The pandemic encouraged leaders to be more vulnerable with their staff, showing more empathy and transparency, traits that female leaders have often already been employing, Fortune reported April 28.
The role of the CEO has been altered by the pandemic, with far more leaders now leaning in to being more approachable and prioritizing supporting the emotional needs and wellbeing of employees. However, this more open leadership style was already being employed by female executives.
A Korn Ferry 2016 report showed that female executives are 86 percent more likely to consistently use their emotional self-awareness skills and 45 percent more likely to demonstrate empathy compared to their male counterparts.
An increase in supportive leadership, paired with a more open dialogue about employees' personal lives, aided in part by video conferencing and remote working, means that vulnerability is being embraced throughout multiple levels of organizations. More CEOs are also embracing those "female" traits of emotional intelligence and empathy to keep their workforce happy and productive.