Women are a force to be reckoned with, whether it be in the business world, sports world, as a parent, or just as human beings.
The old adage says that ‘behind every great man there is a great woman’- these days however, women are no longer standing behind or in the wake of men, but are rather grabbing life by the horns and have taken the art of ‘taking over the world’ into their own hands. We live in a glorious time where lots of testosterone is no longer the driving factor behind greatness and the key to success no longer cites XY chromosomes as a prerequisite.
We all know women are taking the business world by storm. They’re starting and owning more businesses as their dedication, talent and hard work sees their ideas come into fruition. Gone are the days of business being a ‘man’s world’ - after all, have you seen how good women look in suits? So, in honour of women’s month, here are some of the secrets as to how women make waves in the testosterone-filled business world.
Overcome Adversity
First and most importantly is women’s ability to succeed despite the adversity they have had to overcome. Although leaps and bounds have been made by the feminist movement, women in business still have to work harder to prove themselves than their male counterparts. Women still make less than men and are not taken as seriously by their colleagues and superiors. Yet, despite this, women continue to excel in the business world and no, it's not just because they can multitask in the kitchen.
Emotionally Intelligent
While this may be common knowledge amongst women, many men are still in denial about the fact that women are significantly more emotionally intelligent and as such have a greater awareness of the human element of business. Women score highly on emotional intelligence tests, which look at factors like inspirational leadership, coaching and mentoring, organisational awareness and adaptability. As a result of this, women tend to be gifted communicators who pay extra attention to and have greater consideration for the people they work with. Often women are mocked for talking about their feelings, but this means that they can empathise with others more easily, creating greater cohesion in the workplace.
Less Ego
Research has shown (to no one’s surprise) that women are significantly less ego-driven in business than men. Women’s egos are far more likely to remain grounded in reality, while men’s egos are often wont to overinflate. Evidence of this is seen in a study done by the Centre of Entrepreneurship which showed that 42% of women entrepreneurs interviewed said that their business was prospering, while 62% of male entrepreneurs described their business’s performance as such. It must be noted that this has nothing to do with women being less successful, rather that women are more likely to favour honesty and focus on solutions when discussing concerns. In fact, the study further stated that in many cases, the women interviewed were outperforming the men.
While these reasons barely scratch the surface of why women in business are formidable, successful and downright inspirational; they might very well prove useful if you find yourself confronted by a mansplainer who believes the extent of a woman’s business powers is her ability to multitask at home.