or level.The Battle of the SexesThere are many characteristics that women inherently possess that make them great leaders. Women tend to handle juggling many tasks at the same time better than men do. Because women have traditionally been the primary caregiver in the home as well as taking care of the household chores, "juggling" or time management has become second nature to them. Although women are skilled in handling many tasks, studies have shown that women are for the most part, people-oriented, rather than task-oriented (Comer, et.al., 1997). Women also value relationships and tend to spend time nurturing those relationships with their family, as well as subordinates (Andorka, 1998). Coaching, counseling, and mentoring, and the building of relationships are among the many characteristics needed to be an effective leader. In the past, commanding and controlling were thought to be the answer to gaining compliance and hard work from employees. The majority of men lean toward the traditional 'command and control' style and were more likely to view job performance as a series of transactions with subordinates offering rewards for services rendered or punishment for inadequate performance (Brody, 1994). Women understand the effectiveness of immediate praise and tend to be more supportive of one another and the people who work for them. Men wait for proof of achievement before extending gratitude or compliments.In the book, Selling is a Woman's Game, Nicki Joy outlines the characteristics she feels are unique to women that make them prone to leadership roles: "The talent to multi-task, willingness to pay attention to detail, their interest in people, their skill in picking up body language, moods and undertones of conversation, and their superior listening skills" (Comer, et.al., 1997)It is important to note that while the majority of women do possess all or some of these inter-personal skills, men are quite capable of exhibiting these s...
