they are elected in the same percent-
ages as men. But they are only half as
likely even to think about running. And
when they consider it, they wait longer
than men to take the plunge.
This same dynamic occurs in work,
politics, and personal relationships. You
can’t win if you don’t run, and
you can’t
get into the C-suite if you don’t put yourself
forward for the position
.
Paradoxically, I’ve spent most of my
career working for power for others.
This is gendered behavior regarded
(and rewarded) as laudable—being
nice, putting the needs of others first,
self-sacrificing, not caring about such
male
prerogatives as earning a high
income or having a
power title
. It’s hard
to change a culture while you’re living
in it. And women who assume power
positions by adopting male models of
power and leadership and fail to bring
other women along or help change the
culture
don’t advance the cause of equality
.
Thinking Differently About Power
Many women express reluctance to
take on power positions (and even avoid
programs with the word
power
in the
title), feeling
power
suggests
dominance
.
Few women
love power
. Since women
have borne the brunt of abusive
power-
over
, many women eschew
power
even when they have it.
Women need to define
power in terms that work for
them
. Once they define
power
as
the power to accomplish
something for others, or for the
good of us all
, women are
more willing to use their
power. The use of power is
legitimated, taken out of the realm of
the
power-over
realm. When I propose
this definition to women, I see tension
relieved.
Power-to
makes one
powerful
.
Power-over
is passé;
power-to
is
lead-
ership
. Kim Campbell, first female prime
minister of Canada, said: “Power exists.
Somebody will have it.
If you would exer-
cise it ethically, why not you?
I
love
power.
I’m
power-hungry
because when I have
power I can make things happen.”
By defining
power
not as
power-over
but as
power-to
, we shift from a
culture
of oppression
to a
culture of positive inten-
tion
to make things better for everyone.
The
breakthrough
comes when negative
connotations about
power
give way to a
vision of a world where women are
equal
opportunity leaders and doers
, and where
both genders can lead with integrity.
LE
Gloria Feldt is the author of
No Excuses: 9 Ways Women
Can Change the Way We ThinkAbout Power (Seal Press )
.
Visit
ACTION: Define power in terms that work for you.
Women Leaders
T
HE CANDIDATE IS
bright, personable,
accomplished, charis-
matic. But how do you tell if she is the
real thing
or a
narcissistic masquerade
?
We need to identify
remarkable lead-
ers
who can guide us toward success
and support them in their growth.
• Employees
need to spot the
three
main types of leaders
, manage their
boss’s difficult (or quirky) behavior,
and navigate their own career future.
• Managers
need to analyze and
understand their own leadership types
and make necessary adjustments.
I coach people how to manage
three
types of leaders
—
Remarkable
,
Perilous
and
Toxic
—and show how to deepen a
positive, learning relationship with a
Remarkable
boss; reinforce best behav-
ior and lessen discontented behaviors
with a
Perilous
boss; and minimize a
Toxic
supervisor’s destructive effects
on you and perhaps others.
The Remarkable leader, who is attun-
ed, active and well-grounded, needs you
to:
1) discover the power of establish-
ing a
reciprocal relationship
by replacing
What’s in it for me?
with
What’s in it for
us?
2) Be an ambassador by reinforcing
her strategy; and 3) act as a talent scout
recruiting
A-players
.
The Perilous leader, who is intelli-
gent, insecure and moody, needs you to:
1) reduce their sense of
unrequited work
by emphasizing their contributions;
2) clothe the emperor by keeping it real
in regards to employees’ issues and
concerns; and 3) keep your boss
focused on the power of providing
positive affirmation and feedback.
The Toxic leader, who is suspicious,
arrogant and cold, needs you to:
1)
leverage
peerage
through open commu-
nication with your peers; 2) develop
and apply
internal locus of control
—a
belief that you can control your own
destiny through clarity about and con-
fidence in your talents, experiences
and accomplishments; and 3) decide if
it’s in your best interest to stay or to go.
This knowledge can influence more
focused decisions about leaders.
LE
Karol Wasylyshyn is founder of Leadership Development Forum,
an executive coach and consultant, and author of
Behind the
Executive Door
(Springer). Visit
Is this a breakthrough moment?
W
OMEN LEADERS
have come a long
way. This is an amaz-
ing moment when
women can lead and
live without limits
. I’ve seen women
make stunning progress, and I know
breakthroughs can happen.
Will women make
the breakthrough
moment
when gender parity in leader-
ship becomes normative—or will we
continue on current trajectory? Signs
point both ways. Discriminatory laws
have been mostly eliminated. Women
earn 60 percent of college degrees and
make up half the workplace. Many
glass ceilings
are smashed. Many men
too think it’s women’s moment. In his
foreword to
Enlightened Power: How
Women are Transforming the Practice of
Leadership
, David Gergen wrote: “Think
of all the words we use to describe old
style leadership:
aggressive, assertive
,
autocratic
,
muscular
,
closed
.
When we describe the new
leadership, we employ terms
like
consensual
,
relational
,
web-
based
,
caring
,
inclusive
,
open
,
transparent
—all qualities that
we associate with the
feminine
style of leadership.”
The business case for re-
cruiting and retaining high
performing women leaders is unas-
sailable:
when women are included, the
quality of decision-making improves and
companies make more money
. Sustained
gender diversity in boardroom corre-
lates with
better corporate performance.
Yet women have been stuck for
years at 18 percent of leadership posi-
tions across 10 sectors. Women are no
further along the corporate ladder
than they were six years ago! Why?
No, it’s not only because women are
still regarded as the family caregivers
—increasingly, men are sharing those
tasks—and yet insidious cultural bar-
riers and implicit biases remain. Still,
no law or formal barrier is keeping women
from attaining top leadership roles
, and
no one will walk us through the doors
to leadership except ourselves.
My intent isn’t to blame, but to in-
spire women and give practical power
tools to leverage this breakthrough
moment.
When women run for office,
1 8
M a r c h 2 0 1 2
w w w . L e a d e r E x c e l . c o m
Remarkable Leaders
Let’s recognize and support them.
LEADERSHIP
WOMEN
LEADERSHIP
TYPES
by Karol M. Wasylyshyn
by Gloria Feldt
