Does Gender Change How We Lead? with retired colonel DeDe Halfhill | A Bit of Optimism Podcast

Is there such a thing as female leadership? Or is gender not a factor?

DeDe Halfhill would say yes and no. A retired Air Force colonel, DeDe spent 20 years in the military, where she advised some of the military’s most powerful leaders during the War in Iraq.

She was often the only woman in the room for weeks on end. And while DeDe found the principles of leadership to be universal, there was no denying her experience as a woman leader was different from the men.

DeDe is an old friend of mine, and I was excited to talk with her about what she learned during her time in the Air Force. She explained to me why people react differently to male versus female leaders, why loneliness often shows up as exhaustion, and how the ability to do emotional labor makes all leaders great, regardless of gender.

This...is A Bit of Optimism.

For more on DeDe and her work, check out:
https://dedehalfhill.com/

⏰ Timestamps
0:00 What is "female leadership?"
7:36 Emotional labor in the military
14:51 Why DeDe felt like a failure
19:58 How to lead through loneliness
28:32 Mental fitness and shame resilience
35:44 Leaders are those who go first

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Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do.

Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including Start With Why, Leaders Eat Last, Together is Better, and The Infinite Game.

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Leaders Eat Last: https://simonsinek.com/books/leaders-...
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