In the era we live in, it is not strange to see this kind of success. It makes me realize that it is not impossible to be a powerful woman. Although inequalities still persist especially in terms of salaries. On the other hand, however we have seen more and more the importance of women’s role in the economic and political world. As for me, I come from Chile and Cyprus. Two countries whose mentalities are centered more on the man power which limits the woman rights and ability to be equally treated.
Future Women Leaders
By Asa Clara Ahlander, 17 May 2011
In this article written in Shortcut, we have the interview of a woman called Anna Stenberg who created a company Women Executive Search (WES). Her goal is to procure important jobs such as manager’s roles, roles in board level, and high position jobs to women.
Women have other capabilities than men, and are totally able to manage a team, gives order and being respected. In this interview of Anna Stenberg by the journalist, we understand that some job positions are unequal to sexes. For example, concerning the “board level”, people do not see a woman at this place, because it is harder to accept that a girl controls everything. This is why a main effort is made by the creator of WES, to put the greatest emphasis to middle management level and management level. This enterprise helps other companies to recruit more women in an easier way.
The reactions concerning the creation of this company are positive. Anna Stenberg left her old job because she wanted to work on getting more women in managerial positions in business. The watchword of Women Executive Search is to identify and recruiting female managers and leaders. All of the candidates chosen have a strong experience and profile to correspond to the company’s characteristics. Because in our world today, it is difficult to find a female managers and leaders with the right profile and skills, Stenberg decided to change this. The only difference with a male is the way to recruit them. We have to look beyond the traditional recruitment methods and networks.
When we look at the company today, we see an impressive increase as well as the results produced, but also concerning the dynamic network, the solid candidate platform and the competency-bases recruitment method that WES is able to offer to its clients.
Thanks to this article, we are can understand the power of the women in work. Companies come to specialized enterprises in a way to have to best female for themselves. People understand what a woman could bring to a company. Even if the place of the woman is not always the one of the leader, nobody will disagree with the fact that female have a non-negotiable impact on the industry.
We agree also with the fact that Woman Executive Search only deal with the best candidates, and try to put all of the women to the most important jobs to show that it is how life works today; female have the same rights and possibilities than men, and are becoming very powerful and desire concerning the professional side.
Lagarde to be a different type of boss at the IMF
By James Taylor, 07 July 2011
Christine Lagarde is a French lawyer and started her career at Baker & McKenzie, a large Chigago-based international law firm. She rose through the ranks thanks to her work on antitrust and labor cases which led her to become the first female chair of the international law firm. After that, she held various ministerial posts in the French government: she was the first woman ever to become minister of Economic Affairs of a G8 economy. The consecration happens to her in July 5, 2011, when she was appointed as managing director of the International Monetary Fund. In 2011, Mrs. Lagarde was ranked the 9th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine. In light of the above, anyone can ask themselves: how this woman has it done to made history?
The selected article deals with the differences in management style between her and her predecessor, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, at the IMF. Moreover, it discusses the pressing problem in the euro zone which is the first challenge she must face. Christine Lagarde has little in common with her predecessor aside from their nationality. The main two differences are that she is much more inclusive and team minded oriented.
According to James Taylor, Lagarde is the first woman and the first non-economist to run the organization but does not exactly represent a radical choice for leading IMF organization. Despite the main objection to her appointment, which is to push for more diversity at the IMF’s top table, she manages to impose her beliefs, even those that disturb. Thus, Min Zhu, a former official at the Bank of China, was appointed to a new post of deputy managing director. Mrs. Lagarde wants an international organization that leaves space for characteristics of each, to prevent “people from being clone of each other”.
Besides, Christine Lagarde, like most women leaders, is more altruistic and promotes team work. Throughout her career, she managed different committees or was part of them; thereby she knows how a team works and has to be lead in spite of discords. A well managed team is more powerful than any individual to solve problems, especially in this European crisis situation.
Christine Largarde represents perfectly women leadership. Different from male style, where the power in itself is very important, she preferred seeing leadership as a team that chooses her to show the way. She has core skills such as the ability to listen and make her listen, which is the ability to doubt, a feminine virtue. She strongly believe in humility whereas “hairy chested showing off”, a masculine attitude, which lost considerable time and energy. Thanks to her style, she made history being the first in multiple management positions.
Christine Lagarde inspires me a lot. She has an outstanding professional life as well as personal. She managed to be a top leader and also a mother of two children. She knows how to jump from one problem to another, being totally present. Her attitude encourages me to be part of top management in future. However feminine touch is more and more sought by companies nowadays. Finally, I think it is important that women come to power, first because we represent 50% of humanity and also we operate on both sides of our brains.
Féminin masculine quel leader pour demain ?
Le cercle Les Echos, 27th October, 2011
This article highlights women in the company and especially in management and leadership position where they seems to be successful, in fact women have some skills needed to the company, the article talk about humility and inflexible will, which surely create successful companies with a strong leadership, her only lack could be charisma which could stop their progression in the company but it could easily be an asset combined with their innate professional rigor.
Facts are 35% of women showed rivalry and 75% for men, but they bring other things to the company like team spirit, less competition and hard work, maybe it is more suitable for nowadays companies. Then, the article follow saying that switches in management passing from hierarchical structure to sharing and team structure may also suits women better the founder of canal CE say that women try harder to explain rather than impose their views.
Beside, women are more represented in leadership position every year due to their seriousness from studies to companies and their will. But we cannot generalize, women still have progress to do on their confidence for example but they fit in our companies for sure. The article finally suggests mixing women and men skills in our companies to create a perfect leadership all ears for everybody.
Well as a man I like the fact that u can talk to a woman and explain your view without being rejected or have the feeling to be inferior (for man egos) so why not have a woman as a boss after all I’ll probably have one this year so I couldn’t more agree. But most of all they convey what u want when u want to work in a company a steady and calm environment where peoples talk each other and also with a strong leadership to keep the boat afloat.
They surely represent a large portion of our leaders since ages with their personal touch. The article talks about “team spirit” and “strictness” as one of their main qualities and which form the core of company in term of needs for a leadership. Moreover, as the company evolves to a more connected one, with less order from leadership distant and more trade between management staff close to the rest of the company ; a role where women have some innate skills as they are less in the competition and more in the dialogue.
Well as a man, I can say that I’m more than agree with the above analysis because I don’t like most of our defect in the context of leadership. Men, “often”, like their position too much and are in the need for power and money whereas women as we said rather work as a team and from my personal view have less “problems/needs” about money which is as in a football team a good thing for the company.
So what can we expect from a woman as a leader, well I’d say a fair and global company respectful about the law and environment as well as a serious company with a strong leadership, finally we can say that a woman as a leader creates a steady company where u want to work.
Indra Nooyi: Keeping Cool In Hot Water
Business week Special Report, June 11, 2007
Indra Nooyi’s story is not only the typical example of an American Dream Story, but it is also an example in terms of managerial behavior.
Once again, not only because she is a woman, but also because she is very well known as one of the best CEO’s of the world, that is why she is therefore the chairman of PepsiCo. She proves her very developed leadership skills when the company’s annual revenues rise by 72%, since 2000, the year of her arrival at the chief financial officer office:
“Performance with purpose”
Her leadership slogan reflects very well this leadership type. This article shows a very interesting view on this unusual manager that handles this company by creating new branding strategies that can sometime criticize, but her history at the head of one of the biggest companies of the world shows that she has made a lot of good choices. (Ex: the 13 billion Mergers with Quaker Oats Co)
Finally, the purpose of this article’s choice was to show this little story about the interview at The Boston Consulting Group wearing a traditional Indian Dress Called Sari. This little story, I think, shows the bravery of a woman and shows an assurance that sometimes men do not have. She is example for all the managers around the world and for all the women than want to be managers.
Angela Merkel most influent women in Europe
The New York Time, 16th December, 2011
The first Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel elected in 2005, was designated for the fifth time as "most influential woman in the world" in 2011 according to Forbes magazine. But she is also a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Minister of Women and Youth Cabinet Kohl IV (1991-1994) and Minister of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Cabinet Kohl V (1994-1998).
She was the first East German to lead the country after the fall of the Berlin Wall. As explained in the New York Times, she is now the main political leader in Europe and has a major role in Europe out of the crisis after the fall of the stock markets this winter.
Professionals have described the chancellor as a strong woman and decided to take firm action. In fact this woman has over the years and through her actions within the EU, itself in the midst of men and furthermore, be at the head of the whole of Europe attempt to overcome this crisis, which is not a single fact. For this, it decided to impose a German order for the Europe.
Moreover, she must manage the tensions in her country where dissent could be heard due to some misunderstanding concerning Germany’s support to the "bad students" of the euro area. Indeed, why Germany, which was strict regarding to their spending, should financially support those who did not "play the game." This is the kind of challenges that the Chancellor has to handle knowing that every of her move on the international scene are scanned by the markets.
This article is just a small summary of the responsibilities and actions that this woman takes every day. This woman through his journey proves to women around the world on the female leadership are no longer a dream but now a reality.