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A study by Harvard Business School found that businesses had a higher collective IQ score when their team included females in the top positions of the company.
Female input at the top has also been found to enhance business equity by 53%. Further, women leaders can produce a 42% increase in sales revenue.
These statistics and results from many other studies show that women’s unique skills and attributes significantly bolster a business’s success.
Former CEO of eBay, Meg Whitman, told Psychology Today that her ability to listen and empathise helped eBay become one of the fastest growing companies in the world.
Here are five more examples of female leaders paving the way for others with their innate feminine skills.
Edwina Kolomanski and Madeleine Grummet – Founders Of Girledworld
“Girls can’t be what they can’t see,” is the motto for Girledworld, an organisation which supports teenage girls in finding their career paths in life.
Founded by Edwina Kolomanski and Madeleine Grummet, Girledworld collaborates with schools, parents and industries. The organisation provides events for teenage girls in Victoria, Australia.
Girledworld Summits feature women leaders from a range of professional backgrounds, including business and STEM. The events host seminars and showcases cutting-edge technologies. Attendees benefit from meeting strong females and testing out high-tech tools that will enhance their futures.
For co-founder, Madeleine, the decision to set up the organisation came from her instincts as a nurturing mother. In an interview with ABC News, Madeleine said she was shocked to find out that women in STEM fields account for only 16% of the 2.3 million professionals in Australia.
She continued, “I’ve got four girls aged 15, 14, 12 and 8, and I did look at that and think, ‘What sort of future are they stepping into?”
Madeleine cited unstable career paths as a possibility for her daughters in the future. Girledtech aims to equip girls with a positive mindset and the curiosity to explore typically male-dominated industries.
Co-founder Edwina, in an interview with The Weekly Review, revealed the organisation’s plans for the future — the team is currently working on a range of digital assets. These tools take the content of their Summits and translate it into one-on-one training packages. Edwina is also hoping to share these resources with young women worldwide.
Takeaway Tip: Creating a line of digital assets can be a huge benefit to the personal development of your team. Film training seminars and come up with innovative ways to share these insights with the world.
Mariam Naficy- CEO Of Minted
Minted combines crowdfunding with analytics to bring the hottest designs to market. The community of Minted artists utilises the platform to build their careers making the things they love.
Minted’s revolutionary voting system places the purchasing power with consumers. This feature gives community enthusiasts the opportunity to give something back to Minted’s talented artists.
Minted features the work of textile and packaging designers, as well as stay-at-home crafters.
However, money is not Miriam’s number one motivating factor in life. Through Minted’s partnership with a nonprofit, Every Mother Counts, donations from sales help women in the third world with pregnancy and childbirth. This philanthropic message helps further awareness of female inequality across the globe.
In an interview with FastCompany, Miriam spoke of her own experience of having children during her career,
“I would advise women to take more risks earlier in their careers than men. There’s a natural age at which women may consider having children, and it’s best to have gotten as far as possible with your career by then so that you have the leverage to set the terms of your work when you’re a mom.”
Takeaway Tip: Let your strong ethical values shine through your organisation. Donating a proportion of your company profits is just one way of giving something back. Building a culture of awareness of social inequality is another way to change the world with your business model.
Catalina Girald Founder Of Naja Lingerie
The underwear industry is known for using hypersexualised imagery as a selling tactic. For the average woman, the site of a sultry lingerie model on a billboard can fill them with self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy.
For Catalina Girald, Founder of Naja Lingerie, these media depictions turned her off as a consumer,
“When you look at the lingerie industry, their advertisements, it’s always a woman in some sexual position. There’s always a sexual connotation to it. It’s about her pleasing somebody else. I don’t think that that’s a positive message for young women and girls.”
So, inspired by the Body Positivity movement, Catalina decided to create a product that was different. She launched her own ethical brand of lingerie, Naja, in 2013.
Each product is designed with the customer’s confidence in mind. Inspirational, handwritten quotes appear in Naja’s packaging. Also, each set of garments features colourful prints on the inside – included for the delight of the wearer and no one else.
Catalina’s empathy for women also extends to Naja’s separate nonprofit division, Underwear for Hope. This initiative sets up work and training for single mothers in Colombia’s slums.
It has been a lifelong passion of Catalina’s to promote women and help them achieve their life goals, regardless of their circumstances.
Takeaway Tip: For a better organisational culture, empathise with your customers and staff. Find out their additional pressures in life and look for ways your services can be altered to make a positive difference.
Tabby Biddle – Women’s Leadership Coach And Author
Tabby Biddle is a writer, public speaker, and leadership coach. Her journey to success started back in 2007, when she decided to turn her passion for yoga into a fitness wear brand.
Each of the items in Tabby’s clothing line featured a Hindu goddess. The garments were designed to remind the wearer that they carry the same divine qualities within their female body.
After just a few short years of business success, Tabby got press fellowship for a UN Assembly event in NYC. It was her job to report on the speakers and promote her belief in nurturing your inner goddess to unlock leadership potential.
However, upon her arrival, she quickly noticed the male-dominated atmosphere stifling her authentic, feminine voice.
This unpleasant feeling spurred Tabby on to become a business leadership coach and author of the book, Find Your Voice: A Woman’s Call To Action.
In an interview with Chunk of Change, Tabby reveals her best secrets for finding your divinely feminine voice in the world of business,
“First, get in touch with what you really want to say. What are the injustices that you see in the world that could–and should–be different? Get clear and see what you want to be visible with. Then, become visible so that you can create some positive change. That is the energy that will enable you to get out of your own fear-zone way.”
Takeaway Tip: For some, finding your voice could mean writing a book, running for political office or, like Tabby, creating an online store to share your unique products. Sharing your passions with the world helps you step out of fear-based thinking and become a business innovator. For more on building a culture of innovation within to your organisation, take a look at this previous post.
Frédérique Irwin – Founder Of Her Corner
Dedicated business development platforms like Her Corner pair business mentors with talented professionals. The service aims to provide women with a strong community of like-minded individuals.
Founder of Her Corner, Frédérique (Fred) Irwin, built her platform on the belief that women would flock to the site to collaborate. In an interview with Forbes, Fred said,
“Whoever said that women don’t help one another was full of bologna. Women do collaborate, very much so. And what we’ve witnessed via peer groups and accelerators is that if you give them a place to come together and connect, talk business, and help one another, not only do they collaborate, but they genuinely help one another grow their businesses.”
Through Her Corner’s events and Accelerator Program, female entrepreneurs benefit from one-on-one mentoring. Members can also access business development resources and meet-up events through the platform.
Takeaway Tip: Encourage collaboration amongst your team members. Many business leaders use mentoring programs for new staff. However, personal mentoring relationships can also be beneficial for experienced members of your organisation.
SUMMARY
There you have it: five female business leaders paving the way for others. Whether their efforts help other businesses or people in poverty, these leaders work tirelessly to make the world a better place. Take these ladies’ lessons on-board and never shy away from using your authentic talents.
5 Female Leaders Paving The Way For Others
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