Feminine Leadership

Personal Development Beyond Polarities

Karin Jironet

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9780429943102
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Mental Health in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

This revised and updated edition of Feminine Leadership: Personal Development Beyond Polarities illustrates how contemporary leaders may seek to renew the very notion of leadership through their own personal development.

In an accessible and engaging style, Karin Jironet demonstrates the process of personal transformation using Dante's seven sins and virtues, explains the value of psychology and spirituality for leadership roles, and presents a pioneering and refreshed vision of leadership that meets present global demands for social cohesion and sustainability. This revised edition contains updates throughout and presents personal narratives that illustrate the seven virtues of leadership practice in our current socio-political context. This book addresses questions on how leadership is defined, exercised and communicated in contemporary society.

Feminine Leadership will be of great interest to all leaders and professionals who wish to familiarize themselves with personal leadership development and learn how Jungian theory has been put into practice in this field.

Chapter 1
Introduction

Why feminine leadership matters to everyone

Since the first edition of this book was published in 2011, discussions around what it means to be a leader have vastly evolved. On a political level, the rise of populism around the globe has seen a significant change in the rhetoric of elected officials. In the corporate sphere, the traditional, male-dominated hierarchical model has eroded, replaced by a flatter, more open and direct dynamic. Discrimination is a long way from being eradicated, but minorities are more vocal – and their voices are having more impact – than ever before. There are more women in powerful positions – managers, politicians, councilors, police commissioners, judges and CEOs – in our society today than ever before. However, the stereotypical perception of a powerful person remains unchanged: “our mental, cultural template for a powerful person remains resolutely male.”¹

Despite advances over the centuries, Western culture continues to exclude women from an equal conversation (and the feminine from any leadership model) and instead silences them, to the detriment of a swiftly shifting playing field, as well as – deeply ironically – to the societies and organizations in which leaders operate. The structure that has been tightly coded as male for millennia does not allow space for the feminine. In order to facilitate truly equal and balanced leadership forms and frameworks, fundamental transformation in the collective comprehension of power is required. “It means decoupling [power] from public prestige. It means, above all, thinking about power as an attribute or even a verb (to power), not as a possession … the ability to be effective, to make a difference in the world, and the right to be taken seriously, together, as much as individually.”²

In the Netherlands, which formed my professional base for a few decades, the statistics regarding gender equality in management and public-sector leadership remain unimpressive. The number of Dutch women in executive roles is significantly lower on the scale compared to the Scandinavian countries.³ However, Dutch women in private and public sectors no longer operate within the framework of a stereotypical structure and mentality. And this points to a gradual but continuing shift in perception and awareness of what a powerful person looks like.

Awareness is growing of the interconnectedness between personal development and collective evolution. The individual’s personal development impacts the collective consciousness, which stimulates personal development, and so on. Christof Koch, one of today’s most well-known experts on consciousness, contends that all living things, including animals, nature and the elements, are able to perceive and feel. He writes in Consciousness: Here, There and Everywhere that consciousness is “an intrinsic, fundamental property of reality.”⁴

This is a profoundly empowering concept. Although group dynamics will always remain important to human experience, the individual has the capacity to impact the world – by working on themselves, and evolving, the fabric of humanity is changed. Viewed through this lens, there is nothing to fear about the increasing individuation⁵ in society – it is a shift from relying on external signals to guide our beliefs and behavior, towards greater awareness, wholeness and use of intuition. Leaders can proactively benefit themselves, their organization and the world at large when they are ready to act with the courage to discard old culturally bound fears, and face “new” fears that might arise, such as being absorbed by an unknown cloud collective, with conscious awareness of the power of interconnectivity and interdependence.

The global developments to which we are currently bearing witness, especially in terms of financial systems and corporate governance, along with transitions in areas ranging from politics to welfare, require that “leadership” acquires a new and different meaning. It is critical that the focus now shifts towards the microcosm of the individual human being, their intrinsic motivating force, and their readiness and ability to connect and create relationships from the core. In a global marketplace, leadership means skillful interaction with others based on a firm grounding of understanding the unity of all. No longer can we simply adjust a position to the particular requirements of a specific organization at any given time; these kinds of knee-jerk, reactive decisions are inherently flawed because factors such as gender, generation and race, and the respective biases around these factors, inevitably interfere with truly wise judgment. Instead, we must have the courage to lift our gaze from the immediate problem to be solved, and instead understand wholeness and interconnectedness. Powerful leadership commences when the internal forms the core starting point for external action, rather than actions being taken one after the other, simply out of habit and despite questionable or abominable consequences. As our past bears out, these actions easily follow one another quite automatically, until a course of action is formed and history has been made. Many an unnecessary tragedy has unfolded, many an unneeded war has raged, primarily as a result of reflex, fear-based decisions that constitute a “re-action” to the external, rather than an understanding of interconnectedness and the powerful wisdom of intuition.

This human tendency, to allow stereotype, superstition and ideological agendas to prevail when a clear understanding of what is going on – an answer to the unanswerable “why”? – is lacking, is nothing new. For example, during both the various credit crises that played out two millennia ago, and the credit and economic crises of our time, the human reaction is one of surprise, shock and panic. The challenge for leaders in this environment is in a sense what it has always been – to see the bigger picture and act in the interests of the organization as a whole rather than out of selfish or individual motives. What’s new – and extremely exciting – is that consciousness is increasingly being viewed and accepted as the best possible means of meeting this challenge.⁶

This is not a contradiction in terms – for leaders to move to an internal starting point for behavior and thinking, rather than a reactive posture, but also to see the bigger picture and act in the interests of the organization as a whole. It is not a choice between individual and the group. Because, when one fully understands and experiences the innate interconnectedness of all, and the power of the intuition, one sees that intuition is not of the self, but of that interconnected whole. It is heartening to see how this consciousness-based means of decision-making is increasingly being embraced in the corporate and commercial world.

Feminine leadership is a model for stepping into a new modus operandi. More on why and how later. Let’s take a look now at developments that have radically impacted the leadership framework and what constitutes valuable leadership in the social context. Firstly, the movement towards manifest diversity, not only prompted by massive demographic shifts, but perhaps more so by (or at least in conjunction with) a reappraisal of value and power as social indicators. Secondly, a glimpse at technology-driven developments occurring in all major sectors of society – healthcare, education, politics, families, religion – and how these developments bring into question labor relations and employability, and give rise to new ways of working. And finally, I address what the human factor means for business today, and tomorrow.

Diversity

In business, politics and society generally, diversity is a buzzword that verges on hackneyed. Nevertheless, its meaning is broader and more potent than ever. Change is the only constant, both as individuals and as a society. For current purposes, diversity is not simply a matter of having more women in powerful roles. Personal and organizational success today depends on diversity in every aspect: age, background, gender, religion, experience, stance, race, perspective.⁷

Embracing diversity itself is a feminine concept, as it draws on our capacity to be inclusive, open and non-aggressive. It demands that we act without fear and let go of judgments and presumptions that can be held quite subconsciously – hence the importance of inner work referred to above, and self-reflection which I delve into below.

Gender – a new concept

The male/female dichotomy is a thing of the past. It is now scientifically evident that our delineation of humanity into two neat categories of gender is false.⁸ This is liberating, no matter how you identify, because it speaks to a broader awareness that the definitions to which humans have unquestioningly adhered for centuries are capable of being undone, overturned and rewritten.⁹ This profound shift in perspective also underscores that the arbitrary terms “male” and “female” are far from all-or-nothing polarization. Feminine leadership is not just about woman who lead. It’s about every leader, regardless of gender, utilizing – embracing – the feminine qualities that will make them better leaders and better human beings.

Experience over security

The days of leaving university, commencing a graduate role in that field, and working until a golden watch upon retirement are gone. Today’s workforce is more mobile, flexible, critical, intelligent, diverse and empowered. While they suffer from lower job security than previous generations, they are also less loyal as employees. If they find themselves unhappy they won’t just suck it up: they will seek the guidance of a life coach and readily explore other opportunities that better meet their goals. Simple monetary remuneration is no longer sufficient to attract and retain quality employees – today’s employers must offer meaning, engagement and respect if they want to draw the best people. It’s as much about life experience as it is about the paycheck.

Higher (and higher) education

Millennials and members of Generation Z are far more likely than their predecessors to start their own businesses, believe in their ideas and pursue a high-level tertiary education. This is partly due to the extremely competitive labor market, and the increase in higher education participation over recent decades. While a basic university qualification would mean access to comfortable public service positions a few decades ago, today a master’s degree is the norm.

This increase in competition means higher levels of stress and anxiety among youth, as well as the double-edged sword of increased freedom – the privilege of a greater array of options and possibilities, laced with the pressure to make the “right” decision from the enormous range, and maximize every opportunity presented.

Age is just a number

Today we are witnessing multiple generations (five is not unusual) collaborating in the workforce. And while previously intergenerational learning tended to flow from the older to the younger, today’s digital generation have as much to offer their more experienced colleagues as the other way around. The younger generations are anxious and stressed about the issues that confront the world – climate change, gender inequality, wealth distribution – as well as their own career path and fulfilment. They experience the tension between the inner and outer life, exemplified by the young senior executive who works 70 hours per week, goes on an expensive week-long retreat, posts about its healing qualities on Instagram, then returns unquestioningly to the 70-hour working week.

Younger generations experience the angst of reduced job security amid a fast-changing playing field and increased pressure to achieve the nebulous concept that is “success”. An increasing number of younger people are rejecting the traditional parameters of success as heralded by their elders, and seeking out non-traditional or even multiple careers. Accountant, and rock-climbing instructor. Office assistant, and yoga teacher, and amateur DJ. Members of older generations who have the confidence to be inspired, rather than intimidated, by this wisdom have much to gain from interaction with, and even adoption of aspects of, the mindset of Generation Z.

The impact of technology

Technology is changing at an exponential rate, and both the technology itself and the rate of change impacts our work and private lives immensely.¹⁰ Every device we buy is outdated before we leave the store; new software is constantly being designed and refined in pursuit of an optimal user experience. This impacts the workplace and its leaders, logistically and culturally.

Trite notions regarding leadership capabilities and their aggressive application have dominated the leadership discourse for such a long time that attention for intuition, and a deeper understanding of the nature of things (focus, attunement, beauty, energy), have been sidelined. It’s exciting to see what a powerful and positive role tech can play in subverting this paradigm. Artificial intelligence, fast-paced development in other areas of tech as well as environmental, financial and demographic shifts create a new context, to which leaders can only adapt through an alternative way of thinking and perceiving.

Fear of the impact of AI on our existence is outdated: our lives are already permeated by artificial intelligence, whether we are aware (or approve) of it or not. Our smartphones and tablets are practically a part of us, and our online presence is both curated and refined...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Introduction
• 2 The Divine Comedy
• 3 Pride and humility
• 4 Envy and generosity
• 5 Anger and gentleness
• 6 Sloth and zeal
• 7 Greed, charity and prudence
• 8 Gluttony and temperance
• 9 Lust and chastity
• 10 The rise of feminine leadership
• References
• Index