And
while I might have titled this article in a way that sounds Beyoncé-ish, I have also heard that hips don’t lie, well, that is quite Shakira-ish, but I cannot confirm that
hip-allegation either. What I do know for sure is that, lips do lie, a lot, so
let’s talk about what doesn’t; RESULTS,
because I am a
strong believer in tests and measurements. For example; the Forbes magazine recently
presented research findings that “an increase of
women in leadership is helping businesses to thrive in unprecedented ways” And according to a recent CNBC survey, Women-led companies have more engaged and
inspired employees. And as if that is not already a mouthful of a claim, a
research focusing on top grossing movies between 2014 and 2017, found that global box-office movies with women
protagonists out-earned
movies starring male protagonists across all budget levels. Come
to think of it; could that be why they say ‘behind
every successful man is a woman? …and which could soon turn to, ‘behind every successful company is a lady? While
you hold that thought, who REALLY runs the word?
The waves of feminism have given
birth to the rise and rise of women who have shown anyone who still doubts that
woman are indeed equal to the task of taking charge of their own destinies.
That, when given the opportunity of taking charge of the destinies of companies
and countries, and even when such opportunities are not given to them, yes,
they have also shown beyond any doubt that they can put up a good fight, and
emerge with the victory. Indeed Whitaker was right;
“The true wealth of a community is measured by how
carefully it listens to its women and how sincerely it values their wisdom.
Empowering women empowers us all”
Whereas sayings to
the effect that “If you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you
educate a woman, you educate a nation” soon turn into clichés and statements made
for political correctness, they hold fundamental truths that that relate to the success of a people, families
and nations. There is something in such maxims that women and ‘we men’ could
borrow a leaf from. So, why are women-led companies better for employees, making
more money, and thriving more compared to others? Well, what if such
differences could just be traced the some differences between men and women?
There
are no enough forests with enough trees to produce enough paper upon which to write
everything we currently know about women, leave alone their comparison to men,
so I think this is a good place to get emotional. And you wonder why? It is
because psychological researchers seem to agree
that compared to men, women are different from men their emotional expressiveness. Emotional expression simply refers
to how one resolves and/ or conveys emotional states through both verbal and
nonverbal behavior. In this regard, the most recent buzz-word in the corporate
world as far as emotions are concerned is Emotional
Intelligence (EQ), which is ‘the ability to identify, assess,
and control one's own emotions,
the emotions of
others, and that of groups’ And what has this to do with what? CURRENT RESEARCH
HAS SHOWN THAT WOMEN SCORE
HIGHER THAN MEN IN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. …yes, there you have it!
Emotional intelligence involves four
competences which fall into two groups: (i)
Personal competences: involve (a)
Self-awareness, (b) Personal management; and (ii) Social competences: involve
(c) Social awareness and (d) People skills. It seems that ‘a flawed masculinity with a
low EQ’ may never such abilities as important, yet they seem to be more
developed among women who seem to possess a ‘care givers gene’ at early stages as
they learn how to take care of their baby dolls.
Emotions
are the primary drivers’ of behaviour, and knowing how to work with our motions
and those of others is a key skill. Instead of trying to aggressively fight
their way up by outdoing everyone, people of high EQ become the leaders who
work with and help people in whatever capacity they are in, understanding that
supporting other people is the only way to win their trust and respect, while
at the same time making sure that winning respect is not the goal. Where individuals
of low EQ work with their hands and heads, individuals with of high EQ work
with their hearts and soul. They are polite, kind, cool, calm, and collected
even under pressure, and have learned the importance of investing in social
currency. We all can master such skills for one reason, they matter both at a
personal level and at a professional level, whether you are employed, self-employed
or an employee, EQ is a foundation for many other critical life skills.
