Bobbi Thomason Shares Expertise on Why Women Make Such Good Leaders During COVID-19 in Forbes

Leaders across the globe were taken back by the coronavirus pandemic and face an unprecedented test. Despite the fact that women only make up seven percent heads of state, women seem to be disproportionately passing the “coronavirus test”. This moment in history offers real-time opportunity to understand the consequences of leadership decisions in a high-stakes situation. California was one of the first states to take relatively quick action and local leaders took initiative even quicker. In San Francisco, the first black woman to ever hold that office, took action days before Governor Newsom and the mayor of Los Angeles did (both men).

So many women acted first to make bold and unpopular calls to shut down life and the economy. We are accustomed to hearing that women are more other-directed and emotionally intelligent, which is proven in research. But it turns out women are just as good and sometimes better at some of what we think of as “male qualities”, such as making decisive and tough calls. Bobbi Thomason was interviewed by Cami Anderson, five-time CEO of high-profile organizations, to share her social science perspective on the topic. “ in a strange way the double standard for women, while unfair, also means they are more likely to be well-rounded leaders. Women have to cultivate both the more ‘traditional male’ qualities and ‘traditional female’ qualities. Having a diverse repertoire of leadership strategies has clearly served women well in leading through this current crisis,” says Bobbi Thomason. Read more.