Plus— get the insights into thriving job share strategies.
Here at FlexCareers we are lucky to be surrounded by inspiring female leaders in the work that we do, and it got us thinking what makes our essential feminine qualities great qualities to leverage at work? Join us as we share the innate skills we think are needed in the modern workplace now and in the future.
Please note: these qualities aren’t reserved for gender but are more traditionally viewed as feminine, we prefer to think of these qualities as ‘strengths’ regardless of who is leading the way with them.
A recent Harvard business review found that when rated on their business skills, women scored higher than men in most leadership skills. Not only do women have the competency to lead, they also excel in taking initiative, acting with resilience, practicing self-development, driving for results, and displaying high integrity and honesty.*
Along with its more emotionally charged cousins - sympathy and empathy - compassion at work is a strength that can be used a tool. Compassion is activated at the ‘action stage’ of a problem but doesn’t have the emotional charge of a situation where sympathy or empathy is evoked. That makes it a useful strategy to help a colleague or look at a challenging problem from a different set of eyes.
Lucky for us we can practise compassion on ourselves and really hone this strength to bring out of the toolbox when you need it most.
Modelling self-compassion can be beneficial to you and your team members by contributing to a psychologically safe space where all members of the team can thrive.
Have you ever driven an important project at work (or at home) and when reflecting on the story used the word ‘we’ instead of ‘I’? The collective we, is something women around the world have connected over and built strong bonds beneficial for successful teamwork.
It might explain why often a sudden bout of energy is found at the last minute during a surge capacity situation, or putting in the extra mile when it comes to what might seem like an insurmountable deadline.
Is there a place to ‘trust your gut’ in the work place? You might find it hard to hard to describe this one, maybe as traditionally in workplaces we have been taught to rely only on the tangible and the factual.
Maybe it also comes from experience, and it certainly isn’t reserved for the female of the species. Relying on inner wisdom or intuition may make you more courageous as a leader.
Coupled with a workplace culture that allows for experience sharing and open dialogue which can encourage risk taking behaviour which ultimately can lead to innovation!
Limbic brain function has no capacity for language but is also responsible for human behaviour, and decision-making - explaining why you can't quite describe the feeling!
Our traditional feminine role of caregiver can support us well particularly in team based work, or displaying leadership skills regardless of your role. With care giving there are usually unavoidable challenges, and ones that can take their toll.
There is sometimes no contingency plan and challenges have to be navigated, but on the other side of the adversity you can look back and think about what resilience you have built as a result.
Furthermore, there is the transferable skill of the ability to direct, guide and engage people toward mutual goals. A mutual understanding of progress over perfection also comes into play here as resilience and the ability to move quickly through challenging times.
Coupled with looking back at stressful times and working out what you might implement differently- all of these are skills that can be utilised in the workplace.
We’re agreed these strengths are optimum workplace traits. So what about strength in numbers? Are two brains better than one? We caught up with our FlexReady Certified Employer Water Corporation about how they utilise job share for the best results.
With over 12 years at Water Corporation, Rebecca Matsen is an advocate for sharing her role with job share partner Angela Davie. As a change management enthusiast and a mother, being able to work flexibly has been vital for balancing her career and family life and job share has given her the flexibility she needed.
The job share arrangement means both women share the load of the role at work , bringing in two sets of unique skills and experience while being able to maintain family responsibilities. This not only fulfils work life balance goals but has also contributed to success in career growth and satisfaction through making a contribution to important work in the community.
“At Water Corporation it is all about the great people you get to work with and knowing
you are helping the WA community. I’ve also been able to learn so much about the water industry, and experience a wide spectrum of projects allowing me to build my change management skills.
From starting part-time work right from the outset, I have been able to adopt a variety of flexible work arrangements over the years depending on the needs of my family.”
- Rebecca Matsen
Job share partner, Angela Davie, has also experienced great accomplishment on her career trajectory. Starting as a personal assistant, business analyst, business planning partner, continuous improvement specialist and now, change implementation manager in job share with Rebecca.
Having an empathetic employer like Water Corporation has enabled both women to kick their career goals and be a present parent in an industry that their essential strengths are extremely in demand for their workforce capability, diversity and resilience.
Safe in the knowledge that the wider team adopts a flexible approach to work, Angela manages to balance her family commitments with work. This security also helped her return to work go smoothly. Like her colleagues, Angela has the ability to adjust her start and finish times, work from home, or swap which days she’s in the office to complement her needs. This flexibility enables her quality time with her daughter and allows her to contribute her essential skills to the organisation.
Along with job share partner, Rebecca Matsen and FlexReady Certified employer, Water Corporation, this arrangement is an inspiring example of the how job share can create increased personal satisfaction, fulfilling job opportunities and show just how well it can go when progressive organisations get creative!
“I got my work persona back and felt like I could be more than just “mum” again. I was
able to get a quiet coffee, connect and socialise with people at work, and be alone on bathroom breaks all while feeling supported with an understanding of the life you hold outside of work.”
- Angela Davie
You can unlock a plethora of benefits by empowering your workforce to embrace their essential strengths, and watch them thrive! What can your organisation do to get creative in your talent acquisition strategies? Do you have roles that two brains could be better than one?
We are here to provide tailor made solutions that align with your unique needs— Talk to a solutions expert now!
Or if you are a candidate seeking a new challenge, log in and create a profile to see how your strengths can shine with the leading flexible and most progressive organisations in the country.
References
* (Jack Zenger, 2019)
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