Page 32 - EW Magazine 5-2 FINAL

32 extraordinary women Volume 5 I ssue 2

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When former eBay CEO, Meg Whitman, took the challenge of turning around America’s largest technology company, Hewlett-Packard, all eyes were watching. Could a woman get the job done? Ask Meg and you will get a resounding, “Yes!” Her positive outlook and commitment to hard work makes her a force with which to reckon. Her secret? Consistent leadership. Meg is no stranger to challenges requiring strong leadership. She possesses certain qualities that help her move companies forward. Those qualities have been studied and are unique to women in leadership. The open, collegial and consensus-building style of women leaders works well when it comes to pulling together a group of people, getting them on board with a vision, and working toward positive results. In 2005, a management consultant firm in Princeton, New Jersey, along with a London-based organization committed to the advancement of women, conducted a one-year study that looked at the qualities of women in leader-ship versus men. According to the study, women rise above men in four main areas of leadership. The four areas are listed below and can be found in many biblical women leaders.

1. Women leaders are more persuasive and assertive than their male counterparts. Biblical example: Esther, an orphaned daughter, was called to lead

the Jews at a time when her nation’s survival depended on it. In order to help her people, Esther had to be assertive at the right time and use clever persuasive skills. Esther’s ability to persuade the king had to do with her reading the situ-ation correctly and moving at the right time. When the time was right, she presented the king with a moving petition and he changed his opinion. The king agreed to give Esther power and resources to save her people.

2. When it comes to rejection, women leaders learn from adversity and take an “I’ll show you” atti-tude. Biblical example: This quality can be seen in the life of Jochebed, the mother of

Moses. In order to save her child, she had to circumvent Pharaoh’s plan. Pharaoh had decreed that all first-born Jewish males were to be killed in order to eliminate any mili-tary threat from the Israelites. Baby Moses would be put to death unless Jochebed acted… so instead of giving in to the inevitable and watch her son be murdered at the hands of the Egyptians, Jochebed devised an elaborate plan to hide her son’s identity and preserve his life. Adversity pushed her to outsmart Pharaoh’s family. She hid the baby in a river basket, allowed Pharaoh’s daughter to find him, sent Moses’ sister to offer help, and ended up nursing her own baby. It was a brilliant plan born of adversity.

3. Women leaders take more of a team-building approach and are more inclusive in their decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Biblical example: Deborah honed her leadership skills under a large palm tree near her home as she listened to peoples’ problems and prescribed solutions. She was a judge and eventually helped deliver her people in a time of war. When the Israelites were being harassed by King Jabin, Deborah enlisted the help of an army officer named Barak. She ordered Barak to recruit 10,000 men to fight. Barak waivered and asked Deborah to go with him to recruit. In a strong and decisive move,

Four Qualities of Women Leaders

women in leadership

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