184. The Yin and the Yang
Yesterday, I was part of a panel of 18 consultants, business advisors and experienced entrepreneurs who listened to the 3-minute presentation of 20 women entrepreneurs.
It was a great experience because I could see, right then, right there, that these women were becoming who they were meant to be. They had a glow that made them quite beautiful. They had a dream, but also the courage to pursue that dream. The first expression of that courage was to enroll in an intensive entrepreneurship training programme at the Women Entrepreneurial Center of Quebec (www.cefq.ca).
I joked with one participant that "the woman's way of doing business is the future!"
I was actually serious. Capitalism, and business in general, is simply too "male." Women entrepreneurs (including the highly capable and inspiring female bosses that I've had in the past) bring something to the workplace and the business world that men do not bring (through no fault of theirs, of course).
Don't get me wrong, I've learned a great deal from male bosses and male business collaborators. But women are fundamentally different. They add an extra dimension to the world of work and to business.
In fact, when you look at the successful business people out there -- the billionaires, you can see right away that they exhibit qualities that we often associate with women: emotional intelligence, creativity, intuition, relationship-building, etc.
Steve Jobs, Mark Cuban, Donald Trump, Richard Branson, etc. all do business by expressing both their male and female natures. Trump for example says that he does take things personally. Yes, I know, some people will say that Trump is a bit macho and typically male, but notice how he treats his hair with great care! Isn't that a sign of feminine concern? :-)
Jobs, Cuban and Branson also express who they are through their business ventures and business ideas.
So what is the success secret here?
I think it has something to do with embracing both the Yin (feminine aspect) and the Yang (masculine aspect) of our nature.
Whether we want to or not, the world (especially through the Internet) is becoming more "feminine"; that is, we currently see the emergence of de facto phenomena like trust-based relationship-building, intuition, creativity, sensitivity to culture and diversity, nurturing of people, focus on balance, embrace of life as a whole (without the need to compartmentalize "areas" like work vs family), etc.
It was a great experience because I could see, right then, right there, that these women were becoming who they were meant to be. They had a glow that made them quite beautiful. They had a dream, but also the courage to pursue that dream. The first expression of that courage was to enroll in an intensive entrepreneurship training programme at the Women Entrepreneurial Center of Quebec (www.cefq.ca).
I joked with one participant that "the woman's way of doing business is the future!"
I was actually serious. Capitalism, and business in general, is simply too "male." Women entrepreneurs (including the highly capable and inspiring female bosses that I've had in the past) bring something to the workplace and the business world that men do not bring (through no fault of theirs, of course).
Don't get me wrong, I've learned a great deal from male bosses and male business collaborators. But women are fundamentally different. They add an extra dimension to the world of work and to business.
In fact, when you look at the successful business people out there -- the billionaires, you can see right away that they exhibit qualities that we often associate with women: emotional intelligence, creativity, intuition, relationship-building, etc.
Steve Jobs, Mark Cuban, Donald Trump, Richard Branson, etc. all do business by expressing both their male and female natures. Trump for example says that he does take things personally. Yes, I know, some people will say that Trump is a bit macho and typically male, but notice how he treats his hair with great care! Isn't that a sign of feminine concern? :-)
Jobs, Cuban and Branson also express who they are through their business ventures and business ideas.
So what is the success secret here?
I think it has something to do with embracing both the Yin (feminine aspect) and the Yang (masculine aspect) of our nature.
Whether we want to or not, the world (especially through the Internet) is becoming more "feminine"; that is, we currently see the emergence of de facto phenomena like trust-based relationship-building, intuition, creativity, sensitivity to culture and diversity, nurturing of people, focus on balance, embrace of life as a whole (without the need to compartmentalize "areas" like work vs family), etc.
posted by Super Peter at 10:43 AM
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