Natalie Micarone: There’s a sense of possibility with the new lineup of world leaders
We are about to enter a time when women hold many of the world’s most powerful positions. From economic superpowers, such as Germany and the UK (and perhaps the US soon), to some of the most serious emerging economies, such as South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan, women are at the top of their game. And it’s not just limited to heads of state. Women also hold the central leadership roles at the IMF, WHO, US Federal Reserve and possibly soon, the United Nations.
There is a reason why so many women are making it to the top and it’s a simple one: 21st Century leadership requires more than the once heralded ‘command and control’ style of leadership that celebrates a charismatic hero and worships individual intellect over collective wisdom. Leaders must now navigate a highly connected yet diverse and globalised market. It requires a different set of traits and skills, skills that female leaders are exhibiting, which has them ascending the ranks of power and delivering impact rather than the rhetoric accepted in the era gone by.
There are four traits that unite these global female leaders, providing us with an insight into where we should focus our energies to have influence and impact as leaders in the 21st Century.
1. Confidence is Key
The first stand out trait is unapologetic self-belief. These women are not arrogant or big on bravado, but they own their talent, their position and their power. How often do you play down your strengths or your achievements? Particularly as women, we need to stop confusing humility with hiding our voice. As one of the front running candidates for the UN High Commissioner role Helen Clark said recently, “If you don’t believe in yourself, how can others?”
“You could certainly say that I’ve never underestimated myself, there’s nothing wrong with being ambitious.” Angela Merkle, German Chancellor
2. Collaborate & Connect
The second stand out trait is being a connector. These women recognise that the challenges and opportunities we face today cannot be addressed by a lone view, or an expert on high. Many of the challenges being faced are wicked problems that require us to embrace diversity, test our thinking, bring multiple stakeholders into the design of solutions so they can own the delivery. The skill of building rapport, trust, engagement and collaboration across a vast network of other influential people is the new modus operandi for getting real things done.
“In the 21st Century, culture is power” Park Geun-hye, President of South Korea
3. Always Learn
The third trait is that of constant learning and evaluation of your beliefs. Carol Dweck’s work on the growth mindset is embraced by these women. They know that to continue to grow, you must believe that you can still improve and to improve you must be open to the fact that you don’t have all of the answers. When we spend all of our time defending our ‘rightness’ we miss the opportunity to adapt and grow with our experience.
The final stand out trait is the purpose rather than person-driven leader. These women recognise that people don’t buy in to their vision they buy into the ignition of their very own sense of possibility. They seek to lead from behind and let the collective purpose do the hard work. Understanding that people are fallible but purpose that delivers meaning beyond the here and now has a motivational power like nothing else.
“The best way to help Burma is to empower the people of Burma, to help us have enough self-confidence to obtain what we want for ourselves.” Aung San Suu Kyi, foreign minister Myanmar
