Feminine Leadership Explained: The 'Masculine' and 'Feminine' Sides of Leadership

Christophe Martinot's confession: he grew up with traditional leadership values and was probably one of those men who adopted a defensive position when feminine leadership came up. He was unaware that the feminine side of leadership was so positive. Why the defensiveness? Traditional masculine leadership has been the norm for years—he was more familiar and comfortable with it. And feminine leadership tends to be perceived as less effective, based on stereotypes that associate masculinity with strength and authority, while femininity gets tagged with weakness and passivity.

Here's what the terms actually mean. Masculine leadership: assertiveness, competitiveness, hierarchical decision-making, direct and authoritative, logic over emotions, goal-focused over relationship-building. Feminine leadership: collaboration, empathy, emotional intelligence, holistic decision-making, inclusive work environment, active listening, prioritizing team wellbeing. Neither is better. Different situations call for different styles. Crisis requiring quick decisive action? Masculine. Building psychological safety and innovation through diverse perspectives? Feminine.

The research is clear: feminine leadership styles correlate positively with team effectiveness—member satisfaction, commitment, trust. Organizations with 30%+ women in leadership are 12 times more likely to be in the top 20% for financial performance. Yet the perception persists that masculine leadership is more effective, even when results suggest otherwise.

The real work is integration, not choosing sides. Carl Jung called it anima and animus—feminine and masculine elements exist in all of us in active or sleeping form. Effective leaders adapt their style to the situation and team needs. A leader who only relies on one approach—either assertive/competitive or collaborative/empathetic—achieves worse results than one who can flex between both. This isn't about gender. It's about expanding your leadership toolkit beyond what's comfortable.