I think we can agree that a role model is a person who has some recognition in their community, though community size can be extremely variable. I think we can also agree that role models are generally leaders in their communities, people who have -- in their respective field -- provided guidance or sought change. I think we can agree that role models also embody generally valued traits that we do not associate exclusively with one sex or another. Finally, let's agree that we are speaking in generalities, that men and women, for cultural and/or biological reason, differ significantly in their behaviour on the average; and that exceptions to this rule are just that, exceptions.
I think leader-models differ along their sexuality in their leadership and problem-solving style. From John Graham's book,
Outdoor Leadership:
Quote:
...[T]he chart below lists five personality features common to both men and women leaders. I've anchored each feature with a negative extreme at either end.
egotistical----------------------Presence in the world---------- self-effacing
tunnel vision-------------------Focus----------------------distractable
rigid---------------------------Flexibility--------------------waffling
belligerent---------------------Dealing with Conflict---------peace at any price
isolate------------------------Inclusiveness----------------overly solicitous
Good leadership for either gender means not moving too far from the center point of any of these lines....men, more often [fall off] the extremes to the left side of the chart....when women fail, they are more likely to fall off to the chart to the right.
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If men tend to generally fall to the left in their leadership style, particularly when NOT in the extreme, we can garner a sense of their actions as leaders and role-models. So while a masculine failure of leadership to resolve conflict might be belligerence, we can say that a good, masculine way of solving conflict could convincing others through force of character. I'm sure we can think of other examples.
As who, at large, embodies these characters, I can't be sure. I know certainly of friends and family who I would posit, but they do not meet the recognition needed to a role model.