Women are Better Managers than Men

Name: Professor’s Name: Course: Date: Women are Better Managers than Men In the past, men were considered to be better leaders than women. The world esteemed men more than women, and even in leadership, men were seen as being the best fit. Women, were secluded or isolated to the household chores and it was unnatural for them to ever assume leadership positions. In a study done by Gallup more than 60 years ago, Smith notes that 66% of the people who were interviewed said: “they preferred a male boss; 5% said they preferred a female boss, and 25% claimed it made no difference to them.” Having a female boss was not popular, and since men ruled the world, it was only right and fitting that they be bosses as well. However, what seemed unpopular more than 60 years ago has now become quite common with more people now preferring to work for female bosses. So, what changed? Well, as it will be revealed in this paper, women happen to make better managers than men. The past was not easy for women who had to fight for their place in the world. However, today, women cannot be ignored and their contribution to the world as well. The assumptions that women cannot lead because they are too emotional, they take criticism personally, and that they cannot separate personal issues from their work are slowly but permanently being put to rest. Women are not only known to be great at creating social connections but are also inspiring, motivating, understanding, and emotionally intelligent compared to men and it is on the basis of these that this paper seeks to agree with the notion that women are better managers than men. One reason why women make better managers is because they have high emotional intelligence compared to men. Research by the Hay Group revealed that “women score higher than men on nearly all emotional intelligence competencies, except emotional self-control, where no gender differences are observed” (2016). Unlike men, women are more personal and keener on feelings and emotions. They are also good at collecting emotional data and having this data influence their decision-making process. As a leader, it is crucial for one to read and understand people’s reactions and know their needs. When a leader knows how to read their employees’ needs, it is possible to respond to them and to make credible attempts at meeting them. Employees want to feel understood and also like they are being seen. For a leader, it is impossible to be effective and influence one’s workforce if one does not know how to respond or even observe their employees’ emotional needs. Women are good at detecting and using their emotional self-awareness, and this is supported by the Hay Group’s report which indicates that “18.4% of women demonstrate the competency consistently compared to just 9.9% of men.” The competency discussed here is emotional, and this helps to affirm that women make better managers than men. Another thing that stands out for women is that they are better than men at encouraging and growing potential in their employees. As indicated earlier, it is crucial for managers or leaders to know and understand the needs and desires of their employees. Women managers excel at this and have been found to encourage the growth and development of their employees. A 2012 report by Gallup showed that “employees who work for a female manager are 1.26 times more likely than employees who work for a male manager to strongly agree that “There is someone at work who encourages my development”” (Gallup, 27). As an employee, one wants to work for a manager who is ready to help them grow. Employees do not want to be in the same job for years without any prospect of either promotion or growth. So, while promotions require certain steps to be actualized, growth is different. As a manager, one has to find ways to stimulate their workforce and make them want to look forward to the next day. When an employee develops within their area of specialization, their productivity increases and issues like turnover may reduce. Because women are more engaged than men, they are able to help their employees grow and develop in their areas of specialization. What the above proves is that women are better transformational leaders compared to men something that Mascia (1) agrees with. This means that employees develop more when a woman is their manager than when a man is their manager. In the end, organizations led by women grow because of the increase in the number of highly-skilled employees. Aside from offering their employees opportunities to grow, women are also known to offer feedback on growth. It is great to offer employees opportunities to grow. However, employees also want to know that their manager is ready to walk with them and make sure they maintain their growth curve. In a 2015 article from the Business Insider, Smith notes that “female managers are more inclined to provide regular feedback to help their employees achieve development goals.” Every employee has career and development goals, and one wishes to find a way to balance between their goals and the organization’s. As a manager, it is crucial to find ways to know what some of the development goals of your employees are. Even though they may not often say it, employees want their managers to express some care and concern. They expect feedback after they have been given a task and criticism because these things help them grow. Talking to an employee about their progress makes things personal, and women are better at this than men because of their great interpersonal skills. Employees want to be empowered through growth and development. However, they also want to work under people who show concern and are ready to give them regular feedback as a way to stimulate personal growth and development and women are ahead of men in this area. Women make better managers than men because they motivate their employees through praise and recognition. Gallup (27) reports that employees who work for “female managers are 1.17 times more likely than those with a male manager to strongly agree that “In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work”.” What this means is that female mana...