Leadership is both a research area, and a practical skill encompassing the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. U.S. academic environments define leadership as "a process of social influence in which a person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.”
Definition of a leader
It can be argued that there are many definitions and ideas as to what constitutes leadership.
For Honnus Cheung, mentor at she1K and Cyberport and co-founder of Mojodomo Group, “Leadership is about helping others realize their potential and inspiring them to work with you to achieve a shared vision for the future. It is about the ability to drive results, set the vision and share it, create an environment of success, and remove obstacles.”
For her, a good leader is someone who is accountable, innovative and believes in empowerment. She sees the value of empowering members of a team and opined that a good leader works to nurture the next generation of leaders.
Debunking the gender equation
For Cheung, a person’s gender has no bearing on becoming a good leader. However, she puts a caveat in industries that are naturally the domain of women, including female fashion, baby and maternity products or where the overwhelming majority of the target customers are women. “Here female leaders would have a natural advantage as they know the customers better,” she smiled.
She also observed that female national leaders like Germany’s Angela Merkel, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen, Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen and Finland’s Sanna Marin, have done better in the fight to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the research paper, Leading the Fight Against the Pandemic: Does Gender ‘Really’ Matter?,
authors Supriya Garikipati, a developmental economist at Liverpool University, Reading University’s Uma Kambhampati, observed that women leaders reacted more quickly and decisively in the face of potential fatalities.
“In almost all cases, they locked down earlier than male leaders in similar circumstances. While this may have longer-term economic implications, it has certainly helped these countries to save lives, as evidenced by the significantly lower number of deaths in these countries,” the paper concluded.
Lessons learned
Recalling her days at Yahoo Hong Kong and the early days following the acquisition of the company by Alibaba Group. She remembered how important it was to reassure her team, providing them guidance and helping them decide on their next direction.
She stressed the importance of having empathy for your staff and being there to offer advice on their options.
Advice for the next generation of leaders
To the next generation of leaders, Cheung believes that technology will be a key driver for success. She suggests having an open mind and being accepting of new things. She encourages quickly responding to any crisis as they come, and just as important: looking out for the next “blue ocean” opportunity.
Click on the PodChat player and listen to Cheung share her experience, observation and opinion on what constitutes the new generation of leaders.
- What is your definition of leadership?
- What qualities make up a good leader?
- In your experience, does gender play any role in determining a good leader?
- With COVID-19 still among us, how is this impacting the kind of leadership expected by a business? By its people? By its partners and customers?
- How has technology and digital transformation influenced this generation of leaders?
- What is that one leadership lesson you’ve learned in your career?
- As a female executive, what has been the most significant barrier to women pursuing a career in technology?
- What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
