John Gerzema - The Athena Doctrine: how women (and the men who think like them) will rule the future

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gerzema, John, 1961

The Athena doctrine : how women (and the men who think like them) will rule the future / John Gerzema, Michael D'Antonio. First edition.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-118-45295-0 (cloth); ISBN 978-1-118-59620-3 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-59642-5 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-59649-4 (ebk)

1. Women executives Psychology. 2. Business women Psychology. 3. Leadership in women. 4. Values. 5. Entrepreneurship. I. D'Antonio, Michael. II. Title.

HD6054.3.G39 2013

305.42 dc23

2012048455

Throughout the development of this book, we came across the theme of loss and hardship. On a large scale, there was our time in Japan. On an individual level, several people we'd interviewed had recently lost partners, spouses, parents, and grandparents. And just as we headed to Brussels, Michael's mother passed away. We dedicate this book in her memory. Through this book we also pay tribute to the memory of Simon Sylvester, John's good friend and longtime colleague at Young & Rubicam, whose enormous intellect was matched by his humility and constant good cheer. Finally, this book was inspired by the battle John's mom continues to fight with breast cancer. Keep fighting, Jan.

The world would be a better place if men thought more like women. (66% agree)

Authors' proprietary global survey of thirteen nations representing 65 percent of global GDP

During the year after we described America's transition to a new normal in our book Spend Shift (2010), we traveled the country and heard from many people who agreed with the thesis that a quiet revolution had taken place in the way we buy, sell, and live and applauded how individuals, families, businesses, and organizations were adapting to tougher economic conditions.

We had stressed the theme of adaptation and not merely survival because we saw that the effects of the Great Recession that began in 2008 would not be reversed any time soon by a new bubble or boom. And as policymakers in Washington and other capitals struggled to resolve the crisis in various wayslow interest rates, government spending, government cutbacks, bank bailoutsfull recovery seemed ever more elusive. Growth returned to the U.S. economy, but its pace was anemic, and high unemployment kept the squeeze on the middle class. Progress was even slower in the Eurozone and Britain, where recession returned at the start of 2012. Even China showed signs of trouble, which augured ill for our interconnected economies.

Considering the economic facts, it was clear that the crisis that started in 2008 would last longer than most analysts expected and could have an effect similar to the impact of the Great Depression of the 1930s. That earlier calamity shaped the social, political, and economic outlook of an entire generation. Some of these effects, such as an excess of caution and fear, were recognized as burdensomebut others proved beneficial. As historians William Strauss and Neil Howe have documented, people who came of age in the Depression tend to be practical rather than status oriented. This so-called Silent Generation showed a creative ability to find happiness with or without wealth or an abundance of possessions. In our studies for Spend Shift, we discovered similar traits for this group and noted that today's young adults seem to admire the silents for their flexibility.

Although the immediate insights offered in Spend Shift were clear, we learned more as we presented them to audiences around the world, who began to notice something we had not fully appreciated. As many pointed out to us, most of the traits exhibited by the successful entrepreneurs, leaders, organizers, and creators we profiled seemed to come from aspects of human nature that are widely regarded as feminine. This isn't to say that these innovators were mainly women (they were not) or that we believe that any human quality belongs primarily to one gender or the other (we don't). It was simply that, time and again, we heard people say that the skills required to thrive in today's worldsuch as honesty, empathy, communication, and collaborationcome more naturally to women.

With what we heard in mind, we began looking for signs that some set of traditionally feminine values and traits might be ascendant among effective leaders in business, politics, government, or community organizations. This was, of course, easier said than done. One of the very first interviews for this book, conducted over breakfast at an east London caf, was with Ann Danylkiw, who writes about economics, gender, and other issues. Ann, whose digital handle is Ann Lytical, was a doctoral candidate at Goldsmiths College. We asked her opinion about the possibility that traditionally feminine traits and characteristics were gaining in value and respect.