2013 Issue

81 Breaking into the men’s room | continued on page 82 as Thomas Friedman (The World is Flat, 2007) asserts and to thrive, organizations must align people of different nationalities, cultures, generations, and perspectives as the world continues to flatten. Many of the women I interviewed stated that they initially underestimated the importance of commu- nication but have come to realize it is the most important skill to cultivate. Trait 2 – Lead with Heart Engineers are trained in logic and have the natural ability to analyze logical data. Most of us are drawn to the profession because it requires linear thinking and logical decision matrices. As we move beyond the design cubicle and become managers and lead- ers, we find that we must also express and understand our own emotions and those of others that are often not expressed in words much less numbers. Women are often viewed as weak for letting emotions come into decisions and actions. But as Oprah Winfrey is purported as having said, “Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate and to connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.” And according to Daniel Pink, as we move into the Concep- tual Age, “work that can be reduced to rules …will largely disappear from countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. But the work that remains will demand a much deeper understanding of the subtleties of human interaction than ever before” (Pink, 2005, p.164). Leading with your heart as well as your head is not only an ethical imperative it is critical to the work of the Conceptual Age. Trait 3 - Take Care of Yourself In addition to handling full time jobs outside the home, most women still manage the majority of household tasks, such as meal preparation and child care or elder care. Time to commit to these work and home responsibilities is a finite commodity. The energy needed to accomplish everything, however, is another story. Energy can be replenished and expanded by rituals of self care. Taking care of yourself is just as important for men as for women who find themselves stretched beyond their limits by competing demands. Maximizing the time you spend doing activities that energize you and minimizing activities that drain your energy is an important self care ritual. One way to minimize energy drains is to delegate or hire-out these activities when- ever possible. These very activities can be a stretch assignment or growth opportunity for some one else. Every person has differ- ent strengths and gifts. The very activities that drain your energy will replenish and energize someone else. Trait 4 - See the Big Picture Most corporations rewardpeoplewho excel in advocating their views and solving urgent problems. As a result difficult questions about the policies and procedures that led to or allowed the creation of the urgent problem in the first place are pushed aside for later discussion and usually ignored as too complex to tackle. People raising those difficult questions about the big picture are often viewed as trouble makers or not part of the solution team. Dealing with only symptoms of problems but not the causes is just one of the ways companies block their ability to excel and stand out from their competitors. Looking at the larger picture and seeing relationships between seemingly unrelated events will lead an organization to outstanding performance. Trait 5 - Know Yourself “Being self aware is critical to be a good leader,” commented several of the women I interviewed. Being in a chair in the board