The word ‘boss’ is often synonymous with a leader of a group, firm or organisation.
The first image that comes to mind when one hears the word ‘boss’ is that of a suited-up giant male in his mid 50’s or 60’s. Sometimes, bosses maybe a little younger depending on their qualifications, skill sets and experience. In recent times there have been many calls for gender equality in many spheres of life.
This cause has been helped by the resurgence of women achievers in society. From academia to religion, from sports to technology, we find many women doing great things. Women are now leaders in a lot of firms and institutions around the world. This means that today when we mention the word ‘boss’ we cannot unanimously assume that it’s a man. Women too are bosses!
The one question that many people still struggle to answer is why women succeed in leadership? Why are women thriving in previously male-dominated roles? Jumia, Africa’s leading eCommerce platform examines some of these reasons:
- Commitment and dedication – To be a successful leader, one very basic trait needed is commitment. Being committed to a goal, purpose or organisation helps to go the extra mile when doing anything towards achieving success. With commitment comes dedication and a host of other loyalty-driven virtues. Without the above-mentioned, it is near impossible to achieve anything. Women are blessed with commitment and dedication in abundance and that often helps them thrive as leaders. When a woman throws her support behind a certain purpose or organisation, she often gives her all and that energy is spread to everyone. Women sacrifice a lot to make things work and this is key for every organisation to thrive.
- Multi-tasking – Naturally, women are born multi-taskers. Think about a mother cooking, washing, cleaning the house and taking care of the children all at the same time. This is a special skill that helps women when they become leaders. The ability to take on multiple tasks and still be effective at all of them is really amazing. In a fast-paced world like the one we live in today, success comes from the ability to handle multiple tasks and excelling in each one of them. Women are blessed with such skills and that makes them succeed in leadership.
- Empathy – Contrary to the effective yet hot-blooded approach to solving problems and making decisions by most men, women are naturally empathic. Wives care softly for their husbands and mothers for their children. In leadership, women utilize this to the best of their advantage while settling disputes among colleagues, reprimanding offenders, solving problems and making key decisions. This makes for better people management and a happy workplace. Although aggressive styles of leadership should sometimes be employed, generally speaking, the calm and empathic nature of women does the trick.
- Resource Management – ‘’The man is the head of the home but the woman is the manager of the home’’ If you have ever heard this, then you would know this statement is not disputable. It is no hidden secret that women are often better resource managers. Even in our homes, the man gives the wife ‘’chop money’’ and the woman is often expected to do wonders with it. No matter how small the money is, women manage to produce food, buy sanitary products, pay bills and manage other aspects of the home. How they manage to do it successfully always remains a mystery. Same skills are employed when women become leaders. Give them the most scarce resources and they will manage them effectively and efficiently to produce desirable results. Ever asked yourself why over 70% of Human Resource Managers are women?
- Vision – Finally, the paramount reason why women succeed in leadership. It may sound ironic that this reason came last in this list. However, having a clear vision helps women to achieve great things. In order for any vision to become a reality, there has to be strategic planning and constructive thinking. Women often see the end from the beginning. Their meticulous nature helps them to always paint the end picture in their heads and work towards it. Many women leaders are successful because of this. Without a clear plan and vision, every other thing will be without direction and focus. That itself is a recipe for failure.
Although these reasons are not exclusive and exhaustive, it reaffirms the importance of women in our everyday lives and businesses. Many world leaders today are women and they are achieving great things. Let’s empower more women to succeed alongside the men. In the end, we all win. Happy women’s month and continue to #choosetochallenge