Colleagues and women in leadership take a moment to imagine stepping into a workplace where collaboration feels effortless, employees feel heard, and innovation thrives. Now, picture the opposite—a workplace where decisions happen behind closed doors, ideas are dismissed, and leadership feels distant. The difference? Transformational leadership—a style that research consistently shows women naturally excel in.
Despite overwhelming evidence that women in leadership drive higher productivity, stronger collaboration, and fairer workplaces, they remain underrepresented at the top. Only 10% of Fortune 500 companies are led by women. This is alarming, even though a Pew Research Center study found that women rank higher than or equal to men in seven of eight key leadership traits. These traits include honesty, intelligence, compassion, and creativity. So, if women clearly have the skills, why does the leadership gap still exist? The missing piece isn’t competence. It’s awareness and action. Organizations must not only recognize the value of women in leadership, but also break the systemic barriers that keep them from rising.
What is Transformational Leadership?
Transformational leadership is more than just making decisions. It’s about inspiring and empowering. This leadership style isn’t based on authority, but rather on a leader’s ability to uplift, engage, and drive lasting change. Women, by nature, excel in this approach through the following:
- Leading with empathy – Women create workplaces where employees feel valued, heard, and motivated. Studies show that people perform better when they feel supported, and female leaders cultivate this environment naturally.
- Fostering collaboration – Women encourage teamwork, shared problem-solving, and inclusive decision-making, leading to more innovative solutions.
- Prioritizing mentorship – Female leaders don’t just manage—they coach, develop, and champion others, creating future leaders instead of followers.
- Aligning teams with purpose – Women bring a mission-driven mindset, ensuring employees feel connected to a bigger vision rather than just a paycheck.
The Transformational Impact: A Real-World Example
When Lisa, a senior executive at a growing tech company, took over a struggling department, she quickly saw the signs of low morale, disengagement, and high turnover. Employees felt undervalued, and productivity had stalled. Instead of enforcing rigid policies or issuing top-down demands, Lisa took a transformational approach.
She mentored employees individually, ensuring they felt heard. She fostered a collaborative culture, encouraging team input in decision-making. Most importantly, she helped her team connect to a greater purpose, aligning their work with the company’s mission. The result? Employee satisfaction soared, turnover dropped, and productivity skyrocketed. Lisa didn’t just lead. She inspired, proving that transformational leadership isn’t just about driving results. It’s about elevating the entire team.
Women in Leadership: The Key to Thriving Organizations
Lisa’s story isn’t unique. It’s a pattern. Studies repeatedly show that when more women lead, businesses perform better. They create stronger teams, better engagement, and higher levels of trust and fairness. And yet, barriers remain. Not because women lack skills, but because organizations fail to fully embrace their leadership potential.
The solution? Recognizing transformational leadership for the powerhouse strategy it is. The goal is to break systemic barriers, and actively foster opportunities for women to rise. Because when women lead, everyone wins.
8 Traits for Why Women Excel in Leadership That Make a Difference
Early in her career, Monica found herself constantly overlooked in meetings. She watched as her male colleagues were praised for decisiveness, while her collaborative and strategic approach was dismissed as “too soft.” But when she was finally given the chance to lead a major project, everything changed. Her ability to listen, connect, and foster teamwork not only delivered record-breaking results but also earned her the respect of her team and leadership.
Monica’s story isn’t unique. Women consistently demonstrate leadership traits that drive success that are often underestimated. A Pew Research study revealed that women either outperform or match men in nearly every following and essential leadership trait:
- Honesty – Women were rated more honest (50% vs. 20%), reinforcing trust and transparency.
- Intelligence – 38% of respondents saw women as more intelligent, compared to 14% for men.
- Compassion – Women lead with empathy, fostering inclusive, people-first workplaces.
- Creativity – Innovation thrives under female leadership—women ranked higher in creative problem-solving.
- Visionary Thinking – Women focus on long-term success, rather than short-term wins.
- Fairness – Their leadership reduces bias and ensures equal opportunities.
- Collaboration – Dr. Jeff Chen’s research confirms that women improve team performance through better communication and teamwork.
- Decisiveness – The only category where men slightly ranked higher, but decisiveness alone doesn’t make a great leader.
When women lead, organizations win. They build trust, drive innovation, and create inclusive workplaces that bring out the best in everyone.
Why More Women in Leadership Drives Business Success
The numbers don’t lie. Organizations with more women in leadership consistently outperform their competitors. When women lead, businesses see stronger collaboration, higher trust, and more engaged teams. Here’s why:
Stronger Team Collaboration – Research by Dr. Anita Williams Woolley found that teams with more women have higher collective intelligence, meaning they make better decisions, communicate more effectively, and solve problems faster. More voices, better results.
Higher Organizational Trust – A 2022 study revealed that employees expect fairer treatment and greater transparency in women-led organizations. When leadership is equitable and inclusive, workplace culture thrives.
Better Retention & Engagement – Companies with more female leaders experience lower turnover, higher employee satisfaction, and stronger commitment to company goals. Happy teams stay, grow, and perform better.
Yet, barriers remain. This is especially true for women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and those with disabilities, who face greater challenges in career advancement. The solution? More opportunities, stronger allyship, and breaking the glass ceiling for good.
The Hidden Barrier and How Misogyny Stalls Women’s Rise to Leadership
If women possess the leadership skills, drive business success, and foster stronger teams, why are they still vastly underrepresented at the top? The answer lies in a deeply ingrained societal bias. This one bias subtly, and sometimes overtly, resists women stepping into positions of power. Misogyny isn’t just an old habit. It’s a prevailing problem woven into workplace culture, hiring decisions, leadership norms and some religious values. It manifests in everything from unconscious bias and double standards to outright resistance against female authority. Women are often scrutinized more harshly, labeled as “too emotional” if they lead with empathy or “too aggressive” if they assert themselves. The same qualities that make men “strong leaders” are frequently used to discredit women.
This bias doesn’t just shape individual experiences. It also shapes institutional structures that favor men’s advancement. Sponsorship opportunities, leadership pipelines, and networking circles remain male-dominated, making it harder for women to gain access to decision-making roles. Research shows that men are more likely to be promoted based on potential, while women must prove themselves repeatedly before being considered for leadership. The solution? Systematic change. Organizations throughout the United States and similar countries must actively implement bias training, mentorship programs, and sponsorship initiatives that advocate for women’s career progression. Leadership evaluations should focus on performance over perceptions. This ensures that women’s contributions are recognized and rewarded. Breaking these barriers isn’t just about fairness. It’s corporate governance and fiscal responsibility. It’s about the financial gain and increased shareholder dividends due to reduced turnover, increased engagement and superior innovation while tapping into the full leadership potential that drives sustainable businesses forward.
Unlocking Leadership Potential by Elevating Women to Lead
When Sarah joined her company fresh out of grad school, she was brimming with ideas and ambition. But without a clear path to leadership, she watched colleagues—mostly men—get tapped for promotions while she remained unseen. It wasn’t until a senior executive recognized her potential, advocated for her advancement, and gave her real leadership opportunities that she finally broke through. Now, as a director, she pays it forward by mentoring, sponsoring, and advocating for the next generation of female leaders.
The best leaders don’t just rise. They are lifted. Organizations that identify, sponsor, and invest in women not only create stronger leadership pipelines but also drive business success, innovation, and engagement.
Here’s how to make it happen:
- Spot & Elevate Women Leaders Early – Recognizing and nurturing leadership potential before it’s fully realized creates stronger, more diverse teams.
- Go Beyond Mentorship—Champion Sponsorship – Women need more than guidance; they need advocates in power to ensure they’re seen and promoted.
- Allyship in Action – Research shows that when male executives champion women’s careers, they advance faster. True allyship creates real opportunities.
- Invest in Women, Invest in the Future – Leadership programs and industry networks give women the tools to thrive and lead boldly.
Empowering women isn’t just about fairness. It’s about unlocking untapped potential that makes organizations and communities stronger.
The Future of Leadership is Inclusive, Transformational, and Powerful
Women don’t just lead. They elevate, inspire, and transform. They bring collaboration, trust, and innovation to leadership, creating workplaces, communities, and political landscapes that thrive. Yet, barriers remain. Barriers that must be intentionally dismantled through awareness, action, and commitment. Organizations, decision-makers, and ordinary people all have a role to play in challenging bias, advocating for inclusion, and ensuring leadership is built on talent—not outdated perceptions.
So, where do we begin? Leadership isn’t about gender. It’s about the behaviors that build engaged, high-performing teams and cohesive communities. The TIGERS 6 Principles and our upcoming workshops teach leaders how to anchor their teams in trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk resolution, and success, fostering cultures where everyone thrives. These principles aren’t just theories. They are practical, measurable and proven strategies that create environments where diverse leadership can flourish.
The time to act is now. Whether you’re leading in your organization, advocating in your community, or shaping national policies, your voice, your leadership, and your commitment to change matter. Will you help create a future where leaders rise because of their ability rather than gender? Join us in exploring the TIGERS 6 Principles and be part of the movement to build stronger, more inclusive leadership at every level to up-tic the workplace, communities and relationships to which we aspire.
Copyright TIGERS Success Series, Inc. by Dianne Crampton
