Dive Brief:

• Recent research from Development Dimensions International (DDI), a global leadership development consultancy, decided to answer the question "should a women act more like a man to succeed in the workplace?"
• The research came in two studies. The first by DDI and The Conference Board identifies “confidence” as one of the few but significant leadership differences between the sexes. The second, DDI’s High-Resolution Leadership study, reviewed true assessment data from 10,000 global leaders and found no difference in the battle of the sexes for leadership skills.
• According to DDI, men and women are equally qualified in business drivers around hard- and soft-business skills—with neither gender scoring high. However, the study did identify three personality differences—inquisitiveness, sensitivity and impulsiveness—between the two sexes.

Dive Insight:

Do women have to mimic the opposite sex to move up the management chain? An emphatic "no," says Tacy M. Byham, DDI's CEO. But she adds that women need to do a better job of declaring themselves and becoming their own advocates—speaking and acting confidently and mentally promoting themselves to a future-focused role.  

Women comprise more than half the workforce yet occupy less than 20% of C-suite seats. Only 5% of CEOs are women. Employers who want more women in leadership roles can implement seven practices which DDI says have been shown to make a difference in driving diversity.

“But remember, to be successful, happy, and fulfilled at work and in life, it’s less about acting more like a man or more like a woman,” Byham says. “It is about becoming a best-ever version of yourself.”