It’s been two years now since Claire Shipman and Katty Kay gave us the key to saving the American economy with their book womenomics. As The Daily Beast wrote at the time,

Companies are finding that women’s management styles are not only different, but good for business. It’s now pretty clear that Mars and Venus have muscled their way into the boardroom, too. When it comes to business styles, women are more open and inclusive than men. We tend to encourage broader participation in meetings and like to foster consensus. We nurture subordinates more effectively and prefer conciliation over confrontation, empathy over ego. We are also more cautious, more risk averse. We take a longer term view of decision making than men.

I don’t want to get all gender wars about this. Listen, whether you spell the name of the creator as Natural Selection or God, the order of things is half women and half men. Who are we to disagree? If women are seeking consensus, perhaps men are asserting power. If women are nurturing subordinates, maybe men are firing people who cannot be encouraged to perform.

continue »