In my Theories of Leadership class this quarter, we learned a lot of techniques to become leaders, but the main objective of the course remained to find your own leadership style, because that’s the one that would work best for you.
I have to wonder if that’s right, though. Because as I look back at the recent US Presidential election, there are clear patterns of which leadership styles worked for women and which didn’t. The goal of this article is to show women how they can become leaders in male-dominated environments, using examples from the US Presidential election.
Let’s start with Hillary Clinton. Why exactly did she lose the democratic nomination to Obama? The burning question on my mind: was it because she was a woman?
Jaclyn Schiff of The Schiff Report, who lives and works at the heart of it all in Washington DC, says, “From talking to people who worked for the campaign and volunteered for it, I got the sense that people at the top were disagreeing a lot, which detracted from the campaign’s overall message. Obama’s message also seemed to resonate better with people.”
Andrea Zak, of SchizoFrenetic, agrees. “Clinton went into the primaries EXPECTING to be the nominee.” She adds, “Clinton would have made an excellent president, but Obama ran a superior campaign.”
It is clear that Hillary Clinton made some obvious mistakes in her campaign for the Presidency. First, she was over-confident, and second, she either didn’t have the right message or did not convey her message clearly to the country, the voters.
Then again, one of the points stressed over and over again about leadership is that a leader must embody the traits of the group of followers she is trying to lead. When asked how women associated with the election were portrayed in the media, Jen Williamson of Catalyst Blogger insists, “There is absolutely a double standard. While Hillary Clinton got emotional, it was a big sign of weakness – she was a weak, weepy woman. When Joe Biden got choked up during the Vice Presidential debates, it was a sign of his humanity and the highlight of his performance. It goes the other way too – when Hillary gets forceful, she’s strident and bitchy. When male candidates get forceful, they’re tough and assertive.”
Milena Thomas of Quiet the Thunder disagrees. “I have a hard time deciding if [women] are portrayed differently. I’d like to say ‘women are not taken seriously.’ But then my mind goes to all the comedy pieces on Bush, McCain, Obama too… I don’t think any leader is safe from public scrutiny.”
Thomas does, however, point out, “It is tough for women to come across as strong as men. Their voices are higher pitched, their features are softer, their mannerisms are not firm; and if they are, people are turned off because it’s not feminine. Apparently you can’t win.”
And Hillary didn’t win, in my opinion partly because she couldn’t embody what America wanted. Whether that was the message of hope that Obama brought, or if it was as simple as the US needing a seemingly stronger and more masculine leader to get us through this trying time – I still can’t decide. What is clear, however, is that aspiring women leaders must be careful to walk a very thin line, not appearing too masculine or too feminine – the hybrid alpha girl, so to speak.
The hybrid alpha girl to some extent could be found in United States VP candidate Sarah Palin. She came across to me as tough – working woman with a stay-at-home-husband, strong convictions – yet she still had her share of Jessica Simpson moments that quickly propelled her to celebrity stature rather than that of a serious political candidate.
For me, Palin was someone I wanted to be friends with, someone I would recruit for my college sorority, instead of someone I would ever look up to and entrust with running a country. I liked her, but not for her stance on issues, just for eye candy on the GOP ticket. Monica Evans of Life in the Middle Lane shared similar sentiments. “Sarah is a very attractive woman, and I think that gives her points. Whenever someone asks me what I think about Sarah, I always say she is super pretty.” Let’s be honest though – when you are running for Vice-President of the United States, the last thing you want to be known for is being “super pretty.”
While Palin appeared to appeal to many intelligent women on some level, most still didn’t want to vote for her because she didn’t appeal to them as a vice-presidential candidate. The moral of the story is “celebrity” is too often confused with leadership, and I believe that is why Sarah Palin was so unpopular throughout the campaign. My instinct is that too much celebrity is much more detrimental to women than men, because of how female celebrities who “act out” are portrayed in the media. Few of the techniques women use to get ahead socially translate well for women trying to become leaders.
Given the profiles of both Clinton and Palin, one begs the question – what kind of woman leader does America want? The answer is Michelle Obama.
In my observation, Clinton had difficulty relating to stay-at-home-moms, while Palin had difficulty relating to young, single, working women; but somehow, Michelle Obama seems to appeal to both, as demonstrated by the positive response I received from the Gen Y women I interviewed.
Evans explains “I love Michelle. Actually, I love Michelle more than Obama. There are probably little black girls (like me) who are stoked that we have another black woman (other than Condi, who I also admire) on the main stage.” She adds, “I think her causes would be more in line with my own causes (just based on her background and other volunteer work). I’m excited to see what she would do with her First Lady platform.”
Thomas says, “I think women like her, they think she is fashionable and shows personal strength. I think women think of her as a role model.”
Zak adds another layer. “That she’s a well-spoken and well-educated woman connects with other women voters and has allowed her to campaign on behalf of her husband. [Barack Obama] and Michelle are also going to be great role models for a healthy marriage. Their open displays of affection are so different than what we’re used to seeing from political couples. They look like they’re in love and that they’re a team raising their children… it’s refreshing to see a couple that highlights the best of contemporary marriage.”
Zak hits on a huge point – that a leader’s personal life is just as important to her followers as her professional life. In this case, Americans are striving for contemporary marriages; so if you want to be a female leader in America you can start by becoming the contemporary wife, currently being defined by Michelle Obama.
All of this news is great for Michelle Obama, but what does that mean for future females vying for the US presidency? After all, Michelle Obama was never a candidate, just a candidate’s wife who now has the opportunity to influence the country.
Zak appears to see the current President Elect as a good sign for women. She explains, “African-American men got the right to vote before (white) women… If you’re looking at the trajectory of history, it seems to follow that Americans would be comfortable with an African-American man as President before a woman.”
Schiff takes a different approach. She says of Clinton and Palin, “Since we’ve had two women very publicly vying for the highest political office in the land over the last few months, it gets people more comfortable with the idea of having women in these roles… their candidacy has still contributed to an important ongoing discussion about gender roles and leadership.”
Williamson agrees with Schiff, but adds, “The fact that race and gender are even issues worth mentioning reveals that America is still a deeply racist and sexist place. When race and gender are like hair color and eye color – personal accents that have nothing to do with a candidate’s ability to lead the country, rarely brought up in coverage and commentary because they are so laughably irrelevant – then I think we’ll have gotten somewhere.”
Below is a summary of the leadership lessons I’ve drawn from the US Presidential election. I’m curious though: What do YOU think? Leave a comment to share your opinion!
IN SUMMARY
Leadership Lessons for Everyone:
- Always operate as the underdog, even when you are ahead
- Have a clear message
- Have a message that resonates with the people you are trying to lead
- Embody the traits of the people you are trying to lead
- Develop a tough skin and learn to accept/ignore criticism
- Be personable – show your followers you are human
Leadership Lessons Specifically for Women:
- Toe the fine line between aggressiveness and femininity
- Avoid becoming too much of a celebrity if leadership is your ultimate goal
- Dress well
- Be intelligent and career-driven AND a good mom AND a supportive wife
- Partner with a man if necessary (it pains me to put this on the list, but it’s still a reasonable conclusion to draw)
Today I’ve explained why I think these lessons are essential for aspiring female leaders, but if there’s interest, I can write more about how to start applying these lessons in the future.
Special thanks to the Gen Y thought leaders who contributed to this article – if you enjoy this blog you will enjoy theirs as well:
Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. And while plenty of people are saying he doesn’t deserve it, I completely love the idea of someone winning a prestigious international award at the young age of 48.
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
