This Q&A
with John Gerzema and Michael D'Antonio,
co-authors of The Athena Doctrine: How
Women (and the Men who Think Like Them) Will Rule the Future appeared
originally on the Amazon Website. John Gerzema will be joining us as a key
speaker at the IACPR Leadership Strategies Summit 2013, October 29 in NYC. Here
the authors talk about “feminine values” and how they apply to your leadership
team.
What are "feminine values" and why do you see
them on the rise today?
We asked 64,000 women and men
in 13 countries to classify 125 human traits--half of the sample by gender and
the other half by which are most important to leadership, success, morality,
and happiness today. They consistently picked what they considered
"feminine traits" or values--such as selflessness, empathy,
collaboration, flexibility, and patience--as the most important.
The majority also rejected
masculine notions of control, aggression, and black-and-white thinking that
underlie many of our business, political, and social structures. And two-thirds
thought the world would be a better place if men thought more like women.
What's driving this shift, and why is it important that we
learn about it now?
Technology, the financial
crisis and globalization mean we live in a world that's increasingly social,
interdependent, and transparent. Also, young people around the world don't see
differences older generations do--we found that Millennials of both genders
have a much stronger appreciation of femininity and the role of women in their
society.
We want to make clear that
we're not saying women are "born this way" or that they are
"naturally" more empathetic or open. Rather, these are skills that
have been traditionally segregated or labeled as part of women's domain, and
often are undervalued, when in truth, being "feminine" actually make
all people more human, and helps them become the best version of themselves.
These skills will help people match the needs of the future economy. In a
collaborative world where value creation is increasingly based on services,
economic growth and standard of living are enhanced by including feminine
values. In our surveys, 81% of people said that man or woman, you need both
masculine and feminine traits to thrive in today's world. It's a big, global
value shift, and it's gaining momentum.
What should businesses and government leaders learn and
apply from this book?
"The Athena
Doctrine" is our name for an emerging form of leadership that is ideally
suited to a rapidly changing world. We've had people tell us that this is a
great book for women, but it's equally, if not more importantly, for men.
Business and politics are built on aggression, control, conflict and command.
These models are losing currency fast. Shimon Peres put it this way to us:
"We are in a new season with many old minds, and the task is to adapt
yourself. The modern leader is here to serve."
We traveled the world to find
examples of how leaders in every kind of organization are already applying the
tenets of the Athena Doctrine. Inspiring, innovative models are everywhere, and
we found some of the best.
Are these tenets just for leaders, or can ordinary people
apply them in their own lives and work?
The tenets-based on the
traits that we found were most highly correlated with success, morality, and
happiness-are widely applicable to daily life. We had this amazing experience
traveling around the world to find stories of people leading and solving
problems in business, politics, and every realm of life. We met a doctor from
Pakistan whose vulnerability disarmed (and charmed) his colleagues in the
ego-driven world of medical research. We visited a city farm in east London
where underprivileged kids taught investment bankers about beekeeping and the
lessons of responsible risk-taking. We met ordinary citizens in Japan who rose
to their highest levels of humanity to help others after the tragic earthquake
and tsunami.
These values are broadly
applicable to anyone in everyday life. We found that people who are thinking in
a more feminine way are twice as optimistic about their future. If we can all
tap into our feminine side, we'll be better, happier, and stronger-both
individually and collectively.
What do you hope to achieve with this book?
We're both dads in all female households with three beautiful
daughters between us. We are excited about what we found because feminine
values are really a form of innovation and competitive advantage for today's
world. The proceeds of our book benefit the United Nations Campaign's Girl Up
program and we aim to include men and boys in this very important discussion.
