Lorie Corcuera
founder and CEO,
SPARK Creations

As the co-founder and creative essence originator (CEO) of SPARK Creation, Lorie Corcuera is energetic, driven, and tireless in her pursuit of self development and people contribution. Over the past 18 years, Corcuera has cultivated her coaching and leadership development, as well as her people and culture development experience as both a strategic and progressive senior HR leader. Corcuera is also the co-chair for the HRMA Learning and Development Roundtable.

Yes, there is a difference between male and female leaders. Women were born to birth children, so biologically, there is a stronger natural ability to nurture, care and love. Men love too. However, the way a woman loves is different. Now, take that caring trait into a leadership skill and you have a leader that is compassionate, loving, and can connect on a deeper level.

Although both men and women have this ability, the bigger difference or challenge is whether the environment or culture empowers these leaders and teams to have this type of connection. We generally accept that more women care and lead in this way than men. The world is changing now though and these “feminine” leadership styles are now required to be a whole and complete leader—one that is courageous enough to create and inspire loving human connections.

Scott Borland
organization development consultant

Scott Borland is an organization development consultant specializing in strategy facilitation and top team alignment for companies that “do good.” With over 20 years experience consulting across a variety of sectors, he has also held senior leadership and executive roles.

In my work, I consistently see greater differences between individuals in terms of leadership style, behaviour and effectiveness than I do between the two sexes.  I realize that there are recurring anecdotes, media reports, as well as common stereotypes that confer distinct differences. However there just isn’t any consistency regarding whether being male or female makes one an inherently ‘better’ leader.

Some caveats—in my experience, males often seem to rate themselves more highly as effective leaders compared to how women rate themselves. Female leaders appear more willing to critique their own actions and incorporate greater self-awareness into evaluation of their own effectiveness. This often leads to strengthened energy and commitment for self development by women in leadership roles.

On a related dimension—self-confidence—my observation is that female leaders sometimes tend to underestimate their own abilities when faced with ‘stretch’ situations. Quite often, I see male leaders moving forward quickly into uncharted waters believing that they ‘have the goods’ (whether they do or not) while female leaders may give pause before moving to action. Self-confidence (whether justified or not) in the face of different/challenging situations seems to show up differently between men and women in leadership roles.

Marion Gushue-Geiger, CHRP
HR manager,
Commissionaires BC

Human resources manager for Commissionaires BC in Kelowna since 2007, Marion Gushue-Geiger’s full HR career spans industries, provinces and the past 25 years. Actively involved with HRMA for the past six years, Gushue-Geiger was Southern Interior Advisory Council chair from 2012-2014. As a Distinguished Toastmaster of 15 years experience, a wife and dog walker, she has been a frustrated painter most of her life.

Yes! Absolutely there is a difference in women and men leadership styles.  We are hardwired differently; we have different hormones, check out the myriad of scientific evidence that supports this difference.

There are a few significant differences between females and males that contribute to  leadership styles. Women are more empathic, like to talk, ask questions and collaborate; men not so much.   Women are often viewed in a negative light because of this, however, it should be embraced.

There are three “C”s critical to leadership and team building – communicate, connect and collaborate. Regardless of gender, if you are honest, focused, respectful, empowering, integral, self-aware, confident, knowledgeable, and one who easily gives credit when it is due, you have the foundation to be a good leader.  Leaders who are self- aware of their leadership style and learn how to flex and adjust their style to match the needs of team and project become great leaders.

Joanne Hanson, CHRP
executive director,
Court Services—North, Ministry of Justice

Joanne Hanson, CHRP has worked with the BC Public Service since 1999 and as an HR instructor with the College of New Caledonia for the past four years.  With more than 15 years of leadership and HR experience, she has also been recognized as a recipient of several Premier’s Awards for her leadership and organizational excellence accomplishments.  In her capacity as a leader and lifelong learner, she is passionate about leading people with a philosophy of developing leaders at all levels and helping them reach their potential.  She has been a member of the Northern HRMA Advisory Council for four years.  

A leader inspires, motivates, leads by example, is empathetic and can connect to build relationships and achieve results.  These are not traits defined by gender, but rather by their degree of emotional intelligence.  There are those who may suggest that females are natural nurturers thereby more effective leaders, but this trait alone does not define great leaders as evidenced by the many male and female leaders in our midst and throughout history.

If one were to canvass an audience to identify who they see as a leader in their lives, there is likely a range of responses and their attributes would not be aligned to their gender, but rather their skills, character and emotional intelligence. My leader role model is my father who inspired me to never let my gender define my potential. I contend that leadership is gender neutral and we are fortunate to have so many role models in our society, both male and female.

Catalina Rodriguez
Corporate Counsel, Employee Relations
Best Buy Canada Ltd.

Catalina Rodriguez is an employment, workplace human rights and labour relations lawyer practicing in-house for Best Buy Canada Ltd, where her favorite company value is to “have fun while being the best”.  She has a passion for human resources, equality—in the workplace and beyond—and popular psychology. The last book she read was Cordelia Fine’s How our Minds, Society and Neurosexism Create Difference—a must read for anyone interested in the good old nurture vs. nature.debate.

Men and women leaders come in as many varieties as there are personalities, therefore I do not believe that one can draw clear distinctions amongst leaders based on gender alone. I have had the opportunity to work with bold, emotionally intelligent, assertive and caring leaders both male and female.

However, in my opinion there is one key difference—women leaders have succeeded in spite of multiple barriers that men do not necessarily face, such as being brought up or socialized to not prioritize their careers, to not advocate for themselves, and to “be nice.” Women are still expected, in certain environments, to take a backstage or a support role as opposed to a leadership role.

There is enough science today on the fact that people will live up to the expectations others have of them. So even though there may be no real differences on leadership styles based on gender, the journey to the top is harder for women.

(PeopleTalk Fall 2014)