Toward a new definition of leadership

While the business world is still mostly a man's world, the numbers and demographics all point to more women leaders in more senior positions over time.

Clearly, we're on the threshold of a huge shift in the numbers of women stepping up as senior executives with so many poised to move up from the No. 2 or No. 3 spot.

What's more, statistics indicate that we're seeing the tip of a very big iceberg. Though women still face 4-to-1 odds against being chosen for senior executive posts, several early indicators herald significant changes ahead:

- More than half of the Fortune 500 companies have more than one female corporate officer.

- Women-owned businesses have more than doubled in the past 12 years.

- Additionally, in the US alone, roughly 56 percent of college students are women and some 80 percent of class valedictorians are female.

While the business world is still mostly a man's world, the numbers and demographics all point to more women leaders in more senior positions over time. And like all emerging leaders, how we step into power and what we bring to it are instrumental to our success.

Following are four key considerations for all leaders — and especially women taking the reins in a new leadership role.

Define success For true success, leaders must focus not just on results, but on how the work gets done (process), and the way people treat each other in the workplace (relationship). Zeroing in on results alone is a bit like playing baseball and only watching the scoreboard. Leaders who are blind to their people's desire for meaningful work miss the boat on being bold and creating truly engaged cultures.

Develop collaboration When you hire, look for people who desire to co-labor with others and who have a history of co-developing solutions with colleagues. The higher up in any management chain, the more difficult it becomes to find people in power who deeply value collaboration.

And for those leaders who are completely clueless on this issue? They get compliance from their people, but not commitment. That means employees delivering minimum effort that won't get the organization where it needs to be.

Hone facilitation Facilitation is all about how you work with other people day and in day out — how you build agreements and reconcile differences, how conflicts get resolved, how you listen and how good you are at inquiry and more. Where and how do you exercise your role as a leader and what's in your tool kit for being effective?

Learn strategic thinking The important a-ha here is this: Strategic thinking is not strategic planning. The latter is a finite task involving analysis and strategy creation. Strategic thinking, on the other hand, is a process of taking in complex and ambiguous data and making sound, shared decisions. It's the ability to pop up from a situation and see both the forest and the trees. No single leader can do all that alone, which is why the collaborative skills mentioned earlier are key.

As women join men at the helm of business and government, these factors and skills will help you step into power appropriately. For men and women alike, the key is engaging those around you by modeling behaviors that are strategic, collaborative, and authentic.

While the future is at least half female, it will take good human skills in all sizes, shapes, and both genders to provide the leadership necessary to create workplaces of meaning, where all the individuals involved are dedicated to bringing their best.

This article first appeared on www.bostonherald.com [7] .