Recently, I spoke to members of an organization that included mostly businessmen and a few women on a topic titled: Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity. I had planned to talk about optimum performance and well-being, and throw in interesting phrases like Paleo Lifestyle, Ketogenic Diet, and the Second Brain. However, my expertise also includes the New Science of the Female Brain.
So when I was introduced as an expert on Women’s Leadership, the audience – mostly male – exploded with laughter. I laughed too as I approached the microphone. After all it’s always a good idea to start a serious talk with some humor, especially when the laughter reveals an important truth about the audience. It lets you know where they’re coming from. It offers a “lay of the land,” so to speak, or in this case, where the landmines lay buried.
Women’s Leadership. Do the two words go together? Is it an oxymoron – two words placed together that appear to contradict each other. Or had the two words released a time-bomb? Had they triggered a landmine of fear buried deep within the heart of men in the mostly Republican audience?
What is the MESSAGE? My message, that is….
It’s the next morning. I’m watching four men talk about Hillary Clinton on Bloomberg Politics. The segment is called Hillaryland and they’re pecking like chickens in a barnyard on leftover scraps of news. Hillary Clinton hasn’t announced her campaign yet, so these four strategists and reporters – like wanna be standup comedians – are stirring up the dirt, looking for a “gotcha” in the dust. They’re distracting themselves and us for the next four minutes with a rapid fire commentary, which to me gives meaning to the phrase “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
The four men launch into the discussion by talking about the “odds” of a win. They think it’s is all about money, where the goal is to suck up a lot of money. They talk about a campaign that hasn’t yet begun, like men talking about a trip to a lake on a Friday afternoon. Will she or won’t she? And they fuss over her loyal network of supporters: She’s paid the check, let them keep the meal.
In the end, is it really about four male news pundits discussing the impact of a fully qualified woman being elected as President of the United States ? Or are they actually revealing a secret fear of the GOP, spoken from the heart of a political party whom some critics call “A Political Party of Patriarchs.
Grabbing for the last sound byte one of the group of four reveals what is perhaps their biggest fear, a secret fear that shakes one of these men to the core: Perhaps Americans, he quips, “want to see Bill Clinton wandering around the White House with nothing to do.”
REALITY CHECK: In my talks I remind: The KEY to our sustainable future is *hardwired* in the female brain. Sustainability is based on millions of right actions taken incrementally, over time. The Economist puts it this way: More women in government will help shift government monies away from weapons, tanks and warfare to a focus on healthcare, education, infrastructure, and… the eradication of poverty.
My takeaway: More women in government means whole lot more job opportunities for all!
ALEXIA PARKS is the CEO of the 10 TRAITS Leadership Training Program for Women. It is the only program in the world based on the New Science of the FEMALE brain. Its Rapid Training System is aligned with how a woman’s brain really works. Alexia is also a Virtual Mentor with the United Nations.
