If you've ever been led by a Mushroom (everyone's in the dark), a Seagull (swoops in, squawks and dumps), or a Kipper (two-faced and gutless), you'll be all too aware of the leadership style you don't want to be known for.

Fortunately, the simple fact that you are reading this article instantly places you in an elite minority that is actually thinking about what you do want your leadership style to be known for. The vast majority just go to work and get on with it, in whatever style comes to them by default.

For years women have outperformed men on 50 to 80 percent of the skills measured by traditional leadership assessments and performance reviews (this according to Business Week and other studies). But only about 15 percent of F500 corporate officer positions are held by women, down from 16.4 percent in 2005, according to Catalyst. And although women in the pipeline are at near parity, women in line leadership functions hovers below 10 percent.

If, as studies report, women are such great leaders, why aren't there more of us at the top—or in the line positions that are often the pathway to the top? And what will it take to change the numbers?