Article on Female Bosses

ub Date: 03/02/2007   Pub: BT              Page: 2
Edition: Weekend

Headline: Do women make good bosses? Yes, say most top execs
By: Chuang Peck Ming
Page Heading: Top Stories
Subject: Surveys, Women Workers
Notes:
Chart
  

Ethics, integrity most desired leadership traits, poll shows

[SINGAPORE] Most senior executives think women can make good bosses, though a
sizable number reckon men are more natural at it, a poll by the Singapore Human
Resources Institute has found.
 Sixty-four per cent of the executives polled said gender makes no difference
when it comes to being a good leader. Still, 31 per cent felt that men make
better leaders, while only 4 per cent thought women do so.
 Yet it is the soft skills that senior executives - most of them human
resource directors and above - generally seek when looking for a dream leader.
Ethics and integrity top the list of desired leadership qualities, according to
53 per cent of the 192 executives polled.
 Lead by example (52 per cent) was ranked second, followed by vision (51 per
cent), communication (48 per cent), accountability (37 per cent), building
trust (36 per cent), knowledgeable and wise (33 per cent), motivator (29 per
cent), supportive (28 per cent) and inspiring (25 per cent).
 'At least four in 10 respondents saw three of the desired behaviours
demonstrated by their supervisors,' the report says. 'These were ethics and
integrity (50 per cent), accountability (49 per cent) and communication (46.5
per cent).'
 Only one in three indicated that their bosses, many of whom are chief
executives and managing directors, have two other key traits - leading by
example and being visionary.
 Most of the executives polled work in the manufacturing sector and almost
half at multinational corporations.
 Many do not see their bosses as visionary, inspiring, motivating or
knowledgeable and wise. Nor do they think most bosses lead by example. And
bosses do not put in enough effort to build trust and are not supportive.
 'This could indicate that the leaders at a senior level may lack these
qualities or that their actions and vision might not be clearly communicated or
communicated,' the report says.
 While the poll indicated that the senior executives are generally happy with
their bosses' performance - and there is good camaraderie between them - 54 per
cent of respondents felt there is still room for leadership training.
 Bosses are also not engaging their staff fully to motivate and develop their
skills and abilities, according to the poll.
 Still, the bosses fared well on personal rapport. More than seven in 10 of
the executives polled are impressed that bosses know their audience when they
address them. And more than half appreciate that bosses talk about principles
or values behind their decisions and often explain their actions.
 On the other hand, many of the respondents believe their bosses must improve
personal communication skills. Fifty-eight per cent of those polled complained
that their achievements are seldom, or never, recognised by their bosses.
 Yet many bosses practise empowerment, giving more than half of respondents
polled the freedom to do what they believe is right - and involving them in
decision-making.
 But this should not come as a surprise, the report says. At least 42 per
cent of the executives hold director-and-above appointments. 'Moreover, they
are leaders in their own field.'
 The poll also found that 41 per cent of executives quit jobs because of sour
relations with bosses, while only 12 per cent resigned because their bosses had
quit.