Leadership is Feminine: Leadership Lessons from The Barbie Movie

Leadership is Feminine

For most women, when we are invited to study leadership the teachers, scholars, authorities and models are primarily… men. We are indoctrinated from the time we are born that men are the leaders and that natural male characteristics are the strengths you must also possess to be a good leader. Powerful. Strong. Authoritative. Direct. Assertive. Decisive. These and so many more are attributes that are typically associated with the male model of a leader. And so, for the better part of the last one hundred years as women have made their way into the fold, in a variety of leadership roles, we have learned and studied to walk the way of a men to achieve success. Women dismiss their own knowing because we’ve been so indoctrinated in male leadership models. We dismiss what we know for what others tell us to be and how to be seen. There is another way to lead. To be in alignment. To not feel like an imposter. It’s time for the reimagining of leadership. That’s not to disparage any of the progress that has come before us. Progress is progress. For those of us who stand in the footsteps of the women who came before us we are here because of their courage, bravery and resilience. I wonder instead if women equally looked to the characteristics they learned from their mothers for leadership. I wonder if we were taught to lean on different qualities to drive success. I wonder what might happen then? The traditional qualities of mothering are communication, nurturing, listening, strength, support, grace, and yes… love. What if to be the best leader you can be as a woman, you integrated the best of both? This is how women will stand with integrity in their role as leaders. As women, we can be assertive, direct, powerful, and authoritative but we need not only rely on those attributes for success. After 25 years of watching and studying leaders, I can tell you that for sure many traditional male attributes are effective in the short run, but they typically only serve a few. Whereas, when leadership is feminine. When the leader possesses the strengths of femininity and grace the results are for all. This podcast is my like my gentle request and invitation to my fellow female leaders that we reclaim the world leadership as one that is a feminine definition. That we continue to work with all of our allies to build organizations and systems that include more support, collaboration, grace and communication. And that we do so not because we are uncomfortable with the more traditional male-dominating models, but because we truly do know that leadership is a feminine strength and attribute. And the world needs more of us leading. Now more than ever.

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Leadership Lessons from The Barbie Movie | E121 0

Aug 7, 2023

Whether you liked, disliked or are indifferent toward The Barbie Movie, I thought after viewing it that there were some positive lessons in the movie and some points I felt more doubt about. Overall, the movie’s premise is that, in Barbie Land, the women have accomplished countless advancements for womankind. They believe that because they’ve done so much there, it’s that way everywhere. But Barbie discovers that in the real world things are not as they are in Barbie Land. Similarly, Ken also discovers he’s treated very differently in the real world than he is in Barbie Land.

In reflecting on these overall takeaways, I liked how the characters powerfully didn’t self-deprecate and they supported one another from the heart. That was refreshing. Then, on the other hand, one of the things I didn’t really like was the way the indoctrinated and not indoctrinated used the current system to try to change the system. I question if we should be doing that in the real world, and what else we’re doing that may only be perpetuating stereotypes. Let’s talk about this and a whole lot more.

“It’s also rooted in the collective misinterpretations about who we’re all supposed to be… What kind of judgments do we hold against each other?... What is it that we do that separates us from one another–that we perpetuate the stereotypes that we resent?... It’s so baked in.” – Kris Plachy

What You’ll Learn

Responses to not self-deprecating
Indoctrinated versus not indoctrinated
Infiltration method
True support from the heart
Impact of avoidance
Collective misinterpretations
Balance in the end

Contact Info and Recommended Resources

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Private Subscriber List: Sign up to get preview invitations at thevisionary.ceo/lead. (Opting to be added to the LEAD waitlist on this page will add you to the Private Subscriber List.)
The Moxy Sage: Join with a paid subscription to hear more about this topic and others. Kris shares more in depth content every week and hosts a private podcast.
Hawaii Retreat with Kris: September 22-25, 2023. A few spots are still available. This retreat is open to all women. See all the details and register at krisplachy.com/hawaii.
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