The Three Distinct Leadership Styles That Are Transforming Organizations

We looked at three distinct profiles of female leaders and their respective paths to leadership.

BY: TAMMY HEERMANN

Time was, to paraphrase Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s iconic slogan, women entering hitherto male-dominated career paths had to seek new frontiers and boldly go where few women had gone before.

Declining birth rates, higher levels of advanced education and the shift from manufacturing to knowledge-based economies have definitively redrawn the face of business. Today, women from all walks of life and all professions – from Olympic ice hockey player Hayley Wickenheiser to eBay’s Meg Whitman to media mogul Oprah Winfrey – have ensured that the trail is well marked.

That difficult, early work has allowed increasing numbers of women to craft a new form of leadership – making their own mark in business, the arts, politics, science, medicine and sports.

In its work with executives of both genders across all sectors, Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions has found that the most successful leaders are those who not only continue to blaze trails for others, but in doing so, create value for their organizations and take accountability for results. We looked at three distinct profiles of female leaders and how their unique leadership styles are transforming their organizations.

THE TRUE INNOVATOR

Trained as an engineer, Anne Sado is no stranger to trailblazing. However, it took a dramatic move from the blue-chip corporate world ofBellCanadato post-secondary education for her nature as a true innovator to shine through. Since being appointed as president ofGeorgeBrownCollegein 2004, Sado has spearheaded a dramatic expansion that has seen the school double in size. The expansion will reach its next milestone with the opening of a new campus at Toronto’s waterfront in September 2012.

Reflecting on that rapid expansion, Sado said that the key to her success was in not bringing a prefabricated vision to her new role atGeorgeBrownCollege, but rather working with all stakeholders to make sure everyone was on board.

“I’m one of those people who really believe that when you go into a new situation, you listen and learn,” she said. “You don’t try to sweep in and tell people what you’re going to do and this is how you’re going to do it.”

THE BOUNDARY SHIFTER

In some organizations, innovative leadership can be constrained, even discouraged. Leaders are expected to follow the example and strategies set by their predecessors, not call their own plays. In more formal, hierarchical organizations, leaders are expected to work “inside the box,” not outside of it. In an environment like this, how can a woman not only assume a leadership role, but shift the very definition of leadership?

If you’re Karen Werger, a partner at Deloitte, you build your professional credibility on solid results, and then leverage that to create new boundaries for leadership. A mother of two young children, and with another on the way, Werger has forged an innovative part-time work arrangement in the tough professional services field. “I do feel very fortunate that I get to do something that I love 60 per cent of my week,” Werger said. “I have a lot of friends in professional services and they are amazed that, especially at the partner level, I am able to do this. I think that I’ve helped instill confidence [in the rest of the organization] because they’ve seen that I am there when I need to be and that I am meeting my targets.”

THE NEW TRADITIONALIST

“Results through relationships” is Janice Baker’s mantra. Despite filling a very traditional role as Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Mississauga, Baker has quickly developed a reputation for doing things differently. Neither a grandstander nor a politician, Baker’s insistence on collaboration and consensus-building has consistently brought conflicting stakeholders together. These traits and tactics may be considered by some to be “characteristically female,” but Baker has shown that whether you’re a man or a woman, connection and conversation trump command and control. “I guess I’ve always been of the view that great ideas and interesting perspectives on issues can come from anywhere and the best way to  encourage those to emerge is through more of a consensus style of leadership,” she said.