http://upcolorado.com/about-us/blog/item/3054-feminist-politics-and-the-sounds-of-a-leader
This moment gives us another opportunity. We can use the moment to look closely at which “available means” Hillary has prudently deployed to secure the nomination. Recently, media analysts have called attention to her able use of rhetorical practices not typically associated with “good men speaking well”: listening carefully, seeking common ground, and building coalitions (Klein 2016; Traister 2016). Ezra Klein calls this a more “traditionally female” approach to leadership.
I, however, call it a feminist approach, one that views listening as an active practice, not a sign of weakness, that is necessary for political action; one that insists that real change is driven by collaborative efforts, not individual command; and one that values difference enough to finds ways to work with, not against, it. I would like to see this ethic incorporated in our societal definition of good leadership and rhetorical ability. In a moment when the two major parties are deeply divided, when race relations are deadly, and when expressions of certainty are ubiquitous, we can learn a great deal from feminist modes of leadership—if, of course, we are willing to listen.
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