According to the Mars-Venus philosophies made popular by writers in recent years, men and women naturally have vastly different approaches to communication. According to this theory, when men and women become managers, men are directive and results-oriented, while women are collaborative and relationship-oriented. Is there any truth to the theory? According to the author of this article, the Mars-Venus theory is just a myth but learning to identify and utilize communication styles usually attributed to gender can vastly strengthen leadership skills.

Men who do not use their innate ability to nurture are losing out on a valuable management tool and women who do not negotiate may miss out on profitable opportunities. Most people are not aware that the most effective types of leaders access both types of leadership skills.

Successful leaders utilize a variety of traits to help them to be successful. They use logic and intuition, technical competence and emotional integrity. Blending these styles is called an integrative management approach. Good integrated management focuses on getting the job done. Leaders who are effective must take the time to build strong teams, listen and inspire new ideas, while keeping employees informed. The ability to do these things naturally increases productivity.

While men and women are not necessarily the same or different in their approaches, both sexes can learn to engage leadership styles considered traditionally female or traditionally male to help them to get the productivity they need. A leader using an integrated approach combines a need to meet goals with the commitment to inclusive communication. This type of leader will be deadline-driven, but will make sure that the team is consistently honored and supported for their work, creating buy-in now and in the future.

Both men and women can benefit from examining their current leadership style to assess what style is more dominant for them: communication or deadline-driven strategies. Leaders can ask themselves: