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2/3 female, 1/3 male – the ideal 21st century leader?
• Whether the discussion is women in leadership or conscious capitalism, there are nearly always assumptions about the differences between women and men, the attributes they do or don’t share and about how this impacts the ways in which businesses and governments are, or should be, led.
• But what are the assumptions based on? It’s an important question because if our assumptions are shaky, so too will be our conclusions. Which is why ‘The Athena Doctrine’ by John Gerzema and Michael D’Antonio is so important.
• The book reports and interprets the results of a research project in which 64,000 people from 13 different countries were questioned. Half of the respondents were asked to list the traits and values they associated with men and those they associated with women. The other half were asked to list those traits and values which they believed it was most important for business and political leaders to exemplify.
• It was clear from the research that the majority view was the most important leadership qualities for the 21st century included a mix of both female and male traits, with female traits predominating by a ratio of 2:1. In other words, the ideal leader in the eyes of most people would appear to be two thirds female (e.g. empathetic, expressive, patient and flexible) and one third male (e.g. decisive and resilient).
• Of course, the survey can only measure what people think about these things, not how people actually are. But it still represents important food for thought for anyone, female or male, who aspires to a leadership role.
