Understanding the implications of gender, power and politics on leadership during times of crisis is the focus of a free webinar Wednesday, March 24 at 11 a.m.

Ingrid Makus, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Brock University, will lead the session as part of the Business Breathers series facilitated by Goodman Group, the Goodman School of Business’s community-focused learning and development services provider.

The talk, “Gender, Power and Politics: Leading in COVID Times,” will look at why women continue to be underrepresented in politics and leadership positions and how that impacts leadership during crisis.

Through the session, participants will hear insights from academic literature that address whether women are better leaders, whether media and social media criticism hinders female leadership, and whether empathy, compassion and care — often considered more feminine qualities and traditionally associated with female leaders — are useful when dealing with crisis and challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These are topics that we’ve been talking about at the local, national and international level in the media and different venues,” Makus said. “This talk will allow us to see what preliminary studies are showing us about leadership and put them into the current context of what’s happening today.”

Makus is an experienced university administrator, teacher and researcher. Her areas of expertise include Gender and Politics, Liberal Democratic Theory and the Philosophy of Law. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Winnipeg and a Master of Arts and PhD from the University of Toronto.

Everyone is welcome to attend Business Breathers webinars, which feature 30 minutes of industry and faculty expert-led discussions, followed by a 15-minute Q&A period. Topics focus on leadership, management and innovation as well as the financial and social impacts of trending topics.

Interested participants are asked to register online. A confirmation email will provide a link to access the webinar at the date and time of the event. 

Upcoming Business Breathers:

The Power of Teamwork
Presentation by Barry Wright, Chief Executive Officer, Canada Summer Games
Wednesday, April 14 at 11 a.m.

Wine Business Bounce Back – How wineries are using COVID to accelerate positive change
Presentation by Peter McAtamney, Wine Business Solutions
Wednesday, April 28 at 11 a.m.