Men and women who rise to managerial positions face many similar challenges, but there are unique complexities in the female-to-female workplace dynamic.
Studies dating back 20 years have examined both the differing skills of female and male managers, and how they impact their employees’ job satisfaction.
Data suggest that female employees reject women bosses who behave in a ‘’masculine’’ or traditionally managerial way.
When surveyed about qualities they desire in their female bosses, women said they react positively to support, sensitivity and self-disclosure, which could well be characterized as historically female stereotypes.
We might anticipate these stereotypes to change as more women enter organizations at a professional level, but biases shift very slowly.
Other studies have made similar observations that ‘’some skills and behaviors may be considered essential for female managers but not for male managers.’’ Women both expect more qualities, typically labeled ‘’feminine,’’ from their female superiors and give these managers lower ratings if they find them lacking.
Women do not hold their male bosses to the same standards.
The Catch-22 is that, despite the desires of their female employees, women must often develop more traditionally male traits to advance in male-dominant organizations.
They generally attain their positions by taking a heavy dose of the traditionally male qualities we associate with success – determination, decisiveness, tireless work ethic. They repress their feminine qualities, only to find that the women whom they lead demand those more compassionate skills.
Female executives should consider an approach that combines both feminine and masculine characteristics. For example, women tend to be naturally better than men at reading facial expressions for clues to someone’s state of mind.
Women need to leverage that skill to help them better listen to their employees’ ideas and concerns. If female employees feel that their boss is concerned about their well-being, they’ll be more likely to follow her as a leader.
Women are now realizing that societal expectations may be the key to finding balance in leading others. All employees – but especially other women – will respond more favorably to a female management style strong on empathy and collaboration. For women, the climb to the top may well require a different approach from what it takes to stay there.
(Karen Firestone is the co-founder, president and CEO of Aureus Asset Management, an asset management firm that serves as the primary financial adviser to families, individuals and nonprofit institutions.)
