Sunday, July 15, 2018

Working with women leads to great results

“You finally feel — I want to say, ‘equal!" one Saudi woman exclaimed. Another has her heart set on a car vanity plate reading, in Arabic, “Get out of the way.” Saudi Arabia ended its status as the last country on earth to prohibit women from driving. 

Women. Over half of the earth's population, and creators of life for the whole of it.

Wait a minute. Why is a 53-year old man penning an article about women? I assert GSO South East Asia's success is the direct result of our 70:30 female:male composition, which contributed to the "secret recipe." Bottomline: in my experience, when men and women work together as equals, great things happen.

As someone who surrounds himself with strong female friendships and colleagues, I can strongly say the women in my team have proven time and time again to be unparalleled problem solvers, visionaries and value creators. They have a much better EQ. So, not only do I think that women are pretty smart, but they have more EQ.

The women I worked with over these past seven years shape who I am and who I become. As much as people refuse to believe it, behaviour and beliefs are contagious: you easily "catch" the emotional state of your colleague; imitate their actions, and absorb their values as your own.

We live in a world where most everyone has come to expect instant this and instant that. The fast lane. One-click ordering. I have also come to expect fast results, to demand them. Working with the women in my team, I have come to learn that it's not slow - but steady - that wins the race. Doing things won't create your success; doing the right things will. And if you're doing the wrong things, doing more of them will only make you fail faster.

I love the women in my team. They are uniquely female and their abilities and drive to get things done are unparalleled. They work their butt off for the sake of the organization, they exude warmth and they're personable. With their refreshingly unique strengths as women, we are definitely better together.


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