Research conducted by professor Herminia Iberra at Insead, The Business School for the World,(r) has revealed some interesting insights for female executives in home health care.

Studies by professor Iberra show that in almost all measures of executive performance women are equal to or outperform men, with one exception: vision. Ibarra’s review of the 360 degree reviews of nearly 3,000 women revealed that, in general, they were seen as less visionary. What could explain this? Ibarra offers three possibilities:

1. Women may have a vision but they may be using a different process to develop their long-term strategy.

2.Women may have a vision but may be hesitant to make audacious statements.

3. Women may not value visionary pronouncements.

Whatever the reason for this perceived lack of vision, Ibarra suggests that those women wanting to climb the career ladder not simply wait around for visionary inspiration. She tells ambitious women,to get out and not think about how to set strategy in the safety of their own office, but how to start networking in a way that gives them a broader vision of the future. The way you envision the future is by being out there and trying to understand trends in the industry, in society and talking to people.

At Leading Home Care, we have been talking about Vision and Leadership in Home Care for the past 25 years. We even conducted a research program that revealed The Top Ten Competencies of Highly Effective Home Care Executives. The Number One competencies is, “Seeing the Bigger Picture.”

Where does Vision come into play in the leadership of your home health agency? Do female executives in home health care demonstrate less vision for the future that their male counterparts? What do you do to see the bigger picture and develop your vision for the future?

Give us your comments below.