2014 Faculty Perspective on Women and Leadership
While there has been an enormous cultural shift in accepting women in leadership,
there is a lingering second-generation bias as many Gen Y women associate leadership
with perfection. They often hold off on taking leadership positions because they see
it as a daunting task and have the mentality that “in order to do anything you have
to be everything.” Dr. Bernice Ledbetter is an expert on gender issues in business and a practitioner faculty of organizational
theory and management at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business. She advises that leadership is not about perfection, but rather it is about values
and tenacity. Ledbetter can offer advice for women preparing for aspirational roles and can comment
on overcoming invisible barriers – nuanced and cultural challenges that exist within
the corporate world and political system. By nature, women tend to be both benevolent
and achievement-orientated, which is the perfect value combination to be an effective
leader. Ledbetter maintains that gender diversity is important and that armed with
the right tools, it actually is a great time to be a woman aspiring for a leadership
position.