In the book titled Leadership, Peter G. Northouse (2016) presents three case studies at the end of chapter 15 which provide situational aspects to some of the most common challenges female leaders confront in the workplace. Even though “the predicament of female leaders has improved significantly in recent decades”, the old metaphor glass ceiling (used to express an ethereal barrier), still exists, yet considered today to be more of a labyrinth when conveying today’s obstacles and challenges that women still face even after they have earned the right to be considered for elite leadership positions (p. 398). What should be considered an advantage to an organization in terms of employee stability, commitment, and loyalty, some employers, such as the one managing Marina Soslow, still consider pregnancy to be a negative consequence in the workplace.
As senior managing director, Marina brings exceptional capital to her position via ten years of experience, loyalty, a devotion to self-improvement via academia, honesty and most importantly, the maturity and foresight to develop a plan to address any issues and the solutions related to work distribution during her absence. Marina wants to win promotion to an executive position, and is more than qualified; however, she experiences an underlying prejudice from her division head, Roy Bond, when he responds to her pregnancy announcement with “I knew this was going to happen sooner or later; it always does” (Northouse, 2016, p. 415). Rather than demonstrating his degree of immaturity and incompetence, Roy should have congratulated Marina on her news, followed up by re-assurance, support and expression of gratitude for her maturity in preparing a plan for him in advance.
Perhaps a combination of poor training and lack of resources led to Roy’s response. Or even worse, the organization may not have established the proper provisions for development and guidance for women in Marina’s position. There can be a myriad of organizational reasons for negligence, but since Roy is Marina’s leader, he should set aside any bias and become the actionable medium between the organization and Marina regardless if precedent had already been set before. Outside the organization’s policies, leaders can embrace this challenge in two ways – through greater understanding and intentional adoption of a more transformational style of leadership. Research and honest discussion will broaden one’s comprehension and will grow the leader’s empathy, while “being considerate and supportive” builds trust and is foundational to one’s leadership effectiveness (Northouse, 2016, p. 408). Ultimately, unexpected changes can make anyone feel vulnerable; but as a leader, you should never work to subvert your followers by amplifying their sense of vulnerability at the hand of your own insecurity.
Matt
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: theory and practice (Seventh ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.