Interactive Leadership - Gender Differences and Effective Leadership Traits

.Gender Differences
Some of the general characteristics associated with Level 5 leaders
and authentic leaders are also hallmarks of interactive leadership,
which has been found to be associated with female leaders.
Interactive leadership means that the leader favors a consensual
and collaborative process, and influence derives from relationships
rather than position power and formal authority.20
Although both men and women can practice interactive leadership, research
indicates that women’s style of leadership is typically different from that of most men
and is particularly suited to today’s organizations.21 When leadership development
firm Zenger Folkman surveyed more than 7,200 businesspeople in 2011 about leaders
in their organizations, women were rated as better overall leaders.22 Using data from
actual performance evaluations, one study found that when rated by peers, subordinates,
and bosses, female managers scored significantly higher than men on abilities such as
motivating others, fostering communication, and listening.23 Another study of leaders
and their followers inwomen were rated higher on social and
emotional skills, which are crucial for
interactive leadership.24 Indeed, a review of
more than 7,000 360-degree performance
evaluations discovered that women outshone
men in almost every leadership dimension
measured, even some considered typically
masculine qualities, such as driving for
results. The exception was that women
were typically rated lower on developing a
strategic perspective, which some researchers
believe hinders female managers’ career
advancement despite their exceptional
ratings in other leadership dimensions.25
Exhibit 15.3 shows results for 6 of the 16
dimensions measured by the study.
One good example of an interactive
leader is Cindy Szadokierski, who started
as a reservations agent for United Airlines
and today is vice president in charge of operations
for United’s largest hub at O’Hare
International Airport. As she oversees 4,000
employees and 600 flights a day, her favorite times are her weekly afternoon walkabouts
on the O’Hare ramp and weekly morning strolls through the terminal, where she can
connect with employees and customers. Pete McDonald, chief operating officer of
United’s parent, UAL Corporation, says that there were serious operations problemsat O’Hare, so they put “the most communicative person” in the job. Szadokierski’s approach
to leadership is more about collaboration than command and control.26
Men can be interactive leaders as well, as illustrated by the example of Pat McGovern,
founder and chairman of IDG, a technology publishing and research firm that owns magazines
such as CIO, PC World, and Computerworld. McGovern believes that having personal
contact with employees and letting them know that they’re appreciated is a primary
responsibility of leaders.27 The characteristics associated with interactive leadership are
emerging as valuable qualities for both male and female leaders in today’s workplace. John
Gerzema, author of The Athena Doctrine and executive chairman of Young & Rubicam’s
BAV Consulting division, asked 32,000 people to classify 125 traits as masculine, feminine,
or neutral, and another 125 to rate the importance of the traits to effective leadership.
The results showed that traits considered feminine and often associated with interactive
leadership, such as empathy, personal humility, inclusiveness, vulnerability, generosity, patience,
and flexibility, topped the list of qualities most desirable for leaders.
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