Women need a fair chance to lead post pandemic

The traits that define ‘great’ leadership need to be de–gendered: empathy, humility and vulnerability are among the qualities required now. 

As we head towards a new year, the working world feels as if it is slowly emerging from close to two years of turmoil. But it’s definitely not a return to normal: the 2021 Edelman Trust barometer identifies “a failing trust ecosystem leaving the four institutions – business, government, NGOs and media – in an environment of information bankruptcy”. It makes for sobering reading. The pandemic has heightened the urgency of addressing problems across so many aspects of society: from healthcare to education, poverty to climate change, misinformation to discrimination and racism. The list goes on.

Trust in business may be at its lowest in nearly a decade but, nonetheless, CEOs are expected to fill the gaps left by governments, taking the lead on tackling these issues and making themselves visibly accountable for doing so, not just to…