Zenger Folkman Finds How Women Leaders Can Leverage Their Strengths

Orem, UT, June 28, 2017 --(PR.com)-- Companies are in need of strong leadership, and women are a huge untapped resource, particularly in key leadership positions. Research shows that although women make up around 50% of the workforce there are still small numbers that manage to break into top leadership positions. In fact, women only represent about 3% of CEOs. Zenger Folkman has found ways women leaders can change that number by leveraging their unique strengths.

A few years ago Zenger Folkman shared a study in Harvard Business Review that showed the performance of women leaders compared to men. In Zenger Folkman’s database of over 85,000 leaders they found that according to 360 analysis, women outperformed men in 12 of the 16 competencies they measure.

Additionally, another Zenger Folkman study found that throughout their careers women they are more likely to seek out development opportunities. As a result, women were rated significantly more effective leaders than men toward the end of their careers because of their desires for continual growth. This demonstrates the power of development and continuous improvement.

“My point is not to say that one gender is better than the other,” said Jack Zenger, CEO of Zenger Folkman. “Rather, both are effective and with the rising shortage of senior leaders, both are needed.” Kevin Kelly, CEO of Heidrick and Struggles, found that 40% of executives hired at the senior level are pushed out, fail or quit within 18 months. Organizations can greatly benefit from putting more emphasis on identifying women in their ranks, and working to develop them for senior roles they can succeed in.

To learn more ways to develop women leaders, attend Zenger Folkman’s webinar, The Urgency of Developing More Women Leaders! How to Leverage Their Unique Strengths, on Wednesday June 28, 2017. For more information on these findings, and how to incorporate them into a leadership development plan, visit www.zengerfolkman.com.