Best Practices For Female LeadersSample

  Enough for Everyone Mind-set

There is quite a bit of research about the “Queen Bee” syndrome. This shows up in work and leadership environments where a strong female leader rises in authority but views or treats other women poorly. Queen bees haven’t learned that God has room for everyone. For them there’s an underlying fear that somehow leadership and influence are scarce, that there is a shortage of opportunity, or that if someone else succeeds, their chances of success somehow diminish.

The Queen Bee syndrome can seep into all of us, often without us even noticing. And it tends to be cultivated in environments where female leaders are few and far between. Growing in an “Enough for Everyone” mind-set is critical in helping to free ourselves from self-imposed limitations, and being used by God to create healthier and more abundant environments for women leaders around us and those who will come after us. 

Dee Ann Turner, Vice President of Sustainability, has spent the majority of her career developing and leading corporate talent at Chick-fil-A, Inc. (CFA). As the first woman officer at her company and leading at the highest levels for more than thirty years, she has a unique and wise perspective on the power of a female leader’s mind-set:

“Unfortunately, I think sometimes when we have a difference like being female we have a scarcity mentality about opportunity. We think “There can only be one of this, or one of that,” and certainly businesses and society have reinforced that in some ways. But what I prefer is an abundance mentality. That there’s enough for everyone, so let’s help everybody get there. Let’s bring people along with us.” 

One of the challenges of being a misfit is that we often feel like we have to go it alone. But standing alone is not the same thing as being alone. There’s room for everyone, including you. Reach out and make connections. If you keep running into “queen bees,” keep looking until you find the rest of us misfits. We always have room for one more.