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cover of episode Does Gender Change How We Lead? with Retired Colonel DeDe Halfhill

Does Gender Change How We Lead? with Retired Colonel DeDe Halfhill

2025/3/18
logo of podcast A Bit of Optimism

A Bit of Optimism
AI Chapters Transcript
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DeDe Halfhill, a retired Air Force colonel, shares her experience as a woman leader in the military. She explains how leadership principles are universal, but her experience differed from her male counterparts. She details instances where she felt dismissed or misunderstood, highlighting the different reactions people have to male versus female leaders.
  • Leadership principles are universal but the experience of women leaders differs from men
  • People react differently to male versus female leaders
  • Women leaders are sometimes dismissed or given pats on the head even when senior in rank

Shownotes Transcript

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:

dedehalfhill.com)