A century and a half ago, the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer wrote that "women exist only for the propagation of the family, and this is the only reason for their appointment. Researchers of the XX century, on the contrary - have repeatedly argued that the female brain reacts to danger, stress and other surprises in the conduct of business differently than the male. The brain of a man is specialized, it contributes to concentration on a separate task in a separate period of time. The woman's brain easily copes with several things at the same time. Therefore, in the future, companies will be more successful, at the helm of which - ladies, who can see the prospects of the business, and all the nuances of its development. By our time, probably, should have come the era of matriarchy in business. However, this has not happened yet.
The chromosome is to blame
One of the most common stereotypes: business is a man's occupation. Because it is always connected with risk, and the weak sex is characterized by the desire for stability. But today the businesswoman and the modern woman boss are also conquering this strictly male territory. True, using your methods. As the leader of the world proletariat once said: "We will go the other way." Here are the ladies and went. On this way, they were expected by one underwater rock - the X-chromosome, which, in fact, makes us women.
As if the businesswoman and the modern woman boss is not engaged in self-education, she can not deceive the genetic nature. But if you remember this, you can, first, avoid many mistakes, and secondly, to achieve success (hurray!), Even more than men.
It turns out that the "sex" differences in the methods of doing business were laid down in a primitive society.
Even then, the man, coming out of the cave, developed his expansive thinking. He saw before him the expanses of the pristine nature and realized that it was necessary to hunt and bring booty home. In business, this quality is called a transgression, that is, the ability to go beyond the limits of one's own self, to "break" the boundaries of one's own comfort zone. In the cave it was comfortable, but I (the man) in order to become successful, must get out of it, find myself something new, achieve some definite result, although this is risky. "I need to find the beast, so I'm learning to navigate in space, develop my spatial thinking." Today, these qualities help a man to become successful in business. After all, expansive, spatial thinking, the ability to predict - qualities that allow you to expand sales channels and reach a different level.
Dynamically developing brands, in fact, - the male genome. " Well, while the man was hunting, the woman was sitting in a cave by the fire, studying what was next to her. How does this affect business now? Businessmen and modern women bosses develop corporate culture, first build business projections inside the company, and only then think about the seizure of new territories. That is, in fact they create a fertile soil around themselves for further development, and without this they will not go further.
Now let's compare what games in childhood we played. Boys preferred football, hockey, boxing, that is all that is aimed at the result: you have to win not to become a loser. The girls were interested in "process games" like "daughter-mother", which in fact did not end with anything. By the way, if a woman in childhood was involved in sports, it also affected her character, gave the mind a muscularity. Virtually all successful business women and modern women bosses in their early years played with the boys, or they were brought up by fathers who were their authority, or they went in for sports and already then realized that everything in this life has a purpose and result.
Another condition that influenced different approaches to the business of women and men is traditional education, when boys were forbidden to cry, but girls were not forbidden to show their emotions. Now, it turns out that emotionality, inability to control one's feelings is one of the greatest problems of the leader. Well, if an ill-mannered lady who does not know how to behave in her hands, "gets at the helm" - write was gone. This grief is not only for her subordinates, but also harm to the cause. Because of her emotional-personal approach, she makes a lot of irrational business.
In collectives headed by such women, especially a lot of their own and others.
The boss surrounds herself with pets, which affect the personnel policy and all business processes. It's no secret that because of such sycophants talented and self-sufficient employees leave the organization. Because "those close to the Queen's body" become a kind of buffer between the leader and the team, they inform her in the ears only of the information she wants to hear, and not what is really happening. In addition, by nature, a woman is subject to mood swings. And this also has a negative effect on the work. In a bad mood she can turn an employee from an idol into an outcast, literally mix it with dirt. Simply because some of his actions, even if not related to work, she did not like or someone "sang" in the ears. Here is a man-manager before such a showdown, as a rule, does not go down, like a businesswoman and a modern woman boss.
The head of aggression can be forgiven, and businesswomen and modern women to the boss of the explosion of destructive emotions - never. About it immediately begin to gossip, hint at the menopause, the fact that she, they say, "disliked." That is, if a man causes fear, then the woman turns into an object of ridicule and contempt of subordinates. So the team forms its own team, which opposes the chefina. Therefore, if a woman wants to become a good leader, she will have to learn to control emotions, apply much more effort for self-improvement, rather than her male colleague. But if she does this inner work, she will be able to reach even greater heights than her male colleague. The classicist of Marxism said that a woman is strong in her weakness. But not in business.
Serve would be glad ...
But, if you do not give free rein to emotions, then in the rest, it turns out, it is more profitable to act like a true woman. Jim Collins, the author of some of the best business books in the opinion of Forbes magazine, believes that today we need to change tactics to achieve success. As it was before? At first the goal was determined, and under it the team was recruited. In the work "From Good to Great," Collins says that you need to do the exact opposite: to gather like-minded people, they will determine the direction, and they will be able to create all conditions for victory. Actually, this is a purely feminine approach. Ladies first build horizontal ties, and only then move to the intended goal. Unlike men who are only focused on the result of work, and they are not very interested in the microclimate in the team. Women select personnel in terms of people's compatibility, so that the team is well-coordinated. And this is the key to success.
Moreover , business coaches recommend that the company empathize with the team to achieve new heights. Empathy - the ability to empathize. That is, the leader in relation to his subordinates should become a partner leader, even a leader-servant, as advised, for example, by one of the world's most recognized leadership experts Stephen Covey. He argues that a good manager, in contrast to the old model of the "carrot and stick" leadership, should inspire people in our time, use their inner motivation, evoke the emotional attachment of the employee to the company and to the business. This style of management "friend - partner - father" - an excellent basis for harmonization of relations in the team and business. And this is the end of women! Oh, we have no equal with our ability to empathize.
Yes. But then women can be trapped by the danger of hypertrophying this style, from a partner to turning into a mommy, a hen, "- warns Tatiana Ivanova. And then the subordinates will simply start manipulating such a boss, because they will see her weak points: "Aha, once I managed to press on pity, the chefina went to meet me, you can do it for the second and third time." You can not cross this line. Or just one day you'll have to put the subordinates in place. If you feel that you have sat on your head, you need a smile on your face (this is mandatory!), Calmly and politely dot the "i". Explain what you do not like in this situation. This will already be constructive criticism when you do not go over to individuals, but talk about the reasons why the business situation you do not like.
If I were the queen
The businesswoman and the modern woman boss comes to the team in different ways. And depending on this, she must build relationships with the team in different ways. Let's look at how.
Situation one: grew out of the collective. In this case, the main problem is to build a new style of relationships with subordinates who were colleagues yesterday. I'll have to give up the old ties and even revise the circle of girlfriends. Such a boss needs to quickly limit their territory and establish a personal status quo. The difficulty is not to lose the empathy of the relationship. On the one hand, we must make it clear: "I am always ready to listen to you!" On the other hand, to draw a clear boundary, what is possible and what is not permissible for subordinates.
At trainings I always say businesswomen and modern women to bosses that their first meeting in a new position should be devoted to the division of spheres of competence: "You are responsible for that, and you are for it. And I, the girls, evaluate your work on such and such criteria. " The headmistress must determine the requirements that all must adhere to: professionalism, punctuality, reliability, compulsion and no "women's tricks", that is, emotions, gossip, conversations and labels. Second: she needs to immediately motivate colleagues not "to", but "from": to warn what she would not want in her team. And third, that the headmistress should say at her first meeting: "I'm more ready to be your colleague. But let's agree with you: I can and encourage this, but I will not even listen to such things in my office, because they harm our common business. " The most interesting is that most of the newly made "Lady Boss" hold such meetings, but then not everyone succeeds in adhering to these principles. And again because of the emotional nature of women.
Situation two : "guest star". In modern management, they are already turning away from the practice of inviting leaders "from outside." It is believed that it is more profitable to grow professionals within the team. The fact is that no matter how profitable a person is, he will need about one and a half years to understand the work of the company. Hence the two problems of the "invited" new leader: to establish the status quo as a specialist who completes his money, plus join the team to be perceived as a member of the team. Here you need to remember that any broom understands the twig. A businesswoman and a modern woman boss should meet with each member of the team, talk with him, find out what goals he sets for himself in the company, find out his inner motivation.
What is the complexity of the situation for such a manager? The company probably had applicants for this position. Therefore, the first thing to do is to conduct reconnaissance and find out who these people are. "If I were a queen, I would invite them to my office and say:" Girls (or boys), it happened ... I was not going to cross anyone, it was an indication of the higher leadership. But I want to assure you that I will do my best to make you comfortable with me. If you saw yourself in this position, then, of course, you deserve it. " And then the ex-applicants for your chair should be given a maximum of preferences, some independent projects, so that they can show themselves.
Emphasize at meetings what kind of respectable specialists it is. That is, the first thing to do is to reach out to them. But if you do not see a response, moreover, you will understand that the king is naked, try with the help of the collective (and not personally) to lead everyone to the conclusion that these people are pulling the company back by their actions.
Situation the third: the owner of own business, It is necessary to remind once again about the "iron hand in a velvet glove", and about control over emotions, and about empathy of relations. Just add and the so-called principle of territorialism - a person as a biological being always defends its territory.
Therefore, in business, you should not bet on relatives and friends. This is a fatal mistake that cost a lot to many. In fact, a good manager is one that from strangers creates a team of like-minded people and friends. The mediocre leader tries to blind the team from his loved ones and eventually loses both friendly relations and professional ones.
Finally, it is not superfluous to talk about a "heterogeneous" approach to subordinates. There is a myth that it is difficult for a woman to lead men. In fact, most ladies will say that it's quite the opposite. Men can even forgive the boss some female weaknesses and perceive them as a kind of charm. The only thing, such a leader should immediately and clearly determine their status in the team, and then the male subordinates will begin to perceive it as a leader. On businesswomen and modern women bosses "to press authority" is more difficult, the weaker sex is not respected by the chair, but by the personal qualities of the boss. Therefore, with each of the ladies will have to build individual relationships. In fact, make up for each psychological dossier and in the process of leadership use their personal incentives: ambitious - to raise in a position experiencing financial difficulties - to give the possibility of additional earnings. The main thing in the women's team is to create an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding. And then you can expect that each employee "and the horse at a stop will stop, and enter the burning hut."