STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY: I am a businessperson. An analyst. A pragmatist. The enormous social good of increased women’s
power is clear to me; but it is not my bailiwick. My “game” is haranguing business leaders
about my fact-based conviction that women’s increasing power – leadership skills
and purchasing power – is the strongest and most dynamic force at work in the American
economy today. Dare I say it as a long-time Palo Altan … THIS IS EVEN BIGGER THAN THE
INTERNET!
Tom Peters
“Greater opportunity for
women is probably the most significant gain for human freedom in
the last century.”Andrew Sullivan, The New Republic
“Tomorrow belongs to women.”
Helen Fisher, The First Sex: The Natural Talents of Women and How They Are
Changing the World
NOW THAT’S B-I-G!
“The period 2000-2002 will bring the single greatest change in
worldwide economic and business conditions since we came down from the trees.”
David Schneider & Grady Means, MetaCapitalism
“The corporation as we know it, which is now 120 years old, is
not likely to survive the next 25 years. Legally and
financially, yes, but not structurally and economically.”
Peter Drucker, Business 2.0 (08.00)
Headline: “Bank of America to Cut … 10,000 Jobs”
“Middle-level and senior managers are expected to be
the principal targets of the job cutbacks.”
Source: The New York Times (07.29.2000)
2010 “Demographics”:
By 2010, full-time workers will be in the
minoritySource: MIT study (28August2000)
New World of Work
< 1 in 10 F500#1: Manpower Inc.
Freelancers/I.C.: 16M-25MTemps: 3M (incl. CEOs & lawyers)
Microbusinesses: 12M-27MTotal: 31M-55M
Source: Daniel Pink, Free Agent Nation
Taylorism to Tailorism: “Free
Agency is the real new economy!”
Source: Daniel Pink, Free Agent Nation
“You are the storyteller of your own life, and you
can create your own legend or not.”
Isabel Allende
“When land was the scarce resource, nations battled
over it. The same is happening now for talented people.”
Stan Davis & Christopher Meyer, futureWEALTH
The New Economy …
Shout goodbye to “command and control”!
Shout goodbye to hierarchy!
Shout goodbye to “knowing one’s place”!
Women’s Stuff = New Economy Match
Improv skillsRelationship-centric
Less “rank consciousness”Self determinedTrust sensitive
IntuitiveNatural “empowerment freaks” [less
threatened by strong people]Intrinsic [motivation] > Extrinsic
“Women have many exceptional faculties bred in deep history: a talent with words; a
capacity to read non-verbal cues; emotional sensitivity; empathy; patience; an ability to do and think several things
simultaneously; a gift for networking and negotiating; an ability to take the long
view; and a gift for cooperating, reaching consensus and leading via egalitarian
teams.”
Helen Fisher, The First Sex
“TAKE THIS QUICK QUIZ: Who manages more things at once? Who puts more effort into their appearance? Who usually takes care of the details? Who finds it
easier to meet new people? Who asks more questions in a conversation? Who is a better
listener? Who has more interest in communication skills? Who is more inclined to get involved?
Who encourages harmony and agreement? Who has better intuition? Who works with a longer ‘to do’ list? Who enjoys a recap to the day’s events? Who is
better at keeping in touch with others?”
Source: Selling Is a Woman’s Game: 15 Powerful Reasons Why Women Can Outsell Men, Nicki Joy &
Susan Kane-Benson
It’s Girls, Stupid!
1996: 8.4M women, 6.7M men in college (est: 9.2 to 6.9 in 2007); more women than men in
high-level math and science courses
More girls in student govt., honor societies; girls read more books, outperform boys in artistic and musical ability, study abroad in
higher numbers
Boys do rule: crime, alcohol, drugs, failure to do homework (4:1)
Source: The Atlantic Monthly (May2000)
“Where do good new ideas come from?That’s simple! From
differences. Creativity comes from unlikely juxtapositions. The best way to maximize differences is to
mix ages, cultures and disciplines.”
Nicholas Negroponte
“Diversity defines the health and wealth of nations in a new century. Mighty is the
mongrel. The hybrid is hip. The impure, the mélange, the adulterated, the blemished, the
rough, the black-and-blue, the mix-and-match – these people are inheriting the earth. Mixing is the new norm. Mixing trumps
isolation. It spawns creativity, nourishes the human spirit, spurs economic growth
and empowers nations.”
G. Pascal Zachary, The Global Me: New Cosmopolitans and the Competitive Edge
Diversity Redux
M.I. (logical-mathematical, linguistic, spatial, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal,
intrapersonal)
Arts (“A poet in every accounting department”)
“Our education system is a second-rate, factory-style organization, pumping out
obsolete information in obsolete ways. [Schools] are simply not
connected to the future of the kids they’re responsible for.”
Alvin Toffler, Business 2.0 (09.00)
“At the ultimate stage, competition among nations will be competition among educational systems, for the most productive and richest countries will be those with the best education and training.”
Richard Rosecrance, The Rise of the Virtual State
N.W.O.: Was-Is • Pine-paneled Office• Address: 1 Big Man Plaza• Secretary• Suit • Formal • Rank conscious• Pretense (“Failures are for fools.”)• I love “Yes men”• Self-contained• White is the color of gold
• Seat 9B, UA233• Address: [email protected]• Typing: 60 WPM• Casual M-F• Approachable• We are a HOT Team • Screwing up is as normal
as breathing• I love Misfits!• I love partners• Rainbow rules!
Translation• Flexible• Fluid-Shape shifter• Fast [Net speed]• Informal-Peer oriented• Talent Obsessed• Alliance Mania• Entrepreneurial-Meritocratic• Intellectual Property Is All
“Firms will not ‘manage the careers’ of their employees. They
will provide opportunities to enable the employee to develop
identity and adaptability and
thus be in charge of his or her own career.”
Tim Hall et al., “The New Protean Career Contract”
44 Players = 44 Projects = 44 different success measures =
44 different styles (of you)
One [if lucky] “1 in 10 years”[Scout: Great career = 1 sleeper find]
“The ‘surplus society’ has a surplus of
similar companies, employing
similar people, with similar educational backgrounds, working in
similar jobs, coming up with similar
ideas, producing similar things, with
similar prices and similar quality.”
Kjell Nordstrom and Jonas Ridderstrale, Funky Business
“Experiences are as distinct from services as services are from
goods.”Joseph Pine & James Gilmore, The
Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage
“The [Starbucks] Fix” Is on …
“We have identified a ‘third place.’ And I really believe that sets us apart. The third place is
that place that’s not work or home. It’s the place our
customers come for refuge.”Nancy Orsolini, District Manager
“Car designers need to create a story. Every car provides an
opportunity to create an adventure. …“The Prowler makes you smile. Why? Because it’s focused. It has a plot, a
reason for being, a passion.”
Freeman Thomas, co-designer VW Beetle; designer Audi TT
?????????
Home Furnishings … 94%Vacations … 92%
Houses … 91%Bank Account … 89%
Health Care … 75%Etc.
48% working wives > 50%80% checks
61% bills53% stock (mutual fund boom)
43% > $500K95% financial decisions/
29% single handed
Women … 50+%(!!!) of Web users; 6 of 10 new users; 83% of wired women are primary decision makers for family
healthcare, finances, education.
Source: Business Week; Jupiter Communications
Carol Gilligan/ In a Different Voice
Men: Get away from authority, familyWomen: Connect
Men: Self-orientedWomen: Other-oriented
Men: RightsWomen: Responsibilities
FemaleThink/ Popcorn
“Men and women don’t think the same way, don’t communicate the same
way, don’t buy for the same reasons.”
“He simply wants the transaction to take place. She’s interested in creating a relationship. Every place women go,
they make connections.”
[“Men seem like loose cannons. Men always move faster through a store’s
aisles. Men spend less time looking. They usually don’t like asking where things are.
You’ll see a man move impatiently through a store to the section he wants,
pick something up, and then, almost abruptly he’s ready to buy. … For a
man, ignoring the price tag is almost a sign of virility.”
Paco Underhill, Why We Buy* (*Buy this book!)]
Women and Healthcare
Women are … more dissatisfied, frustrated by the way they are treated
and spoken down to by physicians, seek more information, are more pressed for time … and make 75% of health care decisions and control 2/3 of health care $
$$$ [and constitute 2/3 of health care employees].
Source: Patricia Braus, Marketing Healthcare to Women
Women and Financial Advisors
Women want … a plan, to be listened to, to be taken seriously, to read about it, to think about it.
Women do not want … an in-your-face sales pitch
Source: Kathleen Boyle, Wheat Boyle Butcher Singer
“Women Beat Men at Art of Investing”
Source: Miami Herald, reporting on a study by Profs. Terrance Odean and Brad Barber, UC Davis (Cause: Guys are “in and out” of
stocks more often; women choose carefully and hold on for the long term)
Marketing to Women: Help Them Save Time!
80% … work86% … cook
58% … run errands with kids38% … take child to school
21% … go to the gym21% … take outside classes
“The ‘Connection Proclivity’ in women starts early. When asked,
‘How was school today?’ a girl usually tells her mother every
detail of what happened, while a boy might grunt, ‘Fine.’ ”
EVEolution
Weight Watchers International “Model”
“What if ExxonMobil or Shell dipped into their credit card database to help commuting women
interview and make a choice of car pool partners?”
“What if American Express made a concerted effort to connect up female empty-nesters
through on-line and off-line programs, geared to help women re-enter the workforce with today’s
skills?”
EVEolution
The New New Jiffy Lube
“In the male mold, Jiffy Lube was going all out to deliver quick, efficient service. But, in the
female mold, women were being turned off by the ‘let’s get it fixed fast, no conversation
required’ experience.”
New JL: “Control over her environment. Comfort in the service setting. Trust that her car
is being serviced properly. Respect for her intelligence and ability.”
EVEolution
“I got a message from the chairman of a multi, multi-billion dollar global company.
I know him really well. He said, ‘Dear Faith, I distributed EVEolution to my female
executives. Thank you.’ I wrote him, ‘Dear X, this book is not about marketing FOR women, it’s about marketing TO women.’
He wrote back about how ungrateful I was; he’d bought 14 copies at full price! Can
you believe it?”
Faith Popcorn, “Cool Friends” interview, tompeters.com
Enterprise Reinvention!
RecruitingHiring/Rewarding/ Promoting
Structure Processes
MeasurementStrategyCulture Vision
Leadership
THE BRAND ITSELF!
“I didn’t know [company] were giving
company cars to secretaries.”
Source: UK financial services CEO, 12/99
Not a Morality Play!
“It is critical that we all understand that IBM is not marketing to women
entrepreneurs because it is the thing to do, or even the right thing to do.
We are marketing to women entrepreneurs because it is a huge
opportunity.”
Cherie Piebes
27 March 2000: email to TP from Shelley Rae Norbeck
“I make 1/3rd more money than my husband does. I have as much financial
‘pull’ in the relationship as he does. I’d say this is also true of most of my women
friends. Someone should wake up, smell the coffee and kiss our asses long enough
to sell us something! We have money to
spend and nobody wants it!”
“If we are single, they say we couldn’t catch a man. If we are
married, they say we are neglecting him. If we are divorced,
they say we couldn’t keep him. If we are widowed, they say we
killed him.”
Kathleen Brown, on the joys of female political candidacy
DISTINCT … OR EXTINCT!
“If there is nothing very special about your work, no matter how hard you apply yourself, you won’t get noticed and that increasingly means you won’t get paid much, either.”
Michael Goldhaber, Wired
“You are the storyteller of your own life, and you
can create your own legend or not.”
Isabel Allende
“Greater opportunity for
women is probably the most significant gain for human freedom in
the last century.”Andrew Sullivan, The New Republic
1965: “ ‘Doctor’ will see you now. ‘Doctor’ will take care of you.”
YES, NURSE. ME GOOD PUPPY DOG.
1995: “HMO will take care of you.”
BULLSHIT.
2005: “I will take care of me. I’d like your expert help.”
Grameen Bank/Bangladesh
“It’s not people who aren’t credit-worthy. It’s banks that aren’t
people worthy.”$2.3B to 2.3M [typical 1st loan: $15.]
98% recovery rate [94% to women!]1/3rd out of poverty; 1/3rd up to non-
poverty threshold
Muhammad Yunus, Banker to the Poor
“The Grameen loan is not simply cash. It
becomes a kind of ticket to self-discovery and
self-exploration.”
Muhammad Yunus
Brand It! Now, More Than Ever!
“The increasing difficulty in differentiating between products and
the speed with which competitors take
up innovations will assist in the rise and rise of the brand.”
Gillian Law and Nick Grant, Management [New Zealand]
“We are in the twilight of a society based on data. As information and intelligence become the domain of computers, society will place more value on the one human ability that cannot be automated: emotion.
Imagination, myth, ritual - the language of emotion - will affect everything from our purchasing decisions
to how we work with others. Companies will thrive on the basis of their stories and
myths. Companies will need to understand that their products are less important than their stories.”
Rolf Jensen, Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies
Brand Leadership!
“A key – perhaps the key – to leadership is the effective
communication of a story.”
Howard Gardner Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership
“Create a Cause, not a ‘business.’ ”
Gary Hamel, Fortune (06.00), on re-inventing a company (Exemplar #1:
Charles Schwab)
“Leadership is a performance. You have to be
conscious of your behavior, because everybody else is.”
Carly Fiorina