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Leaders spend countless hours creating written instruments, such as letters, e-mails, and reports. However, as important as writing is to leadership communication, there is a paucity of research in the area, particularly in relation to gender differences. The purpose of this study is to investigate if differences exist between the prose of male and female leaders. Data were collected via a survey in which respondents were asked to assign gender to the introductory sections of the CEO's annual letter to shareholders, noting the rationale for such selections. The results show that the writing style of both female and male CEOs is gender ambiguous. Business leaders have adopted elements of "traditional" gendered attributes to create an institutionalized form of gender indistinct writing. Yet, given that gender is both performative and culturally constructed, this study calls for future research on how readers affirm the gender of leaders, not only through what is presented, but by placing written discourse into a larger matrix of thought and experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research note was to investigate how female leaders in the securities industry use communication to overcome masculine norms. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with female leaders in the industry to investigate how they use communication to not only survive in the securities industry, but also to thrive in it. Two specific, yet interrelated, findings were identified. Every female leader interviewed demonstrated an enhanced ability to develop and convey succinct messages that are tailored to the audience. Irrefutably, all 11 of the female leaders interviewed for the current project have adopted the same unique communication competency-one that is unlike traditional communication models. The research findings make a twofold contribution to the literature. First, they explore the consequences of gender in everyday work-life interactions. Second, they illuminate how certain women have handled institutionalized structures within the industry to reach the top of their profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]