Women's Leadership Strategies and Their Path to Success in Management Roles

This dissertation examines the overcoming of barriers to women’s career progression into managerial and senior leadership positions. The main objective is to identify the factors and strategies that lead to overcoming these barriers and to propose recommendations for organisations and future female managers. The theoretical section summarises structural and psychological barriers, such as the leadership labyrinth and the second shift. The qualitative research is based on semi-structured interviews with female managers, which were analysed using thematic analysis. The results show that external barriers, such as underestimation and stereotypes, triggered internal perfectionism and a tendency towards micromanagement among the respondents in the sample studied. Key strategies for success include conscious delegation, building high-quality teams, setting boundaries between work and private life, and maintaining emotional distance. Key supporting factors include a corporate culture based on psychological safety, mentoring and a supportive family background. The contribution of this study lies in its proposal of practical recommendations for developing a supportive environment within organisations and in providing inspiration for female managers starting out in their careers.