While Barsh's take on this topic
isn't really that earth shattering, she raised some very valid arguments that
warrant some consideration. Income inequality is still cause for concern
however, without doubt women of today versus the women of fifty years ago, have
made huge strides in the private and public sectors, but is it enough? Barsh
believes that it isn't. And she should know. She was one of the first 1,000
women students to graduate from Harvard Business School.
Barsh presents a strong business
case to back up her assertion that tapping into the capabilities of women can
and is the key to a change in the game of capitalism. She says that women bring
improved decision-making, more creativity and innovation, and better problem
solving, stemming from greater cognitive diversity.
Now, to my male readers, don't
stop reading just yet. Success in business and in life requires collaboration
of both men and women. No single gender can solve the world's problems. Even
Barsh acknowledges this as she shares her dream of a world where "women
and men together lead as equals, delivering meaningful impact over the
long-term."
The fulfillment of Barsh's dream
is far from becoming a reality but this in part due to a lack of information
being shared regarding the valuable contributions women are currently making in
businesses today. Certainly there is not a lack of women in leadership. This
has been evidenced by the percentage increase of women leading major
corporations. In the United States alone, women hold more than half the college
diplomas and Fortune 500 entry-level professional jobs. They also occupy 16.9
percent of the board seats at Fortune 500 companies. Only 13 percent of Fortune
1000 boards in the United States remain "men only" clubs. But 19
percent of Fortune 1000 companies have three or more women on their boards.
This information comes from Catalyst, a global leader in research.
On the flip side of the coin, only
24 women lead Fortune 500 companies, and the share of female senior executives
at these companies hasn't significantly budged in the past three years,
according to Barsh. So the question now becomes, how can the role women play in
business be maximized to the level where it would impact the global economy?
A 2014 study conducted by Edelman
(Edelman Trust Barometer Executive Summary), the world's largest public
relations firm examined the state of trust globally in businesses and
governments. The results were alarming. In short, people don't trust businesses
or governments. Why is this study relative to Barsh's research? She believes
that the key to increasing the level of trust in businesses and governments is
by "putting more women in charge."
After much research Barsh and
Susie Cranston, another consultant at McKinsey, co-authored a book entitled How
Remarkable Women Lead. In this book the authors speaks to a new form of
leadership called "centered leadership". I was not familiar with the
term so I decided to do my own research. What I discovered was not what I had
expected.
In their book they established
that there are links between "joy, happiness, and distinctive
performance" in this Centered Leadership approach. After the publication
of the book, Barsh continued her research and identified 5 key characteristics
of centered-leaders:
They lead from a core of meaning
by tapping into strengths and building shared purpose, with a long-term vision
for positive impact
They reframe challenges as
learning opportunities by shifting underlying mind-sets to replace reactive
behavioral patterns
They leverage trust to create
relationships, community, and a strong sense of belonging
They mobilize others through hope,
countering fears to take risks and to act boldly on opportunities
They infuse positive energy and
renewal through deliberate practice to sustain high performance.
What was even more surprising is
that in the centered-leadership model, both men and women play a pivotal role
as change agents. Barsh contends that the core principles of centered
leadership if embraced by both men and women can create profound organizational
changes.
Defining leadership or recognizing
good leadership can be difficult because not all leaders are alike. However, if
the focus is based on a set of core capabilities, we may see a world where the
evolution of leadership can bring about increased trust in businesses and
governments, and ultimately lead to a world were there is true equality amongst
the sexes.
Article Source: EzineArticles
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