Women remain underrepresented in business leadership roles, but data shows gradual progress. According to Grant Thornton’s 2025 International Business Report, women now hold 34 percent of senior management roles globally, reflecting steady gains over recent years.
As more women move into senior roles, conversations about leadership styles continue to evolve. Many qualities traditionally described as “feminine” are increasingly recognized as business strengths rather than soft skills. Below, we highlight five traits that can shape workplace culture, influence decision-making and help organizations perform at a higher level.
Feminine traits in great leaders
When leaders develop qualities like empathy, humility, authenticity, entrepreneurial drive and resilience, it can strengthen financial performance as well as workplace culture.
1. Empathy
Empathy may be labeled a soft skill, but in leadership, it delivers hard results. In fact, according to Businessolver’s 2025 State of Workplace Empathy report, 89 percent of CEOs say empathy is directly tied to financial performance. The same report also found that employees at organizations perceived as unempathetic are 1.5 times more likely to consider leaving within six months. Together, those findings show that a leader’s ability to understand and thoughtfully respond to what employees are experiencing shapes employee engagement, retention and performance.
Empathetic leadership also strengthens workplace collaboration. Employees who feel heard are more willing to share ideas, address workplace conflict constructively and work toward shared goals. That dynamic can improve morale while creating a more cohesive and productive environment.
Julie Castro Abrams, CEO of How Women Lead and managing partner of How Women Invest, believes empathy is the most underrated feminine trait. “It’s often dismissed as ‘soft,’ but in reality, it’s a strategic advantage,” Abrams explained. “Empathetic leaders understand their teams, customers and the broader market on a human level. This connection drives better products, stronger relationships and more loyalty.”
Stacey Ryan, president of School of Rock and founder of FrontWomen.org, said empathy doesn’t mean compromising strength or authority; it’s about leading with understanding and humanity. “As workplaces evolve, leaders who prioritize empathy are better equipped to navigate complexity, inspire loyalty and drive sustainable success,” Ryan said.
2. Humility
Humility is often associated with women in leadership, but it’s not about shrinking or downplaying achievement. In business, humility shows up as self-awareness, accountability and a willingness to share credit.
Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, pointed out that many successful CEOs pair humility with strong resolve. When a strategy falls short, those leaders tend to own it rather than deflect blame. Teams notice that. Over time, that kind of accountability builds trust and credibility.
Emily Walton, founder and coach at Alo Coaching, has seen how humility can support a strong workplace culture. “Women are often attributed with creating inclusive, nurturing and encouraging environments for their teams and their peers, creating opportunities for career advancement for their direct reports, celebrating the successes of others, and checking in on the individual well-being of those around them,” Walton said. “This is an incredibly valuable combination of traits because it advances the entire skillset of those they lead and creates an environment for a healthy, high-performing culture.”
At the same time, humility requires balance. Leaders who consistently downplay their contributions or avoid advocating for their ideas can stall their own influence and, in some cases, their organization’s progress. Healthy humility means recognizing your strengths without letting ego drive decisions.
Humility helps leaders make decisions based on what's best for the business, not what feeds their ego. That clarity can strengthen relationships, improve team performance and support long-term
profitable growth.
3. Authenticity
Authenticity in leadership means showing up consistently — matching words with actions and making decisions that reflect clearly stated values. While often associated with women leaders, authenticity is less about personality and more about credibility.
Research from McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org’s 2025 Women in the Workplace report found that women leaders are more likely than men to prioritize employee well-being and support flexible work policies. That focus on transparency and care contributes to workplace environments where employees feel more comfortable speaking up and contributing ideas.
Authentic leaders create clarity. They communicate openly about expectations, admit when they don’t have all the answers and make decisions that reflect both business goals and organizational values. That consistency helps build trust across teams and encourages employees to invest more fully in their work.
Authenticity also strengthens self-awareness. Leaders who understand their own motivations and limitations are less likely to lead from ego and more likely to focus on outcomes that benefit the organization as a whole.
4. Entrepreneurial drive
Entrepreneurial drive reflects a willingness to take calculated risks, build new solutions and pursue growth even in uncertain environments. While not exclusive to women, recent data shows women are playing an increasingly significant role in shaping the entrepreneurial landscape.
According to the 2025 Impact of Women-Owned Businesses Report by Wells Fargo, the number of women-owned firms grew 17.1 percent between 2019 and 2024, compared with 11.9 percent growth for men-owned firms. During that same period, employment at women-owned businesses increased 19.5 percent — nearly triple the rate of men-owned firms — and revenue rose 53.8 percent.
Those numbers point to more than participation. They reflect sustained growth, resilience and an ability to identify opportunities in shifting markets.
Lauren Bronson Petrous, founder and CEO of Boundless & Co., sees that dynamic firsthand. “What stands out about female leaders is their ability to embrace vulnerability and courage simultaneously,” she said. “They step into entrepreneurship not just to succeed in a traditional sense but to challenge norms and elevate others.”
Entrepreneurial leadership takes vision and the discipline to carry out the necessary actions. Leaders who stay ambitious but know when to adjust are more likely to grow companies that are profitable and steady over time.
5. Resilience
Resilience in leadership shows up as steadiness under pressure. It’s the ability to navigate setbacks, adapt to changing conditions and maintain forward momentum when circumstances shift.
In 2025, women led 11 percent of Fortune 500 companies. Many women in senior roles have built careers in environments where they were often one of few at the table. That experience can sharpen persistence and adaptability, qualities that matter most during periods of uncertainty or organizational change.
Abrams connects resilience to purpose-driven leadership. “Women are driven to step into entrepreneurial leadership because we see the gaps in a system that wasn’t designed for us — and we know we can create something better,” she said. “The desire to solve problems, create equity and make space for more voices motivates women to take the reins … That entrepreneurial spirit is a refusal to accept the status quo and a determination to lead with purpose.”
In practice, resilient leadership means clear communication during change, steady decision-making under stress and policies that support employees through difficult periods.
Women earn approximately
84 cents for every $1 earned by men in the U.S. This pay gap remains one of several structural factors shaping leadership pathways and advancement.
Leveraging feminine leadership traits for success
Just because these traits often show up more in female leaders doesn’t mean they’re exclusive to women. Leaders of any gender can develop them. The real opportunity is turning qualities like patience, cultural awareness and open communication into everyday leadership habits that shape how your business runs. Here are a few areas to focus on:
Have patience.
Patience gives leaders space to think before reacting. It lowers tension, strengthens relationships and leads to clearer decisions. Patient leaders also tend to listen more closely, and that alone can shift a workplace dynamic.
This approach can create a more supportive environment and help you develop stronger leaders within your organization.
“Patience enables thoughtful decision-making, ensuring actions are strategic rather than reactive … creating a supportive culture where employees feel empowered to grow,” said Ryan.
In practice, patience can show up in some of the smaller moments: letting a team member finish their thought, slowing down a major decision or coaching instead of correcting in frustration. Over time, those choices can improve productivity, build trust and help prevent burnout across your team.
Prioritize cultural diversity and inclusivity.
Building a diverse and inclusive company isn’t just about optics; it changes how decisions get made. When people with different backgrounds and lived experiences are at the table, you tend to see more creative thinking and stronger problem-solving.
“Cultural diversity enriches decision-making and innovation by bringing in a multitude of perspectives that reflect the real world, not just a narrow slice of it,” said Abrams.
Petrous agreed, noting that inclusive leadership — often seen in female leaders — ensures that diverse perspectives are heard. “Ultimately, these traits create cultures that adapt to change, prioritize people and achieve long-term, sustainable success,” Petrous said.
The business impact is measurable. According to the McKinsey report cited earlier, employees in fair and inclusive workplaces are at least twice as likely to feel motivated, take risks and speak up. That kind of environment doesn’t just feel better — it drives stronger performance.
In practical terms, that means better ideas surface faster. Teams can pressure-test assumptions instead of operating on blind spots. Over time, that kind of environment can help you retain strong employees, build customer loyalty and make smarter calls when stakes are high.
Invite open communication.
With remote work plans and video meetings part of daily operations in many businesses, clear communication matters more than ever. Leaders need reliable ways to stay connected to their teams to share updates and hear what’s actually happening on the ground.
Open communication makes it easier for employees to raise concerns, float ideas and ask questions without hesitation. It also strengthens collaboration across departments and reduces the chance that important details slip through the cracks. Over time, that clarity can support both smoother operations and stronger employee well-being.
Business leaders can encourage open communication by being transparent about decisions, creating space for team interaction, encouraging
informal feedback and using
internal communication apps that keep conversations organized and accessible.
Trust your intuition.
When you’ve built real experience in an area, your instincts often carry more insight than you realize. Trusting that judgment can keep you from overthinking every decision or constantly second-guessing yourself and struggling with imposter syndrome.
Strong leaders don’t rely on intuition alone, but they do recognize when it’s informed by experience and values. That self-awareness can build confidence, especially when decisions involve gray areas or difficult tradeoffs.
“They [women] lean on their intuition, emotional intelligence and courage to drive forward something that matters,” said Petrous. “These skills are essential in creating purpose-driven organizations.”
Feminine attributes can break barriers
Not every workplace naturally rewards the traits we’ve discussed. And no leadership style fits every situation. Still, qualities often labeled as “feminine” — like patience, empathy and open communication — can shift workplace dynamics in meaningful ways.
When leaders lean into these strengths, they often see clearer communication, stronger collaboration, more thoughtful business decision-making and a deeper sense of social responsibility across the organization.
“Corporate America hasn’t always welcomed these traits in positive ways,” said Ryan. “Patience or open communication, for example, can sometimes be perceived as vulnerabilities or weaknesses rather than essential leadership skills … Breaking this mindset and leaning into these qualities unapologetically is an ongoing challenge but one that ultimately makes us better leaders and creates workplaces where these traits are embraced and celebrated for the strengths they truly are.”
Angela Koch contributed to this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.
