Women Make the Best Managers

Women are more efficient and trustworthy, have a better understanding of their workforce and are more generous with their praise. In short they make the best managers, and if men are to keep up they will have to start learning from their female counterparts, a report claims (Management Today magazine, Nov, 2008).

The survey of 1,000 male and female middle and senior managers from across the UK is an indictment of the ability of men to function as leaders in the modern workplace.

A majority of these questioned believe women had a more modern outlook on their professional and were more open minded and considerate. By way of contrast, a similar number believe male managers are egocentric and more likely to steal credit for work done by others.

Management Today magazine, which conducted the research, said that after years of having to adopt a masculine identity and hide their emotions and natural behavior in the workplace, women have become role models for managers.

The finding tally with a survey of female bosses carried out in the US (New York Times, oct 23^th, 2008). A five-year study of 2.500 managers from 450 firms found that many male bosses were rated by their staff of both sexes to be self-obsessed and autocratic. Women on the other hand leave men in the starting blocks when it comes to teamwork and communicating with staff.

In Britain more than 61 percent of those surveyed said men did not make better bosses than women. Female managers use time more effectively, with many of those surveyed commenting that juggling commitments is a familiar practice for women with a home and a family, as they usually taking care also at the same time.

Female managers also appear to make good financial sense of penny-pinching companies, which is really good for the company because they can really tighten the budget in any area; most people, of either sex, would rather ask for a rise from a man.

"If men want to be successful at work, they must behave more like women" said the magazine's editor, Rufus Olins. "Businesses need to wake up to the fact that so-called feminine skills are vital for attracting and keeping the right people. In the past, women who aspired to management were encouraged to be more manly. "It looks now as if the boot is on the other foot" he added.