Authored by: Kalani Koswatta Liyanage, Senior Consultant, Peter Berry Consultancy
Over the past few years, the headlines that read “the first female CEO of…” have become more and more commonplace, with Accenture, Warner Bros. and Macquarie Bank among many appointing their first female CEOs recently.
Currently, 33 of the Fortune 500 companies have female CEOs at their helm. While that number is the highest it has ever been, it equates to only 6.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs. While organisations have made progress in improving female representation in leadership roles over the past few decades, change has been slow and there is still poor representation at more senior levels. According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), only 17% of CEOs and 30% of key management positions are held by women. However, research by PwC and Deloitte has consistently shown that the inclusion of women at senior levels and gender parity has a strong positive impact on the organisation’s success.
Research has shown that men and women are equally effective at leadership, however they are likely to have different leadership styles. This then begs the question: are different styles (or personality types that predict styles) being promoted and valued for men and women? Our research sought to answer this question.
In a previous blog, which you can read here, we defined an effective leader as an individual who:
- Consistently meets the requirements of their role as a leader
- Builds and maintains high performing teams
- Creates significant positive outcomes for the organisation
- Is an exemplary leader within the organisation
