Insights into the similarities and differences between female and male leaders may have important implications when it comes to the selection and development of leadership talent, particularly when wanting to establish targeted interventions for particular groups such as women in leadership.
Recent research from Peter Berry Consultancy (PBC) aimed to contribute insights into this area by examining similarities and differences in the personality and multi-rater performance of female and male executives and managers in Australia, including a comparison of top and bottom performing leaders.
Day-to-day personalities
Significant differences were found in relation to day-to-day personality tendencies which may contribute to differences in leadership styles and the approaches adopted by female and male leaders.
Specifically, female leaders were relatively more likely to display tendencies associated with being reflective, willing to follow others, displaying tact, being pragmatic, and enjoying learning relative to their male counterparts. On the other hand, male leaders were relatively more likely to exhibit tendencies associated with being resilient, confident, driven, outgoing, forthright, and focused on the bigger picture relative to their female counterparts.
The research also found that there were significant differences in relation to motivators and drivers which may contribute to differences in the types of work environments or cultures that female and male leaders are likely to foster. It found that female leaders were relatively more likely to embrace values associated with building relationships, helping others, and focusing on quality and style. On the other hand, male leaders were relatively more likely to embrace values associated with wanting to work on high-visibility projects, competition, getting ahead, being seen as influential, focusing on commercial matters, and engaging in objective, data-driven decision making.
Top performing leadership
There were some similarities in the top-rated strengths and opportunities to improve regardless of gender, speaking to common leadership strengths and development needs regardless of whether someone is a female or male leader. In terms of strengths, these were working hard with a strong work ethic, being action-orientated and getting things done, and having a solid technical ability, experience and knowledge. In terms of opportunities to improve, these were stop taking on too much and spreading oneself too thin, delegating more, and challenging poor performance.
When looking more closely at top-performing versus bottom performing leaders, there were similarities in the strengths that tended to be rated higher for leaders in the top quartile, regardless of gender. These were having strong leadership skills, strong communication skills, strong people skills, being a positive role model, setting clear goals and driving results, and motivating and inspiring others.
Female leaders in the top quartile were also rated relatively higher on the strength of building effective relationships when compared to their bottom quartile counterparts. Additionally, male executives in the top quartile were rated relatively higher on being visionary and strategic when compared to their bottom quartile counterparts.
There were also similarities in opportunities to improve, regardless of gender, when comparing top and bottom performing leaders.
Specifically, the opportunities to improve for those in the top quartile tended to be around sharing more of themselves and their work and around increasing their voice and presence, while for those in the bottom quartile the opportunities tended to be around improving how they engaged and connected with others and managed themselves.
More similarities and differences between female and male leaders are explored within the research paper Gender differences in Australian leadership, authored by Dr Lynne Cruickshank, Head of Research at PBC. As it explores the broader implications of gender differences when it comes to leadership, the research also identifies key areas of development and provides recommendations for leaders to address these key areas.
To read the findings of the full research, see here.
