A 2005 study conducted by a New-Jersey based management consulting firm – in association with a London-based organization – highlighted several characteristics that set women leaders apart. These characteristics identified by the study provide an overarching view of the uniqueness offered by women leaders in leading businesses when compared to their male counterparts. The study’s findings can be summarized into four specific qualities:

1. Inclusive: The study found that women leaders favor teamwork in matters about problem-solving and decision-making. This implies that women leaders instill a sense of oneness among their employees, thereby boosting creativity, productivity, and the efficiency of their team members. By bringing a sense of inclusiveness among the team members, women leaders help bring together their various skills and talents to channel them towards a common purpose, giving their companies a competitive advantage. Studies have found that encouraging mutual respect and openness to diverse perspectives results in higher emotional well-being among team members, leading to higher efficiency.
2. Empathetic: When faced with differing perspectives, women leaders – the study found – weigh each perspective appropriately and make efforts to incorporate the relevant perspectives into the final plan. They can genuinely understand their team members’ point of view, thus leading them to feel supported and appreciated. Be willing to consider the differing perspectives; women leaders can persuade the people they are leading. They do not have to resort to convincing their team members by the authority of their position. The people skills possessed by women leaders enable them to lead their team members more effectively and efficiently.
3. Experimental: With regards to adhering to an external structure, women leaders prefer not to. Their tendencies towards urgency and risk-taking, coupled with their abstract reasoning skills – the study claims – enable them to come up with innovative solutions to problems. Women leaders are more likely to resolve issues in their unique way than to go by the book. They do not prefer to drag things for long but instead like to get them done as early as possible. But while they may harbor a sense of urgency when dealing with something, they still make sure to look into even the smallest of details. When things do not turn out the way they had expected, they can quickly learn from their mistakes and take up new challenges.
4. Strong-willed: In dealing with setbacks, rejections, and disappointments, women leaders tend to take unique approaches, the study found. They brood over the nature of the reverse and indulge in self-criticism. But soon enough, they will get back on their feet and move confidently towards newer challenges. At first, the setbacks may weigh them down, later fuel their ambitions, and instill in them a sense of newfound tenacity to prove what they are truly capable of. female leaders, quite literally, tend to turn obstacles into opportunities.

In the ever-evolving landscape of leadership, the previous trait of domination as a preferred quality for effective leadership is slowly but steadily losing traction. Attributes such as the ones listed above are now gaining momentum. There is now a growing appreciation for shared leadership that female leaders, in general, tend to practice. Therefore, it is safe to say that the presence of women in leadership positions is not just needed, but it is inevitable.