Decoding Julie Bishop

Julie Bishop delivered a candid, clever and impassioned off-the-cuff speech in front of a 360- strong crowd at the Future Women Off the Record event on Tuesday night. “I do have some experiences to share and some observations to make,” quipped Bishop, with a smile. Though much of the conversation was indeed “off the record” Bishop made her feelings clear in a number of areas before the tape was turned off. As the master of making a point without being controversial there were a series of messages hidden in her lines. Here we decode them for you.

After seeing leadership up close, Bishop is convinced by the research that says that there are different leadership styles based on gender. Men and women build and support teams differently, said Bishop. Women are more likely to be emotionally engaged, empathetic and sensitive to the needs of the people on their teams. Among other differences, men are less likely to focus on individual’s need, and opt for more punitive approaches when it comes to accountability and judging team performance. In her experience, transformational leadership invokes higher morale and leads to longer- term elevated productivity – a win win equation.