A successful leader inspires, motivates, mentors and directs others toward a higher goal. Let’s be honest here: You’ll have to do more if you’re a woman in our male-dominated business world.
According to a study by Calpers, successful women leaders possess common traits found in all good leaders — assertiveness, action-mindedness, risk-taking and problem-solving abilities. However, they must also acquire other qualities to succeed and overcome the many obstacles they face at home and in the workplace. Over the years, women have progressed through the ranks of the professional world to represent more than half of the U.S. workforce. Still, women continue to hold a far smaller share of leadership positions in various sectors than men.
Leadership gender disparity remains stubbornly high. Experts say one reason for this is the unconscious bias that leads people to react differently to male and female leaders — for instance, male ambition is often lauded. In contrast, female ambition often results in hostility. Moreover, women are expected to be more compassionate, ethical and better at forging compromises than men.
How can women entrepreneurs succeed in a world dominated by men? The following are some qualities I found helpful during my journey as a company founder and entrepreneur.
Related: Rise of Women Entrepreneurs