Women’s leadership, the key to the future

The leadership style required to address our society’s current challenges no longer focuses solely on strategy and planning, but connects emotionally, motivates and inspires people. Can this new form of leadership be more consistent and encourage a greater presence of women in organizations?

After gathering information about the leadership style required for our new normal age, we find that the main keys revolve around these qualities and competencies:

The key elements of these new leadership roles include:

• Establishing empathic relationships with people that ensure respect and equality.
• Promoting transparent communication processes and channels that give voice to everyone in the company, thereby strengthening their commitment.
• Commitment to a shared leadership that fosters collaboration, together with a transformational, broad vision and a flexible mindset that welcomes change and knows how to channel it.
• Implementing a creative thinking style that allows for a culture that encourages self-learning and enhances personal development.

Any organization today needs to include these management skills in its internal framework as they foster creativity, empathic relationships, and a transparent and effective communication as part of an innovative and flexible philosophy and culture. And the presence of women contributes to this new territory. In fact, according to a recent article published in the Forbes network, “the benefits for companies with women leaders continue to grow”.

This style of leadership moves away from authoritarianism, focusing instead on creative problem solving, people’s well-being and team confidence and motivation rather than on exercising authority.

Although progress has been made in this regard, it is still insufficient: the latest Women in Business report, prepared by consultancy firm Grant Thornton, reveals that 34% of management positions in Spain are held by women, the highest figure in the last 17 years.

And as this report highlights, “the benefits of diversity at the management level include improving financial performance, harnessing talent, reflecting market and customer perspectives, and increasing innovation”. All this helps companies to navigate successfully in these times of uncertainty.

Therefore, it is undeniable that an education in values such as equality and equity continues to be more relevant than ever, in order to address issues with greater speed and creativity.