(W)Holistic Leadership
2019 was the year of the female leader – or so I thought. With an increasing number of women leading countries and companies, it became evident to me that women were truly on the way to redefine what ‘leadership’ meant. Whether it was Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, who introduced a law that banned all semi-automatic weapons in the country (in record time) after the horrific shootings in Christchurch, or Greta Thunberg, standing up in front of a room full of (much older, mostly male) world leaders at the UN Climate Action Summit, and passionately demanding justice for her generation, female leaders stole the limelight last year.
However, as the recent pandemic has brought to light, 2020 really is the defining year for feminine leadership. Jacinda Ardern’s style of compassionate leadership has stole the hearts of people all over the world, while Angela Merkel’s data-driven approach has meant that many countries are looking at Germany as one of the models to follow in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent article by Forbes highlighted the way countries led by women have been more successful in managing the crisis. Many things have emerged for us as a human race in this pandemic – (a) we have seen first-hand how nature is healing due to the minimal interference from humans; (b) we have understood just how much we have taken for granted the kinds of privilege many of us are blessed with; and most importantly, (c) we have realized the kind of leader and leadership style that can truly lead us out of crises.
As the Athena Doctrine pointed out many years ago, the ‘new-age’ leader will need to enhance and capitalize on what have traditionally been considered female traits – empathy, collaboration, passion, patience and loyalty were some of those traits the book pointed out as being imperative to be seen as a leader of the future. A recent research by LinkedIn on global trends around recruitment highlighted very similar findings – the employees of today say that the way they are treated in the organization they work in is key to ensuring the right talent stays on. As the research points out “this year’s trends are all defined in some measure by their demand for empathy — the ability to understand and share the feelings of others.”
What does this mean for the woman who, today, is at the cusp of moving into a senior leadership role? Or the woman who aspires to be at the CXO level of her organization, and is trying to identify how to do so? There are many lessons in leadership around us today – and here are key things I believe each aspiring woman needs to remember, and be mindful about, on her journey to reaching that vision she has for herself:
Leadership is not about the titles you hold – it is a mindset
If the pandemic is teaching us anything, it is that everyone is a leader – regardless of where they are or what level they might be at in their journey. After all, being a leader essentially means that you are able to inspire people around you to accept and follow you. Each one of us has the potential to lead – and we are seeing real-life cases of people around us leading the way in many things today. Whether that means bringing resources together to help those in need today, or leading the way in calling for social distancing, each of us can play a part in inspiring the people around us. Leadership is not a trait you are born with, but a skill that you build – and so each one of us can become successful leaders in our own right. But, it takes practice, focus, and commitment (10,000 hours of practice, according to Malcolm Gladwell). Becoming a leader means that we are focused on becoming the best version of ourselves, everyday. Whether that means we are working on improving our knowledge about a certain topic, improving our discipline about the way we work, or improving our communication skills so that others are able to understand what we say (a critical skill in leadership), leadership is not something that only a few of us can achieve – rather it is a trait each of us can build.
Vulnerable (read: brave) leadership is important
The idea of authentic leadership has been spoken about for many years now, but there is still a perception that when one is a leader, they need to behave in a certain way. For example, how does a leader express emotions at work, without being worried about how they might be perceived? Dr. Brene’ Brown’s work on vulnerable leadership is an important, and is an insightful study on leadership and bravery – and this tool she has to assess how daring a leader you are, can provide valuable insight into the kind of leader you are.
Many leaders today are being lauded for being open and vulnerable through the pandemic – whether that is New York’s governor Andrew Cuomo’s press briefings on how New York (one of the hardest hit states in the U.S.) is managing the spread of corona virus, or Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg’s press conference only for children to answer their questions on the virus – it is clearer than ever that leadership is all about authenticity and empathy.
One can only lead by example
One cannot be a leader unless there are those who are inspired by them – and so it becomes important to build a community of those who know who you are, and align with the vision you have towards what you believe in. When Anand Mahindra announced that he would be donating 100% of his salary towards dealing with the COVID-19 crisis in India, it spoke volumes not just about his leadership style, but also inspired the people around him to embrace his call to action. It becomes doubly important then, to surround oneself with the right kind of people in this journey – including mentors who can guide you, friends who can hold you up and hold you accountable, and a close inner circle that can remind you of how far you have come – and how much further you have to go.
While tapping into powerful traits of feminine leadership is often associated with women, the truth is that masculine and feminine leadership traits and energies are not restricted to, or present in, any specific gender. This bias, most often unconscious, can hold us back from striking our own unique balance of both masculine and feminine traits. In these uncertain times where we are trying to find our footing, each of us is called to be the leaders we were always meant to be. It becomes even more important in today’s world with the kind of physical and mental challenges that the pandemic has brought with it, to lead with our own individualized and authentic mix of leadership traits, while leveraging feminine characteristics that are innate to us all – both women and men.
