Globally, women hold 24 percent of senior business roles, and that number is up from 22 percent in 2015. With an estimated 8.6 million women-owned businesses in the United States—generating nearly $1.3 trillion in revenues and employing 7.8 million people—and 77 percent of women worldwide considering their careers to be successful, it is a great era for female leaders. However, there is definitely room for improvement: For instance, only 4 percent of Fortune 500 companies have women CEOs.
It’s imperative for aspiring female leaders to study and understand the habits and thought processes of successful women at the top. Here are three key qualities that these leaders share, and that aspiring leaders need to possess in order to rise to the top:
- Persistence
Having endurance and never giving up is key to being a good leader. Although you will be tempted to quit at times—and even encouraged to quit—it’s important to stay determined and remain unwilling to throw in the towel. According to a recent Deloitte and Touche survey, female senior executives rated “determination and perseverance” as the number one essential quality for women’s success in business.
Leaders are not cultivated in comfort zones; nor do they often have exceptional talent or all the answers. Instead they can collect all the necessary information to make informed decisions, learn from their mistakes and get up and try again. Women in business need to be persistent. Many women before you have faced obstacles in the workplace and kept going; do the same and influence the women who will follow you.
- Resilience
From having to deal with glass ceilings to gender stress gaps, financial crises to family crises, women leaders face a plethora of challenges that require resilience to overcome.
Oftentimes, women leaders come in with great ideas only to have others knock them down. Instead of taking it personally and responding with regret and frustration, great leaders accept that it didn’t work, figure out why it didn’t work and then readjust the concept and try again. Presentation, timing and influence all have impact on how ones idea is accepted or rejected. Successful people also know that one must get buy in from other influential people in the organization who can help vet the idea for cultural fit, execution feasibility and most importantly the why of the idea.
- Curiosity
Great women leaders are curious; when things are working well or they are not working well leaders are take a moment to ponder the “why.”
Even though the adage says, “curiosity killed the cat,” as a female leader, curiosity is one of the most valuable tools you can have. Curiosity means continually asking questions and wondering why things are a certain way. It is through the search for new paths, strategies, ideas, talent and efficiencies that new ground is forged. Continually seeking fresh ideas and approaches keeps leaders and their companies on pace with change and keeps them ahead of competitors. Great women leaders surround themselves with other brilliant leaders and people that have ideas and thoughts that are different from their own—this spurs innovation.
Now is a great and exciting time to be a woman in leadership and for us to support one another on our path, women who are striving to climb the corporate ladder are best served by observing and emulating the traits and qualities of those successful women who have already victoriously blazed the path.
Photo by Omar Yassen