Brought to you by Mesothelioma Veterans Center:
There is a common misconception that to be in leadership, particularly as a woman, you must be hard, fearless, and ruthless. If you aren’t, you don’t match the definition of an executive leader, and you can’t handle a high-stress leadership role.
You don’t have to be cold and calculating to be a confident and competent woman in business. In fact, being kind and caring can make you a much stronger and better businesswoman in the following ways:
You Consider Long-Term Impacts in Decision-Making
While it’s true that a transactional mindset can deliver wins in the professional world, it can also cause long-term damage. It can stifle innovation, cause high employee turnover, and create a fragile work culture, among other consequences.
Being caring means you consider consequences for your team, customers, and reputation when making decisions. This perspective can be shaped outside of work, too.
For example, helping an older parent navigate something challenging or complex, like mesothelioma VA benefits, teaches attention to detail, patience, and the importance of advocating for someone’s long-term well-being. You end up carrying experiences like that into your professional life, where you think beyond the quick wins and focus on more sustainable decisions that hold up over time.
You Build Stronger and More Loyal Relationships
The sad reality is that not everyone genuinely cares about the people they work with, be it partners, employees, or clients. They go to work, take care of their own needs, and then return home again. Not caring can mean that you don’t necessarily form positive relationships with those around you.
That changes when you genuinely care. It’s often easier to build stronger and more loyal relationships. When people feel genuinely cared for, they trust you more. A trusting relationship reduces friction. As a result, deals can move faster, collaborations can take place more effortlessly, and customers stick around longer.
You Get Better At Reading People
When you care, you pay attention. You notice tone, body language, and unspoken problems. This level of emotional intelligence can serve you well in interpersonal relationships and even everyday business interactions.
You can focus on what is being communicated nonverbally, not just verbally. If you’re in sales, this skill may also result in improved sales performance, since sales reps with high emotional intelligence can read client body language to gauge interest and skepticism and adjust their pitch accordingly.
More Effective Leadership
Many women worry that they won’t be successful in a leadership position if they’re too ‘nice’. As a result, they harden their personality and become unapproachable in the hopes that they’ll fit the definition of an effective and powerful leader.
In reality, being nice can make you a more effective and respected leader. Your team knows you have their back, and they’re more likely to perform, go the extra mile when needed, and be honest about problems that affect them, and by extension, your business.
Being an overly ‘tough’ boss can have the opposite effect. One University of London study even found a link between heart disease and boss-inflicted stress, and another found that overly tough bosses make people seek jobs elsewhere.
You Stand Out in Competitive Markets
If people don’t want to work for you, they won’t. When products and prices are similar across multiple industries, they can simply choose to leave and put their skills to use in another business.
However, your business can stand out in competitive markets when how people feel working for you becomes the differentiator. You can gain a reputation for thoughtfulness and fairness, qualities that are both rare and powerful. You may not have any trouble both finding and retaining key employees when you’re offering something that money can’t buy.
You Avoid Burnout
It’s easy to mistake kindness for being a doormat. Caring doesn’t mean saying yes to everyone and risking burnout. The most effective businesswomen pair their empathy with boundaries.
They care about the people they work with and for, but they still have limits. These boundaries enable them to remain the best version of themselves day in, day out, whether at the office or at home with their families.
There’s no denying that being a cold, aloof, and confident businesswoman is seen as the more effective strategy when you want to be a powerful and confident leader. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. Being kind, caring, and emotionally intelligent can help you stand out, build trust, maintain client and employee relationships, and read people for successful outcomes.
