Author of The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking | Leadership transition acceleration expert | Best-selling author of The First 90 Days | Speaker on leadership and organizational transformation
I asked ChatGPT what it thought about the differences between male and female leaders and the results are quite interesting. What should we take from this exchange? Michael What are the biggest differences between male leaders and female leaders in terms of how they lead? ChatGPT It is important to note that leadership styles and qualities can vary greatly among individuals, regardless of gender. However, research has shown that there are some general differences in the leadership styles of men and women, although these differences are often smaller than commonly perceived. One difference that has been observed is that men are generally more likely to adopt a directive leadership style, in which they make decisions and give orders to their team. Women are generally more likely to adopt a participative leadership style, in which they involve their team in decision-making and seek input from team members. Another difference that has been observed is that men are generally more likely to display confidence and assertiveness in their leadership, while women are generally more likely to display empathy and collaboration. It is important to note that these are general trends and that there is a great deal of individual variation in leadership styles and qualities. There are many successful male and female leaders who exhibit qualities and styles that are traditionally associated with the opposite gender, and it is important to recognize and value the unique strengths and contributions of all leaders. Michael Are there other differences between male leaders and female leaders in terms of how they lead? ChatGPT In addition to the differences in leadership styles and qualities that I mentioned earlier, there are a few other differences that have been observed between male and female leaders. One difference is that male leaders are generally more likely to be seen as competent and decisive, while female leaders are generally more likely to be seen as likable and supportive. This can impact the way that male and female leaders are perceived by their teams and stakeholders. Another difference is that male leaders are generally more likely to be promoted to leadership positions, while female leaders may face more barriers to advancement. This can lead to a gender imbalance in leadership positions, which can have a number of consequences for organizations and societies. It is important to note that these are general trends and that there is a great deal of individual variation in leadership styles and qualities. There are many successful male and female leaders who exhibit qualities and styles that are traditionally associated with the opposite gender, and it is important to recognize and value the unique strengths and contributions of all leaders. #diversity #dei #inclusion #leadership
As Shahana Banerjee recognized in my other post on ChatGPT's response to my query about cross-cultural leadership, they key question here is whether the system is "reproducing bias at scale." A lot of what it produces when I ask these questions is plausible, but it is really just amplifying stereotypes? This goes to what the source material. But when I ask it what sources it draws upon it doesn't respond with specifics. So it is just replicating the way people develop biases?
Chris Lemley
1y
It is going to be fascinating to see how educators handle ChatGPT generated student work. Grading essays & identifying plagiarism just got much harder. I wonder how well plagiarism-detection software can identify ChatGPT-assisted output?
I appreciate how ChatGPT added a qualifier at the end noting these are trends and how both men and women have been successful using the others identified style. It would be interesting how deep ChatGPT can go, could it also add a cultural lens or industry lens to its analysis.
Loved how many items were “ interesting to note”-:) Overall, I thought the ChatGBT did a good overview…..and a deeper dive into issues of societal conditioning, values, and impact remain “not noted.”
Thank you Michael: The more we make this knowledge visible, the more organizations can work with it and coach, guide, and develop leaders accordingly. It would mean refreshed approaches to talent recognition, top talent selection, and people development initiatives. The more tangible we can make these nuances, the more applicable they will be. One best practice from a Fortune 10 included "tapping women on the shoulder" to ensure that managers proactively encourage women to apply for positions (and with their sponsorship), knowing that many women may consider themselves "not yet ready". Another practice (same organization) consisted in ensuring that women and men were judged on the same criteria during performance sessions and not punished for "stepping out of their gendered expected behaviors". This led to more awareness, more understanding, increased allyship and advocacy, and ultimately some groundbreaking promotions of ALL talents. Thanks again for this great insight.
Michael - I find the results fascinating. To dig deeper on the likelihood of male leaders to be promoted more frequently than females, is there any way to explore how willingness to promote oneself and be political impacts these trends?
Good topic, thanks for sharing Michael Watkins. I also did a trial, the system gives elaborate answers to all questions, avoids short answers.
Wow. It’s scary good!
Author of The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking | Leadership transition acceleration expert | Best-selling author of The First 90 Days | Speaker on leadership and organizational transformation
1ySee post on ChatGPT's views on cross-cultural differences in leadership here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7010175735143227392/