Preservation, not exploitation, of resources is women's style. As gardeners they understand the need to care for water and soil. They work to meet basic needs. Although practical and useful, they have time for the beautiful, the aesthetic. There are flowers in the garden, designs in the quilts, and songs when they work.
Women also pay attention to history, tradition, and stories, and they encourage creativity.
Women's community development projects draw from these kinds of experiences and values, and female leaders tend to recognize both community and individual needs and combine education and development to link personal and community growth. Their community-based organizations tend to be more democratic, more participatory, seeking to develop and use local skills and resources to involve everyone. Although there is some attempt to copy the usual men-directed style of leadership, many of the women have not had much work experience with offices or bureaucracies. Therefore most community groups led by women take on a different style and pattern, based on women's family roles and patterns of working together with other women. Work is organized like a potluck dinner, through informal planning and sharing through a network, and involves different contributions.