In our textbook, it is mentioned that the gender gap in leadership is a global phenomenon whereby women are disproportionately concentrated in lower-level and lower-authority leadership positions than men (Powell & Graves, 2003 as cited in Northouse, 2022, p. 395).

The explanation that Northouse offers for this gap lies in his Leadership Labyrinth (Figure 14.1) below (Northouse, 2022, p. 395):

Source: Northouse, P. G. (2022). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed., pp. 395). Sage Publications.

After carefully examining at the Leadership Labyrinth image and evaluating it, think about different leadership styles and their effectiveness. Then, do the following:

1. Explain how men and women, in leadership positions, use these skills and traits to make decisions and encourage follower-loyalty.
2. Evaluate if men and women use the skills and traits in the same manner.
3. Select two countries and analyze if culture plays a role in the way men and women practice their leadership style and their effectiveness.

Embed course material concepts, principles, and theories (including supporting citations) along with at least two current, scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles. You may find that your discussion of leadership characteristics is easily supported with such current scholarly research, while the information about how your chosen leader exhibits those leadership characteristics is supported by popular research.

Keep in mind that current scholarly references can be found in the Saudi Digital Library by conducting an advanced search. Current research means published in the last five years.