Women Meeting the Challenge: A Handbook for Media Leadership
What Does It Take to Be a Leader?

It can be said that effective leaders are those who create a compelling vision for others, who model values and principles that others seek to follow, and who motivate and inspire the talents around them. Leadership is the achievement of results through people. Leadership can be found in formal organizational structures and it can be found in informal peer groups. Leadership is not defined nor limited by gender.

While it is common for people to assume that men are natural leaders, in many ways women can bring significant talents to leadership. African women have always been strong leaders - leaders capable of marshalling scant resources to pull their families and their communities through difficult times.

Characteristics of An Effective Leader

Women understand how to make things happen. They are adept at juggling many tasks and priorities and often deal with a number of crises simultaneously. Women work well in teams and often put the success of the team before their own personal glory. Because women tend to build relationships, their leadership style is often motivating and inspirational. Many women are good communicators, are more likely to share information, are willing to coach subordinates and are able to articulate a clear vision.

The Successful Leader…

It is important for women to draw on these skills and experiences as a starting place in leadership development. Each individual should try to create her own personal style of leadership, rather than conforming to practices and philosophies which are part of a male-dominant and male-dominated system. Women should know how to use their own natural strengths and to supplement them with new skills that support their talents, expertise and interests.