If ever there was any doubt that women are good for business, billionaire investment guru Warren Buffett has put the question to rest. In a recent article in The Telegraph, Buffett is quoted as saying,”[It is] one of the things that make me so optimistic about the future.” What is IT? ‘It’ is the trend that women will have the same chance to succeed as men. He calls this potential as ‘key to a bright economic future.’
It will be interesting to see what happens to popular opinion now that Buffett has claimed that women will save the US economy. Just because he says it, doesn’t mean that everyone will embrace his opinion and open up their previously tightly closed arms. But if there is anything that should give us cause to celebrate, this is it!
But just as many will criticize Buffett as will praise him. After all, he didn’t get to be the third richest person on the planet by making everyone happy.
What is it about women that he could possibly be referring to? How exactly is it that women will save the economy? This is a question that some of your male colleagues will undoubtedly ask when they hear the news.
Perhaps it’s the incredible potential that has gone to waste or has been channeled into entrepreneurial ventures that companies will now be willing to take advantage of. More than once has a talented woman been passed over for a less talented man. Companies may be less likely to suffer the opportunity cost.
Perhaps it’s the risk-averse nature of women that he’s talking about. Well, it’s not that women are less likely to take risks than men, but because women are (scientifically proven) holistic thinkers, the risks they take may be more prudent. That’s what happens when multiple perspectives are taken into account, and diversity in analysis and decision-making is the norm instead of the exception.
Perhaps it’s the phenomenon that women’s decisions and actions tend to prosper the group instead of the individual. If the ‘company’ becomes stronger, the ‘country’ must surely follow suit. Don’t believe this trend? Take a look at microfinance and see what happens to poverty when women are given the power.
Perhaps it’s because the world is flatter than ever, and global competition is no longer on the other side of the world. It’s as though the continents have come back together and our new employees, vendors and customers are no more than a hop, skip and jump away. In this type of environment women can potentially be more successful because of their leadership style. Sure there are exceptions to every rule, but collaboration and communication win over command and control in a global economy.
Perhaps it’s none of these things, and maybe he has other reasons altogether. Quite frankly, I don’t care what his reasons are for saying it… I’m just glad he did?
How ’bout you?
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