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Unlocking the Hidden Leadership Superpowers of Women in the Workplace


The Hidden Leadership Superpowers Women Bring to the Workplace (And How to Get Recognised For Them):

When we think about effective leadership, we often default to traditional masculine traits - decisiveness, assertiveness, and authority. However, groundbreaking research reveals that women bring a powerful set of under appreciated skills to leadership roles - qualities that are increasingly vital in today's complex, collaborative workplace environments. 


These strengths - emotional intelligence, inclusive leadership, pragmatic problem-solving, and relationship-building - often form the backbone of high-performing teams and positive workplace cultures. Yet they frequently go unrecognized in formal evaluations and promotion decisions. 


At the Women of out time Support Hub, we're committed to helping women identify, articulate, and gain proper recognition for these critical leadership competencies. 


Why These "Soft" Skills Are Actually Hard-Core Leadership Assets 

1. Emotional Intelligence: The Secret Sauce of Effective Leadership 

  • Women consistently score higher than men in 11 of 12 key emotional intelligence competencies, including emotional self-awareness, empathy, and conflict management (Korn Ferry) 

  • Teams with emotionally intelligent leaders show: 

  • 34% higher employee retention (Gallup) 

  • 20% boost in productivity (MIT Sloan) 

  • 26% fewer workplace conflicts (CCL) 

2. Inclusive Leadership: Driving Innovation Through Diversity 

3. Pragmatic Problem-Solving: The Art of Balancing Logic and Humanity 


The Visibility Gap: Why Women's Leadership Contributions Get Overlooked:

Despite their proven value, these critical skills often become "invisible work" in organizations: 

  • Women spend 30% more time than men on "office housework" like mentoring, organizing events, and supporting colleagues (HBR) 

  • Only 18% of companies formally assess emotional intelligence in performance reviews (Gartner) 

  • 67% of women report their collaborative contributions aren't properly recognized in promotion decisions (Lean In) 


This creates a leadership paradox: organisations benefit from women's leadership strengths but fail to properly reward them. 

 

Strategies to Make Your Leadership Visible and Valued:

1. Document Your Impact Systematically 

Create a "Leadership Portfolio" that tracks: 

  • Mentoring relationships and their outcomes 

  • Team conflicts resolved 

  • Initiatives to improve workplace culture 

  • Examples of inclusive decision-making 

Pro Tip: Use the CAR method (Challenge-Action-Result) to structure your examples. 


2. Master the Language of Organisational Value 

Transform "soft skill" descriptions into business impact statements


3. Build Your Case for Promotion 

When seeking advancement: 

  1. Align your contributions with company priorities 

  2. Quantify impacts wherever possible 

  3. Showcase how your approach differs from traditional leadership 

  4. Demonstrate the ROI of your leadership style 


4. Advocate for Systemic Change 

  • Propose updates to performance evaluation criteria 

  • Share research on the business value of diverse leadership 

  • Encourage 360-degree feedback processes 

  • Suggest skill-based recognition programs 



 

 
 
 

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