How Women Lead

Female Gymnastics coach with athlete
Author:  Lynn Gunning
Issue: Volume 29 Number 3

This article looks at the common style of leadership of women in sport and then provide strategies for sporting organisations and clubs to encourage and support more women into decision-making positions.

Where are the women?

Worldwide women are under represented in leadership roles in sport. Australia has very few women as coaches or officials or on boards at any level of the industry.  In order to address this, Australian sport needs to have a clear understanding of how women see themselves as leaders and how they lead in the sporting environment.  Once the industry understands how sports women lead, it is in a better position to develop strategies to assist the process of encouraging more women to do so, particularly at the higher levels.
 
In Australia, statistics compiled by the New South Wales Department of Sport and Recreation have shown that women make up only 20% of Presidents or Chairpersons of sporting organisations and 33% of board positions.  The figures are even lower in coaching with only 20% of state coaching positions held by females and 19% working as high performance directors.  The fact sheet also showed that those women who hold Executive Director or President roles are generally in either women-only sports (such as synchronised swimming) or low profile sports.  This means that the decisions of these women have only a limited impact on the sports industry as a whole.

The recent Senate enquiry in to women in sport highlighted a number of the issues surrounding the paucity of women in leadership roles within sport and the limited opportunities or role models to encourage future female leaders. A clearer picture about what factors are limiting women’s progression in the industry is very much needed.

Challenges confronting women

There are three notable challenges that women face when engaging in leadership roles in sport: family conflict, cost and time constraints and a lack of networks and mentors.
Women still bear the lion’s share responsibilities of child rearing. Therefore, family conflict is seen as a key issue when women consider taking on a leadership role.  Women often feel guilty for missing key milestones or not being at home with their family while they pursue their leadership goals.  Having the support to share family responsibilities is a major determining factor as to whether women are able to manage both their leadership and family roles.  Anecdotal evidence suggests that this is why many of the women in senior leadership roles have either older children requiring less attention or have not had children at all.

Due to their family commitments, women generally have less available time to commit to extraneous roles and are considered ‘time poor’.  The cost of time away from home often associated with sport including extensive travel and weekend work, combined with the financial cost of petrol, airfares and accommodation to attend events or training courses, means that women are less likely to pursue leadership roles due to the high costs. 
The final factor is that there are few established formal women’s networks established that can mentor or help develop women.  This means that women in leadership roles often work in isolation.  There is also a perceived lack of female mentors or role models for those women to model their leadership.

Women’s style of leadership

Many women in the sport sector don't see themselves as leaders.  Yet if you look at their abilities and accomplishments, often with very limited resources, they are obviously ‘ leading’.

Despite the barriers that face many women, there are still a large number of women taking on leadership roles. Research conducted by Sue Brown from the University of Ballarat has shown that most women see themselves as members of a team that work cooperatively with others. They prefer to describe themselves as a facilitator or team leader rather than a leader. 
Ms Brown has found women in the sporting arena characterise a ‘transformational’ style of leadership.  Through this approach, women inspire and transform the thinking and behaviour of others to create change.

Women leaders are committed to making a difference and regard honesty and trustworthiness as key aspects of their leadership style.  These women believe it is important to be inclusive and encourage others to be involved.  They recognise the value of being a positive role model to other women and are committed to mentoring others. 
When it comes to making decisions, women will often consult extensively before reaching their own conclusions.  They take into consideration the views of those who may be effected or who may have different perspectives and use this information to inform their decision making process.

This style is in stark contrast to the more traditional, masculine style of leadership that is at times characterised by a position of power and more directive and aggressive behaviour. Perhaps this is one reason why women don’t associate their style of directing others as leadership.

Another reason many women don’t consider themselves leaders is that they lack specific recognition from within their community or organisation.  Often they are taken for granted or not seen as leaders due to their more collaborative style of operating coupled with their lack if interest in seeking public acknowledgment for their actions.
One of the key characteristics of women in sport is their resilience to overcome barriers in their path.  Often this is the result of a sense of self belief imbued in them by a previous role model, often a teacher and quite often a male.

The key factors contributing to women’s leadership ability

Research by Sue Brown highlighted the key aspects that should be considered when developing pathways for future female leaders.  A model of leadership for women in the largely volunteer and not-for-profit sector has emerged. The model is different to the traditional organisational, hierarchical and masculine leadership models. The style is transformational, that inspires and serves to inspire and transform those around them.

The key factors facilitating the leadership ability of women, as identified by the University of Ballarat, are:

  • receiving recognition
  • having a mentor
  • having a passion for the sport
  • having the opportunity to share experiences
  • being challenged
  • having the courage to make tough choices (and not be liked by everyone)

Once sporting organisations are aware of the factors that impact on a woman’s ability or willingness to take on leadership roles, they are better able to address some of the imbalances or provide additional strategies to encourage and support future female leaders.

Factors that influence women’s leadership ability

Sporting clubs and organisations can play a key role in helping women to become better leaders. It is first important that organisations are aware of how women think about leadership roles and then look at strategies to support women and foster their professional development.

Research conducted by Sue Brown from the University of Ballarat has highlighted four primary factors that facilitate the leadership ability of women.
 
1. Recognition

A key aspect of women’s development is recognition.  Women need to personally recognise and acknowledge themselves as leaders in order to lead effectively.  They need to gain a sense of awareness of their leadership abilities and identify what they want to achieve. 

Sporting organisations must also recognise the leadership potential of women and encourage or support them to take on additional responsibilities or educational opportunities.  By recognising their ability, clubs and organisations show that they value and appreciate the contribution of the women.  This builds confidence in the women and both motivates them and encourages them to take more risks.

2. Goal Setting

In order to achieve their leadership or career ambitions, a woman will need to develop a plan and set a number of goals.  This exercise will enable her to identify potential leadership opportunities that she can tap into or highlight deficiencies in skills or knowledge that she needs to address in order to improve her leadership capabilities.  The goal setting process needs to take into consideration the time-poor status of many women.  With so many competing demands, it is vital that a realistic timeframe is set and that there is a balance between work, personal, family and sporting commitments.

3. Mentors

Having a mentor is another very important facet of a woman’s development as a leader.  This person can provide guidance or advice when the woman is faced with challenging decisions or barriers.  Someone with experience and knowledge of the sporting industry is ideal and often a supportive male can be an excellent adviser.

4. Networks

Access to networks and peer support is another area that women can benefit enormously from. Many women tend to work in isolation and lack access to other females in leadership roles.  By having the opportunity to share experiences through a network they realise that their situation is not unique. Women can use this type of forum to act as a sounding board to help them solve problems and provide strategic support. It can also provide much needed moral support.

Sporting clubs and organisations should be mindful of these factors when looking to develop women in leadership roles.

Organisations can encourage women to consider developing the following skills to improve their leadership ability:

Development area Skills learnt
Conflict resolution How to manage conflict and deal with difficult situations
Interpersonal skills How to communicate effectively
Presentation skills How to give confident, dynamic presentations in front of small and large audiences
Strategic decision-making  Understanding the process of how to make sound strategic decisions and learning how to delegate tasks

Strategies for sporting organisations to help women lead

By implementing a range of simple strategies, sports associations and organisations can be instrumental in helping women to become better leaders.

Action

Recognise the contribution of women.

Comment: Women do not tend to recognise themselves as potential leaders, rather as members of a team.
Strategy: Providing recognition of women’s achievements adds value to women’s confidence in their leadership ability and acts as a source of motivation to continue.  This may be as easy as regular feedback saying ‘you’re doing a good job’ or be more structured such as providing a monthly recognition awards or contributing to their development in some way for example supporting a level one coach to travel as assistant coach with a representative team.

Comment: Sporting clubs may fail to acknowledge or value the input of women.
Strategy: To encourage more women to take on leadership roles, clubs may need to identify and approach a group of women who they consider to have leadership qualities.  Clubs can then strategically support and position these women on a path to higher coaching, officiating and administrative roles within their organisation.  It is also important that any development that is initiated is maintained, so that the women can continue to grow and refine their leadership skills and abilities.

Action

Women need to plan and set goals to achieve their leadership ambitions.

Comment: Potential female decision-makers may not have tangible goals they are working towards nor a plan on how to reach them.
Strategy: To help women to develop their leadership over a period of time, organisations can assist women to develop a long term plan that formalises where they want to go and identifies pathways and areas of skill development along the way.  Organisations may want to provide women with ongoing opportunities to develop their leadership skills through coaching and officiating accreditation, training or mentoring.

Action

Establish and support a mentoring scheme

Comment:  There are currently fewer females in leadership roles than men and so fewer role models and less people generally willing to mentor emerging female leaders.
Strategy: Some sports or organisations have sought to implement a mentoring program.  This can link leaders within the organisation, with up-and-coming women or provide mentors from across other organisations or sports.  One example is the Victorian Institute of Sport mentoring program for female coaches.  Males can and do make good mentors for women, especially in areas where there may be few or no female role models.  It is important that both formal and informal mentoring programs provide a guide as to the expectations of both parties.  Additional resources for clubs and organisations can be found at:
www.ausport.gov.au/supporting/coachofficial/presenter/Mentor for additional resources for clubs and organisations.

Action

Provide networking opportunities

Comment: Women tend to work in isolation
Strategy: Providing opportunities for networking and peer support is an important element to developing women’s leadership. Organisations may like to consider initially facilitating the process to establish networks and peer support groups for women. This process should also include teaching women how to effectively network.  Womensport and Recreation Victoria offer a Starting Blocks and Spring Boards network, which provides regular networking events.

Leadership Programs

One of the ways of developing decision-making attributes in women and supporting females to grow as leaders is through a formalised or structured leadership program.

Researcher, Sue Brown, has undertaken an evaluation of several leadership programs.  She believes the main benefits of the programs are to:

  • provide public and professional recognition of the abilities of the woman
  • provide opportunities to improve skills or knowledge in management, coaching, officiating or business areas
  • allow women to share experiences and network with other women
  • enable detailed planning and goal setting to occur

Furthermore, by setting clear directions, providing additional knowledge and skills and providing a peer support structure Ms Brown states that women are able to:

  • increase their self confidence and awareness of their own abilities
  • increase their visibility and credibility within their organisations
  • increase their opportunities for acquiring new skills and knowledge, hence improve their likelihood of advancement

Quality leadership programs can be instrumental in contributing to the success of women as leaders.  Programs such as these, along with strategies such as formally acknowledging and recognising women, providing mentors and assisting women in developing a strategic career plan can assist the progression of more women up through the ranks within sport and at the same time improve the diversity and knowledge of the sports industry as a whole. 

Current leadership programs


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