Drucker School Prof. Jenny Darroch blogs in the Huffington Post about why women need to manage upward
Like it or not, Donald Trump is generating a lot of discussion about leadership. I’m drawn to commentaries on how Trump’s leadership style contradicts everything we believe to be true about the characteristics of a good leader (see, for example, James Wright’s post: “5 Truths I Learned About Trump After Interviewing to be His Apprentice“ or Professor Pfeffer’s article “Everything we Bash Donald Trump for is Actually What we Seek in Leaders“ ).
I have no interest in jumping into the “Donald Trump as President” debate but the commentaries have triggered thoughts about women as leaders, or why so few women end up in positions of leadership. Pfeffer notes that people who are narcissists, overly confident, and good at self-presenting are more likely to be selected as leaders because; (1) we know them, these people are familiar to us; and (2) we like to be around people who are confident and present themselves as winners.