Saturday, August 30, 2008

Women do it better

a Biblical thought...
So, my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace. (2 Peter 3:14)

a Book thought... from Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
When somebody comes along with a fresh perspective on the Christian faith, people are inspired, and a movement starts. But when the pioneer of the movement - the painter - dies the followers stop exploring. (p13)

a Dave thought... from The Age by James Adonis
EVERY male manager I've had has been a complete loser. Blokes so devoid of managerial talent they make George Bush look competent. Maybe I've just been unlucky, I don't know. What I do know is that my female managers have rocked. Well, most of them.
In my career, I've studied hundreds of managers and have come to the conclusion that when it comes to motivating and engaging employees, women do it better.

My experience is backed up by the Northwestern University in Illinois, which has analysed the results of 45 leadership studies to discover that transformational (people-focused) leadership is far more effective than transactional (task-focused) leadership. Along the way it also found that women outperformed men in transformational prowess.
This is because women are predominantly right-brain thinkers, so it's naturally easier for them to relate to people and build relationships. Men, however, tend to use the left side of the brain more frequently, the side associated with facts, figures, and fear of fluffy stuff. And that's what this article is really all about — fluffy stuff.

Women are masters at fluffy stuff. The loving, the nurturing, the touching — hearts, that is. So let's just focus on the general female attributes that men could learn from.

James goes on the article to explain the six attributes we can learn from females that many of us blokes aren't good at...

  1. Get Personal
  2. Care
  3. Be Real
  4. Provide Recognition
  5. Balance
  6. Consult

Maybe the reason the Salvos grew so rapidly in the early years is because we had so many more women in leadership positions.

Just a thought.

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