"Highlighting Female Leadership and Entrepreneurship"

Melody Fogarty

Leaders and entrepreneurs, male or female, demonstrate ten competencies including high ethics and moral standards. These people have and provide to others clear goals and objectives while giving their followers/direct reports loose guidelines and direction. In other words, they give the "what" and let their teams determine the "how". They ae the risk takers who comfortably and clearly communicate their expectations. 

Successful leaders and entrepreneurs have WOO (Winning Others Over) or, at the very least, they are persuasive. They nurture growth in themselves and more importantly others. These women and men believe in team and provide a safe harbor for success and failure. 

Leadership competencies, in male leaders, are celebrated and reward. Too often, women are asked to become smaller or explain away the very behaviors that make their counterparts successful. It is labeled a personality trait and female leaders have to learn to work around the misconception of their personality characteristics to benefit from the demonstration of those competencies necessary to be valued as an effective leader. So, what are the personalities types/traits/characteristics of female leaders?

Note: There is an exception to every rule. Not everyone will fall into these four personality types, however most will. For this reason, I highly recommend "Now Discover Your Strengths" by Marcus Buckingham.  In lieu of finding our strengths consider the following: Alpha, Sigma, Beta and Omega female personalities as leaders and entrepreneurs. That said, lets walk through those personality traits used to help and hold you back from maximizing success.

Everyone wants to be an Alpha, few actually are. How do you know if you are an Alpha? Have you embraced your leadership ambition? Are you talented, highly motivated and self-confident? If you say "yes" to 3 of the 4 characteristics, then you are not an Alpha. It's an all or nothing game. 

Alpha female leaders are not reluctant leaders. These women are fearless, and they have high emotional intelligence. They are social conductors. People seek them out. They are curious and think harmony is key. However, there is only one of them in the group at any given time. This also means they give an air of masculinity and chances are they have heard that they are hard drivers and workaholics.

Alpha females take risks which often lead to high rewards. Take a risk by showing a little more vulnerability.

Our sigma sister is just as assertive and independent as the alpha female. However, she is a non-conformist. The sigma likes to chase after what she wants. Moreover, she prefers solitude and self-sufficiency over being in a group for society’s sake. This one can and will work and play alone.

As an entrepreneur and leader, the sigma female is independent to the core, never swayed by the crowd. She makes her decision about who is and who is not talented without input from others. Sigmas use their intuition to determine their view of resources, environment, and direction. They are strategically social. 

She is a Low-Key Leader. Sigmas are observant, empathetic listeners, intrinsically motivated and value driven. In short, "A Sigma is intimidating, loyal, emotional and utterly elusive.” They are very like Alphas, however these women "are intriguing and powerful, easily commanding attention but also happy to step back when the need suits them."

Key: Sigma females are considered the rarest personality type among women. This is because Sigma females don't conform to traditional female stereotypes and are not interested in social status or conforming to societal norms. If you are a Sigma, be yourself and find social events to attend with your team. Join outside organizations that interest you.

On the other end of the spectrum, is the beta female leaders and entrepreneurs. Yes, she is also a leader. Generally, her realm is the home. She basks in the glow of family, finding success as the second in a social or group hierarchy. She enjoys the supporter positions to an alpha female while retaining superiority to the other females. The Beta female leader is a woman who has stereotypically feminine traits, such as being gentle, nurturing, and emotional. 

Beta females have hidden power. They master the art of being underestimated because they may appear introverted and shy, but she can dominate and achieve her goals when the situation presents itself. Her empathetic nature, compassion, and realistic views make her a good friend and partner which in turn gives her access to business opportunities before other people know the opportunities exist.

The beta female focuses on creative work and fields in which she can help others. If she is a practical woman with good organizational strengths, she could start her own business. Moreover, those who can think analytically could go into STEM fields. 

Lastly, we have the Omega female leader. She is introverted, self-confident, and intelligent. She values deep connections. When it comes to the hierarchy of personality archetypes, omegas technically fall at the very bottom. However, this doesn't mean that omega females are weak or submissive.

Omega are non-conformists who build teams and tight networks. As beta female tends to be a follower and may prioritize maintaining harmony and relationships overachieving her own goals, an omega female tends to be more independent, self-sufficient, self-motivated, and ambitious, often prioritizing her own goals and desires over those of others. This leader builds tight teams and networks who stay together for years. She is well positioned for success as an entrepreneur.

Regardless of where your personality falls as female entrepreneur, you are capable of leading if you lean on your strengths and manage around your weaknesses. It is about demonstrating strong ethics and safety, self-organizing, efficient learning, nurturing growth, and connection and belonging. 

Melody Fogarty