Results at the Top

Chapter 7WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T

We've shared a lot with you thus far, all of which we know and believe to be true—that if you want to realize improved financial performance, significant and sustained performance—you must hire and promote women alongside men into management, and elect them to your board of directors.

We demonstrated the business case for women in leadership and the ascent of women in education and commerce, across the globe. We acknowledged the rise of men in their advocacy for women leaders and shared stories of male leaders personally involved in making that happen. And we touched on the advances in neuroscience, deepening our understanding of gender differences, exposing our unique strengths and the value in the complement in the often distinct ways that men and women think.

“Richard, we're in the midst of a cultural transformation in organizations and in the world itself. It is not just about gender balanced teams and organizations, but gender‐intelligent teams and organizations. It's knowledge that accelerates a cultural transformation. It's about men and women getting it and seeing the competitive advantage of gender differences and the impact that can have on the financial performance of an organization or the growth of a nation.

“When men really get this and stand side by side with women and walk the talk, it has a positive impact on the culture.”

“Barbara, men often tell us that they don't know what to do. The chart in Chapter 5 on the three ...