Are Women Or Men The Best Managers?
by Miki SaxonFirst came the New Your Times interview with Carol Smith, senior vice president and chief brand officer for the Elle Group, in which she categorically stated that women were better managers than men.
A few days later an NYT editorial asked Do Women Make Better Bosses?
Among the reader response was one that said it all for me.
“While I am sure that there are effective women bosses out there, I am equally sure that mine isn’t one of them. She is terribly emotional, paranoid, and an absolute dictator. She is also incredibly inefficient and stubborn, and as a result our entire group is far less productive than similar groups in our organization.
But I do not think this is a gender issue at all. I’m sure there are some really stupid male bosses out there (again, one of the male bosses from work quickly comes to mind). — Grunt2″
ABC is asking for reader input and stories on the subject (click over and share your story, you might even be interviewed).
I’ve read a lot of these stories, especially since the meltdown, including the ones that say if women had been in charge it wouldn’t have happened.
While I agree that there are differences between the sexes, but to say that those differences are uniform or guarantee a certain action is ridiculous.
The whole argument is parallel with similar comments, such as blacks can dance better than whites and women are better at parenting.
Some are, but it’s not a given.
I believe that race and gender will always take a backseat to MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy™), which is what really drives and guides people.
What do you think?
Image credit: erwinbacik on sxc.hu
August 4th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
I have worked for both male and female bosses, and I’ve had a mixed bag with each. I believe it depends on the person and not the gender.
My current boss is a female, she gives me tons of support and allows me the flexibility to stay within my strength zone and do what I enjoy most. I’ve had a male manager do the same.
Then I’ve had a male manager who was a total micromanager glory hound who stole every good idea I ever had, and a crazy female manager who did everything she could to oppress me and silence my opinions.
Sorry I’m not much help here. I’ll see if I can find others who have a stronger opinion one way or the other.
August 4th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Must say that I have to agree with the previous post. It depends on the individual. Although I think it may be less about gender & more about the life experience of the manager in question.
Through the years, I have found both older male & female managers were more supportive & progressive. Managers close to my age always seemed competitive & threatened. I’ve found through experience that managers who were competent & skilled were the best to work for & with (usually much older). Also older managers (usually) have varied life experience and solid home foundations-stability.They have no ego concerns other than achieving the best results.
Older managers already have the car, the wife, the husband, the kids, the house, the vacation home-all the things that younger people are still clawing for that makes them insecure & a nitemare to work for.
What’s that expression “crabs in a barrel”?
The exception being of course is that eventually we all get to a certain place in life, and by that time workers & managers alike have made peace with their station. Using your coworker as a yardstick to measure your own life fortunately goes out of vogue. Or perhaps one becomes smart enough to hide it or realize the futility.
The leader sets the pace. As I reflect on the previous post, it may not have been entirely the fault of the manager in question, but the company that created/fostered that type of environment.
August 8th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Hi Phil,I think you have it right. Judging or choosing managers based on gender is silly, it’s about the person not the plumbing:)
August 8th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Hi Mel, it’s interesting that you had better experiences working for older managers. Mind my asking how long ago that was? So many older managers feel threatened by younger up-an-comers these days.
But I do agree with you that it’s the culture that matters most, since managers tend to gravitate to companies synergistic with their own style and MAP.
Thanks for stopping by and adding your thoughts. And my apologies for being slow on responding, I’ve been having tech problems.
August 9th, 2009 at 5:06 am
[…] Saxon asks us Are women or men the best managers? I’m not sure…but Miki asks some great […]