Are gay leaders better?
Gay male leaders are succeeding where many are failing in today’s business world. Their employees are happier, their companies are thriving, and they are proving to be shining examples of how to lead the 21st century workforce — across industries. (USC Business Professor Kirk Snyder)
Early this year I was browsing through Harvard Business Review’s recommended reading list for the business leaders community, and was pleasantly surprised by this nifty little book: “The G Quotient: Why Gay Executives are Excelling as Leaders… And What Every Manager Needs to Know” by Kirk Snyder.
According to Snyder, whose book compiles the results of a five-year research project covering over 2,000 organizations and 3,500 professionals, openly gay male managers and executives offer a specific and effective model of leadership that he calls the G quotient, which accounts for a 25 to 30 percent higher level of job satisfaction and workplace morale among employees of gay managers.
Snyder believes the gay experience teaches these managers to “place a greater emphasis on the individual value of their employees,” and identifies seven qualities that gay executives bring to the workplace: inclusion, creativity, adaptability, connectivity, communication, intuition and collaboration. Snyder is perceptive and detailed in analyzing his research and discussing it with a slew of today’s top gay business leaders, including a state senator, a college president, and top executives at Disney, PepsiCo and Morgan Stanley. Novel managing strategies, including “focusing on the process of work rather than the final product,” “placing value on experiential learning” and “seeing inspiration as a manageable commodity,” make this a practical business primer as well as a landmark study; managers looking for a fresh approach should pick this title up, as should those interested in the rising profile of gays in America. (Publishers Weekly Annex, June 2006)
I plan to get hold of this book, and probably share some insights through this site. Stay tuned!
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December 13th, 2006 at 12:41 am
I’m not sure when you wrote this post..but I hope you’ve had the opportunity to read the book. It’s a great read, in my opinion!
December 13th, 2006 at 4:21 am
hi JP! have not had the chance to grab a copy. would you bring one for me when you fly back to manila? hehehe.