by
respondents to the 12 open-ended questions that have been analysed in
this Paper, it was felt that the Group of References and their ranking
were of more significance than merely the frequency of individual
References. The following conclusions that were based on the results obtained
when the References were grouped and ranked form the 12 insights into
leadership for women.
-
The Leadership Questionnaire clearly demonstrated that in general, most
women believe that the potential to be a leader is developed in oneself.
-
Leadership is brought into focus through one’s life experiences and
incrementally develops in time.
-
Most women see developing themselves and helping others to develop, as
their vision.
-
Empowering others to achieve their vision and potential emerges as the
main definition of leadership. Leadership is defined in the context of
the ‘Self’ helping ‘Another’
-
The ways in which the leader empowers others,
the avenues used such as collaboration, inspiration and facilitation are
seen to dominate the definition of leadership.
-
In empowering others, the leader also reaches one’s potential
as they achieve their vision and their attributes are brought into play and enhanced.
-
Women have a need for assistance from those who have achieved their visions.
-
Yet, it has been found that on the whole, women who have achieved
leadership positions do not help others to do the same.
Although, it must be recognised that there are women who do help
other women become leaders, the percentage of women in this category is
not very large.
-
It is in the workplace that most women see themselves
as leaders.
-
Furthermore, it is in the workplace where most women want to be
leaders.
-
If leadership is to be
encouraged in workplaces, education and training, as well as, formal and
informal support from people who have achieved leadership are seen
to be vitally necessary in the workplace.
-
Family
and Community are the other two significant domains in which women
want to become a leader.
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