Written by: Chef LaToya Larkin, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
While there are noticeable differences among the leaders. None may be as significant as the leadership styles of the men and women leading their respective organizations. Women executives need to be exceptionally aware of their own leadership styles and strengths and changes underway in their organizations to make an impact. The culture of an organization, or even a part of the organization such as a division or other business unit, can determine the degree to which a woman’s own feminine or masculine traits fit. If your leadership style is more feminine and you are in a masculine culture, you have role incompatibility, and you may not be that effective because people will perceive you as not appropriate.
Feminine Styles and Traits
Feminine traits-promotion of cooperation, compassionate care for others, collaborative, receptive, grateful, nurture, relationship-directed, mentoring and training, intuitive, interdependence, multi-task, patience, forgiveness, task-focused, transformational, and temporal. Over-domineering feminine traits-lack of assertiveness in conflicts, excessive empathy without detachment, over-protect subordinates hindering their growth, over investment in relationships, decision avoidance when some people can be negatively affected by the resolution, require consensus to move forward, overly patient.
Masculine Styles and Traits
Masculine traits are as followed strong, arrogant, intelligent, ego-driven, bravado, powerful, assertive, single-tasking, focused on their own needs, competitive, stubborn, physical, self-righteous, direct, competitive, protect, goal-directed, rational, linear, logical thinking, independence, mono-task, a bias for action, direct communication, transactional, and spatial. Over-domineering masculine traits-relentless need to win over others, when it matters and when it does not lack or biased listening, over-stretch subordinates beyond their ability to cope, underinvestment in relationships, purely rational decision making, discarding other’s needs, fears or negative emotions, revert to the competition when collaboration appears difficult too much of a bias for action.
Leadership Style
Adapting a personal leadership style that incorporates degrees of both tendencies would be ideal. While this may be easier said than done, it is something each of your managers should strive toward. Transformational leaders establish themselves as role models by gaining followers’ trust and confidence. Such leaders mentor and empower followers, encourage them to develop their full potential and contribute more effectively to their organizations. Male and female leadership approaches are different, but both these approaches add value and allow teams to achieve important goals. One key to becoming an effective leader is learning to delegate well. This is how you get your team to carry out goals that are no longer your top priorities. I have found women to be more effective delegators than men, on average. They are typically more sensitive to team dynamics at work, and less authoritarian than their male counterparts, both important qualities when delegating tasks.
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Chef LaToya Larkin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Chef LaToya Larkin, CCE, is the Program Coordinator of the Culinary Arts Program at Spring High School while being the first African American Female Chef in the district (Spring ISD) in Spring, TX. Her 20 years of expansive knowledge and culinary passion have led to lifetime achievement opportunities. She received her MBA (Nonprofit Management) from Springfield College, BS (Culinary Management) from The Art Institute of Atlanta, and AAS (Culinary Arts) from The Art Institute of Houston. Besides the education field, Chef Larkin operates three businesses that reflect her passions in life. Tamale product line “Black Girl Tamales” of signature fusion tamales, Not Enough Thyme Personal Chef Services, a personal chef/catering business, clothing line Divah Chef Apparel of shirts & aprons, and It’s Thyme 4a Change, is a non-profit organization catering to at-risk youth to mentor and guide while planting the positive seed to exemplify the vast opportunities of culinary. Chef Larkin is an award-winning acclaimed chef that had the opportunity to cook for many of elite Black Hollywood to include: Oprah Winfrey, John Legend, Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, Robert Townsend, and Dianna Ross. She’s a literary partner in the upcoming project “Business Secret Success Entrepreneurial Thinking That Works” scheduled to be released in March 2021. She’s devoted to inspiring the youth to be all they can be so that everyone can connect to eternal love, which is the reason for our existence, and reach their full potential. Sharing her wisdom, knowledge, life experiences, and triumphs commits her to make a difference in the lives of others. She’s happy to embrace the opportunity to take part in the uplifting and happiness of others.
