“Let Women Rule the World” (Or, why Sheryl Sandberg is wrong!)

by Simanta Mohanty

Let’s get the principal hygiene element out of the way. I think women make better managers, leaders and bosses. My best bosses were women, and I would love to go to work for one any day. If #bizmanagement and #leadership demand a decision, one way or the other, then I have decided. No half-way house here. And, that’s why I think Sheryl Sandberg gets it wrong when she says that the world will be a better place if women ruled half the countries and led half the world’s companies. The comment is both defensive and hesitant. Can you imagine a man saying that? No! Men would like to rule all the countries and companies. They may cede some space to women but they can gather all the crowns without any guilt. The other way round, women in full command of the Earth, would be the better option for the world and for our corporations. But, before you read further, a caveat emptor. Men are not from Mars; women aren’t from Venus either. They belong to the Earth and share many qualities. So read the views expressed here as personal observations gathered over nearly three decades at the workplace, with a distinct leaning to the distaff side. Here’s why women should rule the world.

Women bring a quiet focus to their work that lifts everybody around them: Probably because a majority of working women thinks that their being in the workforce is a privilege, most women give their complete energy to the work at hand. Also, I suspect, because women have to work harder to prove their worth or so they think. Men, in contrast, hardwired as they are to be aggressive and combative view a job as an entitlement, a given. They are also prone to strut their stuff on every stage they can clamber onto. Look at the speakers’ list of a major conference for further proof. Or, the roster of leaders in an industry association, diversity notwithstanding! For the overwhelming majority of workplace regulars, men and women, a woman’s quiet energy and dedication at work are a salve and an inspiration. Credit be damned!

Women exercise more Decisiveness, Intuition and Daring at the workplace: That’s the DID triad, an alchemic concoction to get work done. The intuition at work probably stems from their use of all senses for protection from late childhood onwards, but women simply seem to know how to read the wind and someone else’s mind. With an evolved sense of self-preservation, a woman at the workplace can be counted upon to make an intelligent guess for themselves and the team. They are surrounded with less “noise”, hence can be relied upon to provide one with the right cues. Women may be less egoistic at the workplace, but they play for pride. I found decisiveness and daring in equal measure in my women bosses. They stood up more frequently for their team, did not hotfoot around feedback and the truth, and voiced an opinion without bothering overmuch about what the world thinks. Can it be anything less than joy to work in such a setting?

The Humor Sense, the women simply have more of it: My connection on Linkedin, Amber Ludwig, recently posted a #SuccessTip. It read, “Have confidence. Decide you are confident and have a more playful, less serious attitude about life. Most successful people do.” The women I have worked with, despite their focus, have all laughed easily, joked better and made things lighter when things got tight. Those are priceless gifts in today’s uber-competitive workplaces. Their jokes would come at the most exasperating times and the laughter when things got most serious. This is not to detract from their focus on the job at hand. It is always there. Their innate sense of humor probably explains how so many women juggle multiple priorities in their life and stay human.

The power trappings, the women have less use for them: I recently ran into Indira Nooyi, Pepsi boss, at a New Delhi hotel and was struck by the understated behavior of the lady. There was nothing Queen Bee about her (and, she is as QB as they come!). No hangers-on, no flashy power statements. She was all business. Some years ago, I felt the same sense of comfort with Dame Barbara Stocking, who was the then boss of Oxfam GB, the international charity, when I met her. Her ability to strike up a conversation and put people at ease were immediate take-aways. I have found that women have less use for behavior and symbols associated with #power and #leadership. The men fail miserably on this score!

Needless to say, you will find the odd woman boss trying to behave like a man, but she is an exception. The majority of them carry a woman’s soulful, compassionate, focused and accommodating nature to their leadership table. That is what earns them the thumbs up!

AfterNote: I have harked back thirty years for the title of this piece; “Let Women Rule the World” was the subject in a college debate contest that I participated in. Since a debate meant that you either agree or disagree with the ‘motion of the house’, this was tricky for all contestants. For some of us who planned to play it safe with a mid-point stress, the word from the judges table was “No Way”. You had to go for or against, never mind the patronizing tone of the topic (this was three decades ago, remember!). Well, I went For it and am glad I had made up my mind that early. For, I have had the pleasure and the privilege to work with an empowered, assertive and brilliant lot of women colleagues over my career so far who have given me cause only for admiration! And, am also married to a woman who is in a highly successful career as a boss! All of which is not to divert attention from the fact that things are far from optimal yet for women leaders. The patronization, discrimination and the glass ceiling continues, though much has changed for the better in the world of work for women.