My topic today is deliberately provocative. Although I am fully aware that I am sticking my hand in the proverbial hornet’s nest of the age old battle between the sexes, I can’t help myself. I am provocative by nature. My justification for taking this risk is that May 23-29 is National Small Business Week and I wanted to honor the occasion by shining a spotlight on a particular group of people who have made significant contributions to American business.
Although women have only been recognized as a valuable business resource in the last fifty years or so, they have played a major role in helping America become a world leader in industry and innovation. There are 10 million women-owned businesses in the US today, employing over 13 million people and generating nearly $2 trillion in annual sales.
I want to start by acknowledging the contributions of a woman who has helped make this blog worth reading. Susan Fronk has been my editor since 2006 and yet, like so many other women whose contributions have gone unnoticed, she has played an important role in helping me achieve my business objectives.
Although some women may not receive the recognition they deserve for their contributions to business, it used to be a lot worse. When I grew up (shortly after they invented the wheel), most business executives were men. Setting aside such notable exceptions as Rosie the Riveter (an icon for American women who worked in factories during World War II), secretaries, reporters, and entertainers, many Men thought women should stick to “women’s work”, which included cooking, cleaning, laundry and child care. So, when women began getting jobs that previously had been reserved for men, the male workforce simply was not prepared. Men who refused to adapt were in really deep yogurt when feminism and the “Women’s liberation movement” took off because that’s when the “fur began to fly” so to speak.
When women were first hired as sales people into one of the companies where I held a senior management position, I noticed they were not particularly feminine. As time went on, men’s attitudes changed because women proved they could do “men’s work” just as well, if not better, than men.
As a manager, entrepreneur, and small business owner, I believe that a good employee is worth their weight in gold. In fact, I am what you might call a connoisseur of talent. It is my belief that if we want to put people back to work and regain our former leadership position in the world economy, we need every man and woman with an entrepreneurial dream to go for it.
Just in case you’re wondering, I do think there are differences between men and women when it comes to business. I will not presume to know whether or not those differences are socially programmed or genetically hardwired. What I do know is that gender differences do exist and we need both genders to succeed in business.
This will probably not surprise many male readers, but, women’s brains are different than ours. And, while there is plenty of research to back up my assertions about the differences between men and women, I did not intend this blog article to be read as a white paper. However, I welcome and encourage your comments and any research you may offer to support my assertions as well as your own.
The brain physiology of women causes them to use more parts of their brain when they think, especially the part that governs verbal reasoning. A larger deep limbic system in their brain causes them to react more emotionally to situations than men. The combination of stronger verbal reasoning and lower levels of testosterone causes them to be more apt to use communication to resolve conflicts. Women tend to be better at long range planning. Behaviorally, women are apt to do more research, rely more in feelings, put things in context, and demonstrate more empathy.
The brain physiology of men causes them to be more linear in their thinking. Due to higher levels of testosterone and more intense adrenaline reactions, men are more apt to react physically and aggressively to conflict. Due to a smaller limbic area in their brain, men do not tend to react as emotionally to situations as women. Whether it is biological or sociological, men tend to be more overtly aggressive in competitive situations. Behaviorally, men are more analytical, detail oriented, and focused on rules. Men tend to lean towards a bias for action and execution. They tend to be better at short-term planning.
So what does all this mean? What is doesn’t mean is that one sex is inherently superior to the other when it comes to business. And, it certainly doesn’t mean that all men and women fit the natural tendencies as described above.
What are your thoughts about men and women in business? What, if any differences exist between men and women in business? What impact do those differences have on a business?
At one time, entrepreneurship was almost exclusively a male endeavor. However, many of today’s most notable entrepreneurs are women. Regrettably, I do not have room to list more than a few.
A daughter of slaves, Madame C.J. Walker, became the first female African-American Millionaire. Through hard work, honest business dealings and quality products, she built a thriving beauty products business in the early 20th century, eventually employing over 3,000 people.
Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, created a business that enabled half a million other women go into business for themselves. Lifetime Television named her the Most Outstanding Woman in Business in the 20th Century.
Debbi Fields was a 20 year old housewife with no business experience. With only a dream and a cookie recipe, she launched an international business with over 600 stores.
By 19, Oprah Winfrey was the first African-American woman and the youngest TV news anchor. She founded Harpo, Inc. (Oprah spelled backwards) which employs 250 people in television and film production, magazine publishing, and online media. Oprah also co-founded Oxygen Media, which operates the Oxygen Network, a cable network for women reaching more than 54 million viewers.
Founder of The Body Shop, Anita Roddick launched a retail business that purchases outstanding natural ingredients for cosmetics and helps disadvantaged communities generate income.
Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I believe America runs on small business. Although the businesses these women built are now large, they all started out small. And, America is better off because 10 million women followed their dreams and stuck to women’s work, which is business.
If you would like to contact me, you can do so by visiting my LinkedIn page or emailing me at mike.clough@bestbizpractices.org.
Posted by: Mike Clough
