This week, we’ve had a collective front-row seat to the Sturm und Drang at OpenAI, in which we witnessed a dramatic dismissal and return of a CEO, an interim female tech leader installed, an employee uprising to get the board to step down, and the easy glide of the fired former CEO into an open leadership position at Microsoft—all within 48 hours.
It was enough to give even the most dedicated tech devotee whiplash, but the saga (as it’s still unfolding) is an object lesson in how toxic masculinity continues to dominate Silicon Valley and reverberates into the fabric of our corporate culture and the life-changing tools it continues to develop.
The bigger implications on equity, or lack thereof, are thrown in high relief. We already know that women across industries—not just in tech—are held back from leadership. Recent research surfaced 30 different characteristics and qualities of a woman’s identity, ranging from accents to race, residence to occupational position, that have become points of criticism creating barriers to women’s success. “The clear message to women is that—whatever they are—they are ‘never quite right.’” This is just one more reason why so many incompetent men become leaders.
Mira Murati’s tenure as CEO lasted less than 48 hours, so it’s unclear what kind of leader she would have been. But while good individual contributors often get promoted into leadership roles—even without having good management skills—it is possible to be good in a particular area, as well as managing and leading.
Communication
Additional research reveals that women are better at leading through crisis, simply by dint of communication. As Nahla Davies notes, “Women use anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 words per day on average, versus a man’s 5,000 to 10,000. In the midst of an ever-evolving crisis, and with the knowledge that communication is one of the most important skills to have for mitigating a crisis in the first place, it’s easy to see why leaders who communicate more may have an advantage.”
Alexa von Tobel observed that communication is a critical leadership skill, particularly in times of crisis. That goes for making updates as needed and closing the loop. After all, she writes, “Yes, you need to solve the root problem, but communication can help make everyone feel brought along the journey with you and give them the confidence that you have it under control.”
Continuous learning
That said, we also know that women are often asked to lead through a crisis and are often tasked with the impossible: trying to turn a sinking ship around. This glass-cliff scenario has dogged many female CEOs (namely Meg Whitman and Marissa Mayer). On the surface, it would seem as though any leader—of any gender—would be reluctant to take big risks until things get stable. But that is too often a mistake, according to Kimberly King of Hitachi Vantara. She writes, “Cultivate a culture of continuous learning, where each setback becomes a cornerstone of your experience. Leverage these pivotal moments to refine your strategies, enhance your decision-making prowess, and cultivate emotional intelligence.”
Creativity
Crisis leadership also calls for a level of creativity that can be challenging even in the best of times. Yet as the CEO of Argonon puts it, “If your business is going to survive and thrive, being an open-minded leader who can quickly adapt to change is crucial. Not only that: You must inspire your team to do the same.”
Trust
Of course, this is easier said than done, but when chaos and uncertainty are the order of the day, it’s important to take the pulse of your teams as often as possible, advise Henrique Dubugras and Neal Narayani of Brex. “Survey your team regularly to solicit feedback, pivot as needed, and be purely transparent in decision-making processes,” they write. “If you’ve laid a foundation of trust, your team will come along with you.”
And speaking of trust, it is absolutely foundational to the health and future of a company to ensure that leaders and team members trust each other. “Leaders who understand how the ebbs and flows of life relate to the challenges and successes in the enterprise will be the ones who know just when to relinquish control and trust their employees—which fuels success.”
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