What makes a good business leader? Is it the ability to inspire and motivate people? Is it being fair and compassionate? Is it being strong and decisive so the goals of the organization are met? Is it a mix of all of these traits? Or does it depend on the leader’s gender?

When it comes to leadership development, many people think that a leader should focus on their inherent strengths. Women should take advantage of their empathetic natures, while men should be more assertive.

New research from Skyline, a company dedicated to providing scalable leadership development and coaching across an organization, shows that this way of thinking is not only outdated, it’s wrong. Employees find both masculine and feminine leadership traits equally effective. As their infographic below shows, leaders need to start incorporating the full spectrum of leadership skills into their personal style in order to become more well-rounded leaders. Some highlights include:

  • People rate 70% of  masculine and feminine expressions as equally effective.
  • Female bosses outscored males in 11 of 12 engagement categories.
  • 31% of people considered women in top positions in business to be more honest and ethical than men. Just 3% said the opposite.
  • Leadership that communicates across all departments is key: 81% of employees would rather join a company that values open communication than trendy perks

Check out the full infographic for leadership development tips you can share with your organization. It’ll help current and aspiring leaders realize that balance is the key to being a more effective leader.

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What are some other ways to develop more balanced leaders? Let us know in the comments!