Last year here on the blog, we wrote about inspirational female leaders in conjunction with International Women’s Day; you can read the blog by clicking here.
Following on from International Men’s Day, today’s post is all about our inspirational male leaders.
Gender equality in business has certainly increased in recent years, but we are still quite a way away from it being equal. However, both sexes have their unique personality traits (which are not limited to gender), and the key is variety.
Both can learn from each other when it comes to leadership, and today we’re looking at some of the lessons that we can learn from strong male leaders.
What are ‘Male’ Characteristics?
Despite more recent models describing gender as a spectrum, historically and for the most part, gender characteristics tend to fall into either the ‘male’ or the ‘female’ category.
Professor of Business at the University of Minnesota Anne Cummings studied women in leadership and explored the roles of both genders within the spectrum of leadership.
Cummings asked participants for words they associated with being a male leader. The following terms were on the list: strong, arrogant, intelligent, ego-driven, bravado, powerful, dominant, assertive, focused and competitive.
Once considered to be societally influenced, research has shown that physical difference between male and female brains contribute to the different behaviours we see between the sexes.
Research published by Stanford Medicine notes, “New technologies have generated a growing pile of evidence that there are inherent differences in how men’s and women’s brains are wired and how they work.”
When we consider the list above, which considers men to be arrogant, dominant and aggressive, but also focused, intelligent and strong, what does this mean in a leadership context? Are men victims of their own success, or are they winning in the leadership stakes?
Male Leadership: Advantages and Disadvantages
When you look at the history books, the vast majority of well-known leaders are men – from Julius Ceaser to Winston Churchill, history is full of strong male leaders, and we can learn something from all of them.
Some people view ‘powerful’ leadership traits as a necessary evil for success, such as dominance and bravado, and some perceive male leaders who portray female characteristics as ‘weak’.
Increasingly, we are seeing that the male characteristics of being seen as strong, unwavering and resilient are nothing more than a façade and that men have been struggling with their mental health in silence for too long. It is made worse by the fact that men feel as though to speak out when they are struggling, is a sign of weakness – male mental health is a serious issue and is now progressively being given the attention it deserves.
A study into the struggles of male leaders by Duke’s Fuqua School of Business noted, “When a person is perceived as though they are not competent because they are asking for help, that could probably have some long-term career implications concerning promotions, appointments and evaluations”.
It is more important than ever for us to look out for one another – and working to break down the pretence that male leaders must be infallible needs to be high on all our list of priorities.
Male Leaders: Inspirations
Male leaders have shaped our world and have been instrumental in some of the most significant developments in history.
Let’s look at some inspirational male leaders and what we can learn from them.
Martin Luther King
American activist and figurehead of the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King is one of the most influential leaders of all time. His messages of peace and hope are still helping guide and shape the world now, over 50 years after he was assassinated.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King
Albert Einstein
A genius to whom we owe most of our understanding of the universe, Albert Einstein is still sparking interest in science decades after his death.
He published the paper which contained the world-altering Theory of Relativity at just 26 and dedicated his life to furthering our knowledge of the universe. He dedicated his later years to passing on his knowledge and had a work ethic which was second to none.
“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein
Steve Jobs
And finally, one of the great business leaders of our time. Apple chairman Steve Jobs was an inventor, designer and entrepreneur, whose thirst for innovation brought life-changing technology into our living rooms.
“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” – Steve Jobs
Are you looking to improve your leadership skills and inspire others?
Check out our range of leadership programmes to bring out the best leader in you – view our leadership programmes here.
Until next time,
Julia
About Zestfor
Zestfor specialises in developing Training programmes and resources scientifically tailored for technical markets – including Pharmaceutical, IT, and Life Sciences.
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