Leadership: What Women Value

Today 9:17 p.m

What is it for? Women a good leader? For about a year now, as part of research at the Faculty of Economics (UCA), we have been studying the leadership ideas of women who hold leadership positions in companies and different types of organizations in Argentina.

Using a self-administered survey, we asked 224 female executives to describe the worst and best boss they’ve ever had. The women responded openly and spontaneously, highlighting three characteristics of those who had shaped them, for better or worse, in a work team.

The profile of these women? Most of them are of mature age, have university degrees and experience in the government, the private sector or in NGOs. Several respondents expressed great enthusiasm for the survey and a certain desire to talk about their experiences. This is a fact in itself. It seems that a space for reflection and catharsis is needed, especially for bad bosses.

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As researchers, we start from the idea that leadership is a relationship and not just a set of characteristics of the person performing the role. And based on the data we received, we confirmed that the quality of the relationship with the boss and not their individual talents is the main focus in the minds of those surveyed. This manager-led bond arises between the two and is shaped by the type and size of the organization in which it arises.

The ones, the ones lead small teams “They place more value on generosity and honesty, and those who lead larger teams place more value on vision and clear leadership for their followers.”

With the results of the study – which we have already published (“Women and leadership. Assessments and beliefs according to the top of mind”, 2025, Revista Del Centro De Estudios De Sociocología del Trabajo) we have outlined a kind of archetype of good and bad leaders according to these women.

It is very clear that this leader-led relationship is considered the best when it is characterized by empathy and the worst when it is characterized by authoritarianism. The word most frequently mentioned by women (83 of 224) was empathy, followed by reliability and listening. Generosity is also valued, particularly among women who work in government.

On the contrary: the worst boss is the one who allows the entire burden of the situation to fall on him hierarchy and his ego in the relationship behaves self-centered and authoritarian. Women who work in the state value authoritarianism more, women in the private sector value self-centeredness; In both cases it is more of an “I” rather than a “we” orientation.

The generosity “It also seems to get high mention, particularly among women who work in government.”

The women who characterized the worst leaders also point out something very interesting about the great leaders: they are definitely insecure. In addition, they emphasize that they micromanage, that is, they control every detail.

These assessments are common among the women surveyed, although their proportion also varies depending on the size of the team they lead. Those who lead small teams place more emphasis on generosity and honesty, and those who lead larger teams place more value on vision and clear leadership for their followers.

In short, the best leaders build a good relationship with the person they lead by acting with empathy, building trust and listening. The bad leader makes the relationship difficult by acting authoritarian, arrogant and self-centered. It may seem obvious, but it isn’t. The disturbing thing about the results of this study is not the list of characteristics, but the hierarchy of values: the professional competence for the tasks, the knowledge and the intelligence of the manager are important, but they weigh less than the quality of the loyalty.

Being a leader is not just about having a position, but also about building a bond. Being a leader isn’t just about performing well, it’s also about building a relationship.

* Researcher Faculty of Economics, UCA