The article, 6 Ways Women Leaders Make A Difference (Copyright, DiversityInc) by Jennifer Millman (Date posted: March 2008), has been reprinted with permission from DiversityInc magazine. No further reprinting of this article is authorized, unless prior permission is obtained from the publisher.

Ask any woman leader what it takes to get ahead. Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, one of nine female governors in the United States, is one of many who would answer “perseverance.”

But it takes more than tenacity. While more women than ever hold leadership roles today—16 U.S. senators, 13 Fortune 500 CEOs, two presidents of major universities—these images are largely absent for women of color, and women’s overall progress in the top ranks remains slow.

“We know how to manage relationships; we deal with conflict; we’re always negotiating, and those are all such critical leadership skills that we underestimate at times,” says Rosie Saez, senior vice president and Leadership Practices Group director for Wachovia, No. 11 on The 2007 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® list.

If more women led Fortune 500 companies, state/federal governments or other management roles, how would the world be changed? Here are six qualities that women leaders—past and present— share that make a difference to their companies, communities and countries.

1. Courage

Throughout history, women leaders have enacted vast social and political change by bravely taking the first step and holding ground, despite assaults on their character, integrity and, in some cases, their lives.“

The forces of moderation and democracy must, and will, prevail against extremism and dictatorship. I will not be intimidated. I will step out on the tarmac in Karachi not to complete a journey but to begin one. Despite threats of death, I will not acquiesce to tyranny but rather lead the fight against it.” —Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister of Pakistan, first woman to lead a Muslim country, on Oct. 18, 2007, just two months before her assassination.

2. Vision

Women’s leadership is about transformation and empowerment—individually and organizationally—whereas men’s is often about “commandand- control.”

“When it comes to aspirations and goals, men’s desires are much simpler. Power and money is what they crave,” says Sylvia Ann Hewlett, president and founder, Center for Work-Life Policy, citing an International Survey Research study. “Women are more complicated. Money and power still figure into their list, but six other goals— high-quality colleagues, being myself at work, flexibility, collaboration and team work, giving back to society, recognition—all come in ahead of career advancement and financial rewards.”

3. Multitasking

Even while running major businesses, most women leaders are still expected to run their households. Communication and time-management skills that successful women develop in this process make them superior in prioritizing responsibilities for themselves and others.

“If you ask a woman governor or tribal leader what steps she is taking to develop the economy, she will talk about infrastructure, good healthcare, education and childcare as well as the development of enterprises,” says Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to lead a major Native American tribe as former principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. “If you ask a male governor or tribal leader, he will speak about a finite set of businesses being developed.”

Managing work/life and identity issues requires agility, especially for women of color, who often shoulder the burden of care for their children, aging parents and extended families. Saez, for example, was offered a promotion to an enterprise-wide job—but she’d have had to relocate, and her father was dying at the time. It was a tough decision, but she accepted the opportunity.

“The company said, ‘We’ll pay for you to come into Charlotte every week; we’ll house you and you can do your job from here a couple days a week and a couple of days from home,’” says Saez.

4. Nurturing

Personal and professional success aren’t mutually exclusive for women, who are more likely than men to have identified a role model or mentor who inspired them, according to a McKinsey Quarterly survey of global executives. In turn, they invest in the professional development of the next generation.

For women of color, whose race and gender often compound barriers to advancement, this is even more crucial. Those who get to the top appreciate the mentors who helped them acquire the confidence to step out of their comfort zones. As leaders, they commit to training and inspiring young Black, Latina, Asian and Native American women with talent to do the same.

“There are highly skilled, wonderful, talented women and minorities; sometimes we need to bring them into the limelight in order for them to shine,” says Gwendolyn Sykes, former chief financial officer of the National Aeronautics Space Administration. “Sometimes you’ve just got to go grab someone, drag one, sometimes kicking and screaming, until they get used to the idea they could be a leader.”

5. Collaboration

Being taken seriously despite stereotypes and navigating a culture from which your race or gender has traditionally been excluded require dexterity, interpersonal competency and superior negotiation skills. To find allies, women must earn the trust of people who are different long enough to show how they can achieve mutual goals by working together. In the process, they gain credibility, challenge assumptions and create cultural change.

“My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group. There was much less competition,” said Indira Gandhi, former prime minister of India, in 1982.

6. Self-awareness

Many women leaders say internal battles—such as “I’m not good enough, I don’t have the experience to do the job”—are most challenging. They have to find themselves first to be grounded, and their self-awareness leads to insight about managing people.

“Sometimes as women we believe we have to learn everything in an area. Men will go and say they’ll move on, whereas we say we need to know everything, do everything right or it won’t be good enough,” says Erica Qualls, general manager of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Marriott International is No. 46 on the Top 50.

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