The search for the characteristics and traits of leaders has been ongoing for centuries, and the concept of leadership is in constant evolution. As companies are faced with changing business landscapes and shifting future trends, a new way of leadership becomes crucial for thriving and winning. The Third Way of Leadership represents how men and women can join forces to create the workplace of the future by integrating their distinct strengths into a more effective style of leadership. Rana Askoul, Founder, Changing Pink

1. Rana Askoul
The Third Way of Leadership

2. A quick warm up exercise…
1. When a CEO wants to motivate the team, ____
2. When a scientist wants to educate the public,
____
3. If a teacher discovers a student has copied
someone else's course work, _____
4. If a nurse suspects a patient has been involved in
a crime, _____

3. Leading together?

4. A growing up story..

5. Today…

6. Challenges
Different approaches to
leading
Clashes, personal
frustrations, lost messages
and missed opportunities
Impact on bottom line

7. But are they different, really? A tale of
two brains

8. In scientific terms, this means:
“ In the brain centers for language and
hearing, for example, women have 11
percent more neurons than men. The
principal hub of both emotion and
memory formation is also larger in the
female brain as is the brain circuitry for
language and observing emotions in
others…The female brain has tremendous
unique aptitudes – outstanding verbal
agility, the ability to connect deeply in
friendship, an increased capacity to read
faces and tone of voice for emotions and
states of mind, and the ability to defuse
conflict. All of this is hardwired into the
brains of women. These are the talents
women are born with. Men are born
with other talents, shaped by their own
biological realities. “
Dr. Louann Brizendine –
Scientist, Researcher,
Clinician and Author

9. Gender Socialization: Meet Zeina and
Omar
. .
Polite
Gentle
Ladylik
e
Fairies
Speak
Softly
Take
turns
Protect-
ed
Respon
-sible
Brave
Pirates
Don’t
Cry
Indepe-
ndent
Smile
Soccer
Speak
up Hierarc-
hy
Tough
Take
Risks

10. Proposal: The Third Way of Leadership
Relationship with
one self
Relationship with
peers
Relationship with
subordinates
Relationship with
superiors
Communication
Influencing &
Negotiation
Business
Acumen
Team
Building
Networking
Hardware
Software

11. Communication: The biggest gender
difference is

12. The communication spectrum
..
Relationship focus
Talk to collect Information and gain rapport
Talk about people and relationships
Prefers feelings, senses and meaning
Thrive on harmony and relating
Values intuition
Build consensus
Ask a lot of questions
Power / Rank / Status focus
Talk to give information and report
Talk about things (business / sports)
Prefers facts , reason and logic
Thrive on competing and achieving
Values analyzing and figuring out
Emphasize Independence
Focus on solutions

13. .
On the upside
Relationship focus
Talk to collect Information and gain rapport
Talk about people and relationships
Focus on feelings, senses and meaning
Thrive on harmony and relating
Values intuition
Build consensus
Ask a lot of questions
Ability to pick up on non –
verbal cues
Strong listening skills and
effective display of empathy
is great for building effective
teams and inclusive cultures
Asking questions results in
increased access to
information
Positive spin on tough
requests and demands

14. .
On the downside
Relationship focus
Talk to collect Information and gain rapport
Talk about people and relationships
Focus on feelings, senses and meaning
Thrive on harmony and relating
Values intuition
Build consensus
Ask a lot of questions
Results can be impaired by
desire to achieve consensus vs.
closing on results
Taking things personally vs. “it’s
business” attitude
Coming across weak, indecisive,
not confident
Detail vs. big picture balance

15. What happens when balance kicks in….
Indra Nooyi, Pepsi’s high-profile CEO is on one hand a
plainspoken boss who drives her employees hard and has a
tough reputation, both as a decision-maker and a negotiator.
What allows her to get away with it and makes that tough,
demanding style palatable is precisely the fact that she is
unusually “communal” for a CEO.
“Definitely my sense of humor is a strength. When all else fails,
I’ll laugh. And optimism. I get up everyday thinking today’s going
to be better than yesterday, and something wonderful is coming
down the pipe. My other strength is the ability to recognize
when I need to take a step back and think about where we want
to end up. Then there’s my fabulous team. I love working in
teams! “ Caryl Stern, president & CEO, UNICEF U.S Fund

16. .
© Changing Pink 2014
On the upside
Power / Rank / Status focus
Talk to give information and report
Talk about things (business / sports)
Focus on facts , reason and logic
Thrive on competing and achieving
Values analyzing and figuring out
Emphasize Independence
Offers solutions
Direct and to the point interactions –
effective and efficient use of time
Perceptions on compatibility to
lead by being results oriented
Ability to overcome conflict and
differences in opinion
Assertive, clear messages helps avoid
misunderstanding

17. .
© Changing Pink 2014
On the downside
Power / Rank / Status focus
Talk to give information and report
Talk about things (business / sports)
Focus on facts , reason and logic
Thrive on competing and achieving
Values analyzing and figuring out
Emphasize Independence
Offers solutions
Tendency to not ask questions or
advice might lead to inaccurate
assumptions and deficient solutions
Disregard of relational aspects affects
morale and team dynamics
Blunt communication can create
resentment
Decreased ability to read non-
verbal cues can be detrimental
to results

18. © Changing Pink 2014
What happens when balance kicks in….
“I think one of the basics of transcultural leadership is
empathy,” says Carlos Ghosn, the man who is credited
with turning around major Japanese car maker Nissan.

19. Now, multiply differences across the
board
Relationship with
one self
Relationship with
peers
Relationship with
subordinates
Relationship with
superiors
Communication
Influencing &
Negotiation
Business
Acumen
Team
Building
Networking
Hardware
Software

20. The Solution: A style of leadership that
builds on the strengths of men and
women

22. Thank you