Manifest for the integration of feminine energy in Corporate Organizations

No, not again the angry woman fighting for more women in Management 😉

·       I believe that the future of sustainable business is the shift from a male oriented environment to an environment where both feminine and masculine energy are celebrated.

·       I believe we are not only women and men, we are energies combined

·       Masculine and feminine energy is present in both men and women

·       I believe that we achieve more when we aim for short term and long term goals combined

·       I believe that in order to be happier we need to embrace our wholeness

·       When we can allow ourselves to live our purpose, and integrate this in our company culture, we will be authentic in our relationships with others and build stronger relationships that result in better cooperation between colleagues and thus, better, long-term results.

A bit of history

The dominant culture in our Western Society and in our companies is a masculine one, with little room for feminine energy. The qualities necessary to get ahead in society and in companies are largely masculine qualities.

The feminine in general is less valued or rewarded than the masculine.

Everyone values, for example, decisiveness, the ability to get something done by going for it and forcing things to happen.

In management teams, much attention is paid to performance, action and accomplishing things. THESE ARE MASCULINE QUALITIES.

How much appreciation is there for patience, for waiting, for allowing something to ripen and grow? These feminine qualities are usually viewed as passive.

And passivity tends to be corrected rather than rewarded.

The dominant culture is therefore a masculine culture, one in which the feminine is underrepresented.

In this sense, one can state that we live in a social context with an underdeveloped anima*.

This is not new.

The dominant culture is the result of centuries of human development and the experience of various stages, from a nomad culture through to today’s post-industrial society. Concretely, the dominant culture has resulted in many women dismissing the feminine.

Both men and woman participate in the overvaluation of the masculine and the undervaluation of the feminine.

Woman in a very masculine company culture are often the first to oppose the elimination of obstacles to the development of feminine careers.

This is not surprising

For years, they could only prove themselves by distancing themselves from ‘the feminine’: by showing men in the company and within the masculine value pattern that they are just as masculine as a man, often even more masculine, more competent, more rational and more energetic.

These usually are also women who are against specific actions to improve the man/woman balance in their company. They do this based on the idea: ‘I was successful, I fought hard for it, other woman simply must do the same.’ They no longer feel solidarity or connectedness with other women.

On the other hand, there are also many women in top positions who are out of balance, who have suppressed the feminine in themselves for years.

Both men and woman have lost touch with themselves, because for years they have gone out of their way to excel in the world of masculine values.

We have lost the connectedness with our feminine side in this dominantly masculine culture.

What are examples of feminine and masculine energy in organizations?

MASCULINE:

• Left Brain Logic
• Doing
• Thinking
• Discipline
• Analytics
• Directive
• Controlling

FEMININE:

• Right Brain Intuition
• Feeling
• Knowing
• Collaborative
• Creative
• Empathic
• Supportive

What are the wins of implementing feminine energy in organizations?

First of all, AND very important:

I cannot repeat this enough: we need both MASCULINE AND FEMININE ENERGY 😊

It's important to remember that we are talking energy and not gender, both men and women possess both of these energies and tend to use one energy more than the other in leadership. Our goal as "professional human beings' is to learn how to leverage both of these energies functionally in the various areas of our lives and as leaders in entrepreneurialism.

Whether we are male or female, our role is to bring out the functional feminine balance with functional masculine and encourage the same in our teams.

We need to start valuing our people and the magic they bring to our organizations and focus less on the end result.

WINS Feminine Energy:

·      Delegation & Communication

While every once and a while, assertive communication is certainly necessary as a leader, tuning into your feminine energy is a great way to develop your delegation and communication skills.

Successful delegation requires:

-       Being receptive and open to the opinions of others

-       Trying to create a win-win situation for all parties involved

-       Being adaptable to change depending on the feedback you receive

These are ALL skills you can hone by tuning into your feminine energy.

·      Self-Awareness

A great leader needs to be self-aware. A KEY part of this is recognizing the impact you have on others. Nurturing, feminine energy that listens, gets quiet, and reflects will help cultivate this skill.

·      Gratitude

How often are you showing gratitude for your team? While masculine energy is often associated with the relentless pursuit of a goal (often at any cost), feminine energy takes time to be grateful for what you’ve already accomplished.

Practicing gratitude for those around you from a space of feminine energy will help increase the fruitfulness of your team relationships and make sure everyone feels valued.

·      Influence

There is a multitude of ways in which leaders can influence. You could definitely do this from a place of masculine OR feminine energy.

By tuning into the needs of others and thinking about how to leverage and incentivize others based on what is truly important to them, you’ll be able to influence from a place of feminine energy. Focus on using your empathy in order to create the impact and influence you desire.

·      Agility

You’ll often hear about feminine energy being associated with being ‘in flow’. By working from your feminine, you’re flexible and open - and able to pivot at a moment’s notice.

Especially for startups and entrepreneurs, this skill is incredibly important. You’ll want to create from this space rather than sticking rigidly to timelines or approaches - even if they’re not working.

Remember: be stubborn about your goals, but flexible in your methods.

·      Empathy

As a leader, you have to remember: you’re working with human beings. Masculine energy that hustles for a goal without taking into consideration the whole person will not aid you in your quest to become an empathetic leader.

Recognize that your team members have feelings, they have families, they have hopes, dreams, and fears. The more you can empathize with them and show them that you genuinely care and are tuned in to their needs, the better performance (and increased loyalty) you will receive.

·      Respect

At the end of the day, respect is all about being receptive to others. It’s about collaboration and seeing your team as equals. It’s recognizing we all have our parts to play and all add our own unique value.

 When we operate from feminine energy, we are receptive, collaborative, and inclusive. By leading from this energy, we create a respectful team culture where we ALL feel appreciated.

Just as we must support women in embracing an energy in business that has been previously associated with weakness, we must also support men in tapping into their feminine energy and recognizing the value those traits can bring to the table.

By shifting the way we look at leadership and breaking the stigmas associated with feminine energy, we can create an environment that promotes greater retention, success and loyalty by being more effective leaders.

Sources:

*The Balanced Leader by Michèle Mees

*C.Gustav Jung - Archetypes

*Jung described the animus as the unconscious masculine side of a woman, and the anima as the unconscious feminine side of a man, each transcending the personal psyche. Jung's theory states that the anima and animus are the two primary anthropomorphic archetypes of the unconscious mind, as opposed to the theriomorphic and inferior function of the shadow archetypes. He believed they are the abstract symbol sets that formulate the archetype of the Self.

In Jung's theory, the anima makes up the totality of the unconscious feminine psychological qualities that a man possesses and the animus the masculine ones possessed by a woman. He did not believe they were an aggregate of father or mother, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, or teachers, though these aspects of the personal unconscious can influence a person's anima or animus.