by Gwen Bortner | Leadership
As a female who has been in leadership roles for as long as I can remember, what follows may seem like I am betraying my gender. But I have repeatedly watched these behaviors sabotage potential leaders.
Of course, generalizations are just that, so not all apply to all female leaders and some will apply to male leaders. But most often when I experience these leadership failures, it has been under the leadership of a woman. Do you see your own leadership mistakes in these scenarios?
1. Using emotions as a crutch or a weapon.
Everyone has emotions, and trying to negate them completely is just ridiculous. However, managing them to an appropriate level is necessary in every leadership scenario. If you can’t manage and lead yourself, why would you believe you can do the same for others? The trick is to find a reasonable balance.
2. Prioritizing other things over leadership.
As a leader, you have to ultimately make all decisions with the best interest of the team in mind. This means that sometimes you have to make very hard choices, particularly in terms of self-sacrifice. The most common example? Choosing family issues over other leadership roles. Of course your family is important; but it cannot always take precedent over the team, or the team soon figures out that they are not a priority for you.
3. Waiting to be invited instead of asking.
A leader must be assertive; it is one of the characteristics that is required for the job. Do you find yourself living with the assumption that if you assert yourself they’re going to think you’re bossy (or worse)? The reality is that leadership and bossy-ness are not the same thing, at least not when done correctly. Asking for the opportunity to lead politely and professionally, regardless of your gender (of course assuming your are qualified!), is always the right, first step.
4. Trying to “lead like a man.”
Quality leadership is gender-less. If you examine the behaviors of any truly high-quality male leaders, none of their actions have to be couched in phrases like, “Well, they can get away with that because they are a man.” Every time a male in a leadership role “gets away” with some behavior, a critical review would show it is not an example of good leadership. Our gender and our personality will ultimately determine our style of leadership, but all of the best leadership skills work equally well whether a man or a woman is the one using them.
5. Struggling to say or do the hard parts of leading.
Projects and processes that require leadership will inevitably have ups and downs. Leading when things are going well is never as challenging as when things are falling short. Giving bad news, making difficult choices, and doing the hard thing is where leadership can truly be evaluated. Letting go of our societal norm of needing to be “liked” and/or getting everyone to “agree” is a critical step to successful leadership.
Where do you feel like you struggle or fail as a female leader?
by Gwen Bortner | Leadership
Lately I’ve been working hard to figure out my next path, and to map out the details of my next adventure. And for me, at least, that path has led me to a belief that I have long held, and how that belief can be a benefit to other women.
Here it is, my basic belief: All women lead.
Now, not all women claim that leadership as a title, or wear it as a mantle of honor, but they should. Being a mommy is a leadership role. Big sister is a leadership role. Whatever your professional title is, that’s a leadership role. That time you pitched in to help with the church youth group? Leadership. That time you sat on the PTA committee for the school dance? Leadership. Helping your parents make choices about their retirement lifestyle and elder care? Leadership.
Leadership isn’t always something we pursue with intention. Oftentimes, it’s something we literally fall into (or get roped into). As such, we sometimes don’t even realize that in saying yes, showing up, or volunteering – we’ve put ourselves in a position of leadership. And then we don’t own that title, or recognize ourselves for the leaders we are.
The thing is, though, if you approach everything in life as a leader, you’re more effective at everything else – even supporting others, because a good leader is a good follower!
So it’s my mission to help my fellow women by showing them how to…
- acknowledge and embrace their leadership roles
- own their wins
- strengthen their leadership skills
- recognize opportunities for leadership and put their strengths to work
Right now I’ve got two preliminary projects I’ve been working on. The first is a free gift – my Confident Woman Checklist is a 5-step method to help you boost your confidence and take daily action to recognize and strengthen your leadership skills. If you’d like a free copy, just click here and enter your e-mail in the form to get it. After you do, you’ll be taken immediately to the landing page for my second project.
The next thing I’ve been working on is a brief single-question survey (seriously, ONE question!). The responses I get from this survey will help inform everything I do next, from the products & services I create to the blog posts I write and the emails I send. So even if the checklist isn’t your thing, I’d REALLY appreciate it if you could click here and tell me about the single biggest challenge you’ve been facing in your life as a leader (even if you didn’t realize until now that that’s what you are!).
It will seriously help me out, so please click here and take just one minute to give me your feedback. As always, you can also leave a comment and begin a conversation about women and leadership – I’d love to hear from you.
by Site Admin | Leadership, Tweet Image
Leadership can be a lonely job – oftentimes you’re standing alone, trying to navigate rough waters. Tough decisions sometimes have to be made, and you don’t always get to be the “good guy.” But if you’ve done your job and truly listened to those you lead, you should be able to stand confidently, knowing that you’re making tough decisions for a good reason.
Tweet the image below to share a tough decision you’ve had to make as a leader.
If you’ve been feeling like some tough decisions need to be made in YOUR organization, comment and I’ll help you figure out what they are and how to make them.
by Site Admin | Leadership, Tweet Image
Anyone who has ever led knows that leadership isn’t all sunshine and roses. It’s natural to want to complain, and indeed you probably should have a safe place to vent your frustrations once in a while. But if you’re spending all your time as a leader complaining, then you’re not spending it in your most important role: leading toward a future where there’s less to complain about in the first place.
Tweet the image below to share how you’ll come up with a solution to one of your biggest complaints.
Do you notice there’s a lot of complaining going on among the leaders of your organization?
by Site Admin | Leadership, Tweet Image
There’s a definite learning curve associated with taking on a leadership position. If you’re in that type of position and you feel you’re not quite keeping up, it might help if you took the time to educate yourself a bit. Whether you read some articles on leadership, take a class, or read a book – there are so many resources available to you to help you grow in your leadership skills. A solid education can be the foundation for your success.
Tweet the image below to share how you continue your education as a leader.
Need some leadership reads? Check out the sidebar to the right of the blog posts – I list some of my favorites there.
If you feel that YOUR organization could use a little more leadership education, I’m here to help! Sign up below to be notified of the opportunities to have me work with your leaders to improve the overall health of your organization.
by Site Admin | Leadership, Show Your Work
Hi all! Jess here, Gwen’s assistant. Gwen is having a heck of a busy week, so she has handed me the keys to the blog. Some of you may be fairly new readers who haven’t had a chance to dig through the archives, so today I’ve rounded up 6 of my favorite posts on leadership. Enjoy!
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