Leadership in the 21st Century: A Gendered Perspective

Abstract

The study sought to explore leadership, leadership effectiveness, personality, and leadership behaviour from the vantage point of a female leader in a public hospital in Jamaica. The study examines leadership in the 21^st century from/based on a gendered perspective. The study employed a qualitative epistemological approach and utilised a descriptive contingency theory by way of a case study. From the perspective of the interviewed person, some issues of importance emerged, and these are as follows: I have to now employ various leadership strategies depending on the situation or problem I have to deal with. Hence, it has, over time, helped me to become an even better leader. There are some similarities in my leadership style and who I believe is an ideal leader. However, I will need to think deeply about this one. Managing resources and people has been challenging, and working with people is the hardest. I have faced situations where people expressed that I should not have gotten the position because other senior staff were at the institution before me.

However, I have had good experiences because I allow people to feel comfortable to come to me with whatever problem they have, and I also try to be fair in my decision-making. Before being selected for the Director's position, I struggled with some senior managers because they felt I was after their job. I qualified for the director position, and they felt threatened. However, as a senior manager, the staff thought I would be extremely hard on them because I strongly believed in discipline and order. What makes the difference is my leadership style. I do not lead with emotion; I am a rational leader, if there is any such leadership style. This unique leadership style, devoid of emotion, is a fascinating aspect of the study. Although rich insights were gleaned from the findings, no generalisations can be made simply because of the subjective data collection method. On this premise, the work interprets the results within the context of descriptive contingency theory, which provides scientific facts from a subjective position.