Why Women Leaders Will Play An Essential Role In 2025 And Beyond
While women remain underrepresented in leadership roles, they've made incredible inroads in the past decade. During the pandemic, I wrote a book about women's leadership and why it matters. I explored the progress women have made in securing leadership roles since the 1970s, as well as why they continue to face obstacles on their way to the top.
Since the book’s publication, women across the United States and globally have reached out to share accounts of their leadership journeys—and ongoing challenges—with me. Lately, these conversations have highlighted how women's greatest leadership qualities will play a key role in guiding organizations and entire sectors through the uncertain times ahead.
Women Often Demonstrate Essential Leadership Capabilities
A growing body of research suggests that women are substantially adept when it comes to the skills and traits that are vital for effective leadership. In 2019, business development experts Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman performed a particularly comprehensive study of gender and leadership. According to their findings, men in leadership roles ranked higher on two key capabilities: strategic perspective and technical/professional expertise. Meanwhile, women in leadership ranked higher on all other key leadership capabilities.
Notably, men only outranked women in perspective and expertise by about 1 percentage point, while women excelled in the other capabilities by a wide margin. For example, when it came to taking initiative, women leaders ranked 7.4 percentage points higher than their male counterparts. Similarly, they scored 5.4 percentage points higher on being resilient and 5.1 percentage points higher on their ability to drive results.
But Zenger and Folkman noted that while women scored higher on nearly all leadership capabilities, these leaders weren't promoting the narrative themselves. Women were found to give themselves lower self-assessments in nearly all categories, compared to men.
Women's Best Leadership Skills Are Critical For The Future
In today's business landscape, we can be assured of only one thing: We are entering an uncertain time. Change is in the air, but the form it takes and its impact on work is yet to be seen. Several leadership capabilities will be critical for navigating this future, and based on Zenger and Folkman's research, they're all areas where women excel.
Bold Leadership: In the face of uncertainty, there's no question that leaders' ability to take risks and make brave decisions will be essential. They must be able to respond quickly to shifting economic and political situations that can impact performance and operations, like retaining highly qualified foreign employees or quickly rebuilding supply chains.
Communication: In times of change, disinformation and misinformation tend to proliferate. To stop these from taking root, leaders must get ahead of the storm with well-crafted, consistent and transparent communication.
Integrity: Instability can undermine psychological safety, which is why organizations with an honest, trustworthy reputation are more likely to thrive. Leaders who are adept at building high-trust cultures are better positioned to keep their best talent and drive results.
Motivation: Everyone responds to uncertainty differently. Some people simply shut down and retreat, while others are prone to anger and high-stress behaviors. For these reasons, leaders who can inspire and motivate team members are going to play a vital role.
Problem-Solving And Analysis: One of the most important skills leaders will need in the coming years is the ability to solve problems and analyze issues, especially in collaboration with diverse groups. In times of rapid, unpredictable change, listening to conflicting perspectives, thinking critically about possible scenarios and moving toward action are essential for sustainable success.
Whatever 2025 may bring, certain capabilities will be much needed as we temper change and try to ensure team members are doing the work that truly matters. For the best chance of success, organizations may want to leverage the guidance and expertise of women leaders.