February 16, 2010

“Combining agentic and communal behaviors is very important when you are a senior woman executive,” explains Ginka Toegel, Program Director for IMD’s Strategies for Leadership program.

“There are some misconceptions among women that they need to be like men in order to be successful. Indeed, agentic male behaviors such as projecting self-confidence, ambition, power or being in control are associated with effective leadership. But doing only what men do is not enough. When women are perceived only as agentic, they violate the gender stereotype, which prescribes communal female values such as being helpful, friendly, caring and gentle. In order to be successful, women need to blend those two dimensions of their behavior.”

One woman who has successfully combined agentic and communal behaviors is Michelle Lam, Superintendent of the Tuen Mun Children and Juvenile Home in Hong Kong.

Lam, an IMD alumna, joined the Social Welfare Department in 1987 and has held numerous posts in her 22 years of service. In her role as superintendent she manages 220 staff and is responsible for the overall administration, operation, planning, budgeting, financial control and development of the home. Lam talks about her leadership style in the following video interview.