Women Lead the Way
Your Guide to Stepping into Leadership-and Changing the World
By: Linda Tarr-Whelan
Published: February 14, 2011
Format: Paperback, 240 pages
ISBN-10: 1605098736
ISBN-13: 978-1605098739
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
"To achieve sustainable long-term economic growth and well-being, leadership must become more balanced - and that means it must include more women", writes respected expert on women in leadership and Demos Distinguished Senior Fellow, Linda Tarr-Whelan, in her revolutionary and thought provoking book Women Lead the Way: Your Guide to Stepping into Leadership-and Changing the World. The author describes how leadership decision making would improve for organizations if they were to have thirty percent women in those leadership roles; and provides the road map for achieving what she terms The 30% Solution.
Linda Tarr-Whelan recognizes that there is crisis in leadership in both the corporate and public spheres. The author points out that women comprise only a small segment of the current leadership in organizations of all types. In order to build sustainable organizations and a workplace that is both balanced and productive, more women are needed in leadership roles. Linda Tarr-Whelan offers a solution to this current leadership malaise in the form of the 30% Percent Solution. The author provides solid evidence that when thirty percent of leaders are women, a tipping point is reached, and the organization undergoes a complete transformation in how it thinks and behaves.
Linda Tarr-Whelan (photo left) demonstrates that having more women in leadership positions, is not only the right thing to do, but is good business as well. Gender diversity brings fresh perspectives and new ideas to the boardroom, resulting in new and innovative ideas. Changing who makes the decisions, changes the decisions and the outcomes of those choices.
Woman also change the dynamic of how the workplace operates and functions on a daily basis. Linda Tarr-Whelan warns that having only token female representation in leadership has little effect on the overall decision making process, and on the workplace environment. As a result, the author emphasizes the importance of thirty percent women leaders as forming the essential critical mass for change.
Linda Tarr-Whelan understands that women bring different qualities, worldviews, and ways of doing things to the organization. As a result, women leaders are able to transform an organization through their values and vision. Some of the important and much needed qualities women bring to leadership roles include:
* Preference for collaboration
* Longer and winder time horizons
* Greater appreciation of the importance of relationships
* Focus on crisis prevention
* Fresh vision through more diverse points of view
For me, the power of the book is how Linda Tarr-Whelan presents a convincing case for the importance of The 30% Solution; and offering a practical blueprint for implementing that crucial proposal into any organization. With only 17% of Congressional seats and 14% of Fortune 500 board seats held by women, there is much work to be done. Indeed, the current level of women leaders must double to create the climate for real and sustainable change. When faced with the current and ongoing deadlock in Congress, and the failure of many of America's leading companies, the addition of women's vision and passion is vital for moving forward in both the public and private sectors.
The author provides strong evidence of the change potential that women leaders bring to the organizational decision making process. Linda Tarr-Whelan brings forward a combination of real world experience, her personal experience, and case studies to emphasize her main thesis of The 30% Solution as the road to a successful, more equitable, and more sustainable future. The author also provides a series of practical steps to guide women toward the role of transformational leader in any field of endeavor. Overall, this is a book that is destined to be a classic in the leadership literature.
I highly recommend the important and must read book Women Lead the Way: Your Guide to Stepping into Leadership-and Changing the World by Linda Tarr-Whelan, to anyone who is serious about making real change in all organizations, boosting performance, increasing collaboration levels, and improving the bottom line. Placing more women in leadership roles, with real decision making power, will transform even the most moribund company into a dynamic force for change and sustainable growth for the future.
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