The Great Debate: How Would the World be Different if 50 Percent of Leaders Were Women?

Recently someone posed a question to a discussion group I’m a part of, and the conversation created so much buzz that I thought I’d bring it up on this blog. It’s a touchy subject but a great conversation piece. Here’s the question:

How would the world be different if 50% of leaders were women?

Interestingly enough the discussion group is on LinkedIn and is titled, “John Maxwell – Developing the Leader within You.” I know John’s opinion on the subject of women leaders and men leaders. He says there is no such thing. There are simply leaders; some happen to be men, and some happen to be women.  The principles of leadership do not change based on which gender is carrying them out.

I believe this same philosophy applies to different generations. As younger leaders begin to lead, the same rules of leadership apply. Young leaders don’t bring an entirely new set of leadership rules to the table.

So What’s the Answer?

The funny thing about this discussion is that no one really gave a firm answer. Both men and women debated the topic, but the conversation stayed pretty balanced as the participants realized there is a societal issue at hand. It’s often our habit to expect men to lead. However, there’s also a level of intrigue regarding how we can bring more desirable feminine characteristics into leadership.

So before you make up your own mind about the question of whether or not the world would be different if 50 percent of the leaders were women, let’s debate it!

First, how do we know that 50 percent of the world’s leaders aren’t women? I think it’s because we are associating leadership with title and position instead of influence.

Leading others is about influence. Having a team that wants to work for you is very different from having to work for you. There are many components of leading, from casting vision, to setting strategy, to coaching and leading the teammates. Both men and women are fully capable of doing each of these leadership activities. So we’re not generalizing gender leaders. We’re discussing leaders. And as a woman leader, I believe that I’m only different if I have an attitude of being different.

What I do believe is the world of leadership would be different if 50 percent of titled leaders understood the true meaning of leading. Today’s leaders need to realize that leadership isn’t positional or dictatorial. Leadership is founded on the ability to influence.

So, that’s my opinion. What do you think?  Would the world be different if 50 percent of the leaders were women? If so, how?