I happen to think women do a great job of supporting one another… what do you think?
I’m often asked whether having more women in positions of power in the big financial services companies implicated might have prevented the risky and grandiose wagers that led us to disaster. After all, a Cambridge University study famously linked high risk trading behavior to surges in testosterone. In addition, the trading units and hedge funds … Read more
Adam Cohen writes in today’s New York Times that ours is becoming an age of Cassandras—voices raised to warn of impending disasters that are doomed to be ignored. Clearly there’s a strong element of this in the unfolding financial crisis, but Cohen neglects to note s key fact: that the Cassandra role has traditionally been … Read more
I got very excited this morning when I opened my Harvard Business Review “management tip of the day” about how companies could best compete in the global market. What was the number one thing organizations needed to do, according to HBR? Focus on women! http://tinyurl.com/yemek44 Okay, some of us have been saying this for about … Read more
Last week, the Economist’s featured a cover story: We Did It! What Happens When Women Are Over Half the Workforce. It provided a good summary picture of where women stand in 2010 and suggested that we celebrate women’s progress—to which I can only say, good idea! The magazine’s “Schumpeter” column, which is supposed to focus … Read more
This fall I spent time in San Francisco with one of my favorite clients, Leadership California.Every year, LCA brings together 50 high potential women in business, government, the non-profit sector and academia for four sessions intensive three-day sessions. The goal is to help them build and strengthen their networks, expand their understanding of the opportunities … Read more
Following the financial meltdown, I’ve had many occasions to reflect on the research Julie Johnson and I have been doing on differences in how men and women perceive, define and pursue satisfaction in their work, how they are motivated and where they find meaning. Both our interviews and our quantitative research suggest that insights gained … Read more
This year’s four best business books address the subject of human capital. They each offer clues as to how to address how to retain, develop, and leverage human capital resource they depend upon most.
Tokyo-based business scholar Ikujiro Nonaka explores how consistently superior Japanese companies develop innovative products and services. Drawing from firms such as Toyota, Honda and Cannon, Nonaka-san finds that their success stems from their ability to harness the power of knowledge creation.
Is leadership an art or a science? The question has long been subject to debate. Which side you’re on probably determines whether or not you believe leadership can be taught. But for developing leaders who can respond to the challenges of today’s 24/7 business environment, perhaps the art-versus-science dichotomy is too theoretical to be of use.