l, to begin with Part 4, Enabling Others to Act. Kouzes & Posner found in their research that in cases of success, it was almost never done alone. Women possess a superior sense of teamwork, cooperation, and collaboration. "If the goal is to improve performance, the winning bet will be on cooperation over competition every time. Competition almost never results in best performance; pursuing excellence is a collaborator's game" (Kouzes & Posner, p. 152). Especially in joint tasks, cooperation and collaboration are keys to success. Enabling others to act is innate in women. Again, as primary caregivers, they are subject to letting their children go and experience life and make their own mistakes, this is just second nature to women. Reciprocity is key in executing effective leadership. Women focus a lot of their energy and time in maintaining and building relationships with the people around them. Reciprocity is one of the components of building a relationship, "reciprocity also leads to predictability and stability in relationships, which can keep both relationships and negotiations from breaking down" (Kouzes & Posner, p. 157). Reciprocity is described as having the willingness to be cooperative and an unwillingness to be taken advantage of. To foster collaboration encompasses what women leaders are. The sharing of information and resources is, again, like second nature to women. This is through their socialization. That is not to say that all women possess these characteristics, but it is based on the majority through studies and extensive research. Building trusting relationships is the embodiment of the female psyche. Without trust in the people around them, their effectiveness as a leader, employee, wife, mother or friend is non-existent. Women strive for trust in the people they connect with on daily basis and they strive to be trusted. "Trust is at the heart of fostering collaboration. It's the central issue in human relationships...
