What qualities make a great woman leader?

Emerging women leaders across the world often reveal that the set of challenges they face are different than those faced by their male counterparts. Considering they still rise above these issues and continue to lead with confidence and ease, goes on to show that the skills and qualities women possess are sure unique. Here are a few of these traits that make a woman successful.

1. Perseverance

Sabina Gault, founder of Konnect PR advises women to not take “no” for an answer. “Women leaders need persistence, perseverance …if you are first in, last out, always hard-working and always pushing for more, your team will do the same and you will earn their respect as a leader,” says Gault.

2.Nurturing Spirit

In the past, women were often seen as weak if they acted on their soft side. Dawniel Winningham, a best-selling author, performance coach and motivational speaker, feels differently: “I think being a nurturer, having a sense of being fair and just, and use of our women's intuition are some of our strongest traits.”

3.Confidence

Mallary Tytel, President of Healthy Workplaces, believes a woman should have an unconditional belief in her abilities. She adds, “Having confidence isn't about bragging or being a show-off, but about not undermining your abilities and creating a culture that values your input.”

4. Giving Back

A marketing entrepreneur, Lori Freemire feels giving back to the society is as important as all the other skills and female leaders should always aspire to do so. She says, “Be trustworthy and trusting; always be willing to learn about yourself and others; look for ways to work with people, not against them. And above all, listen and over-communicate.”

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5. Education

Education when aspiring leadership shouldn’t just be limited to a college degree. Learning from those more experienced than you can also prove to extremely fruitful. According to Winningham, “A coach has a vested interest in getting you to the finish line sooner rather than later, with a structured approach to not only helping you learn, but holding you accountable for the application of those lessons.”

6. Maintaining a balance

Being able to maintain a proper balance between personal and professional life and taking care of your own health is extremely important. Shannon Sennefelder, owner of the Foundational Leadership Institute believes, “Women in general have a belief that self-care is selfish! Nope! It is like breathing, vital to our survival.”

7. Vision

A leader should always be capable of seeing the bigger picture. The founder and CEO of a human resource consulting firm, PeopleResults, Patti Johnson feels, “I think the best qualities in (women) leaders are that they inspire trust, they can paint a picture of the future and they can lead others through change.”

ORIGINAL SOURCE: The Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ekaterina-walter/leadership-qualities-women_b_2491203.html