Hillary Clinton’s campaign to be the Democratic nominee for president brought focus to an issue that, if addressed, could lead to a profound and positive shift in the practice of leadership. On the surface, this issue is about the phenomenon of the “double bind”—which devalues women when they behave in ways seen as too feminine and ways seen as too masculine. Below the surface is the more critical point about what the “double bind” stymies. The double bind disables women from doing what men are doing with increasing effectiveness, practicing a form of
leadership that blends both masculine and feminine strengths. This balanced kind of leadership is exactly what is demanded in the world today.