This text is part of the special Feminine Leadership notebook
Leadership requires several qualities: listening, empathy, the ability to help others develop their skills and perform in a climate of trust. For a long time, leadership has been dominated by a male vision and, in recent years, the term “female leadership” has found a place to support the presence of women in management positions. But are there fundamental differences between these two types of leadership, and isn’t it rather divisive to separate these two models? Two experts share their thoughts.
“Basically, we started to talk about female leadership because, for a long time, we had a single model of leadership, largely dominated by men, therefore masculine,” recalls Isabelle Marquis, general director of Effect A, a company that has been supporting large organizations that wish to support the development of female talent for almost ten years. Women, however, have made their way to leadership positions over the years, bringing qualities essential to good leadership: “the idea that they are more attentive and have a more collaborative approach, in particular”, underlines Mme Marquis.
The president and co-founder of the Management Leadership Institute, Éric Paquette, agrees. “Women will tend to consult their teams and peers more before making decisions,” he explains. Male leaders are sometimes perceived as being more directive and focused on performance and results. But ultimately, says Mr. Paquette, all of these character traits are important for a leader. “The courage to decide, listening, understanding others and their needs; we talk about communication and empathy,” he says. For him, it is therefore not so much a matter of gender as of personality.
Qualities to share
Isabelle Marquis also notes that the arrival of women leaders is good for men. Little by little, qualities such as listening, communication and empathy, more often associated with women, became more visible in men. “There is an evolution, an important awareness, many men also embody these qualities of listening and empathy, but did not necessarily dare to put them forward,” she underlines. According to Mme Marquis, more introverted and caring men were thus able to find their place as leaders.
A recent survey by Montreal recruitment firm Russell Reynolds Associates looked in particular at the gaps in representation of women and men in management. “It’s interesting, there is only one notable difference, and that is the ability of women to coach their teams. They surpass men in this area, to help others to develop,” notes Isabelle Marquis. An important asset, she thinks, for the future generation who are hungry to learn.
Efforts to continue
On a poster hanging on Mr. Paquette’s wall, the faces of influential leaders smile at visitors. There are as many men as women. “Over the past ten years, we have noticed more women leaders,” he notes. Former Quebec Prime Minister Pauline Marois is one of the public figures who participate in Institute training. “Before, she always counted the number of women and told me there weren’t enough. Now she’s stopped doing it because we don’t see it anymore. It’s visible to the naked eye,” he rejoices.
Despite everything, it is clear that, in reality, this is changing slowly. “A third of senior management positions are held by women. This means that two thirds are still men and, despite a boom at one point, it stagnates a lot and it progresses slowly towards greater parity,” he says. This is why the Institute launched a “women leaders” program aimed specifically at those who work in management positions.
Isabelle Marquis, however, points out that Generation Z is also changing the relationship with work. “As for me, it will be less and less relevant to call leadership feminine or masculine, even if there remain nuances. Basically, a good leader is someone who generates a climate of trust, helps others grow and perform,” she believes. Éric Paquette assures, for his part, that leadership remains a matter of personality above all. “For me, there is not one way of leading for women and one for men: you need both strengths to be a good leader,” he concludes.
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