Women are Better

I’ve had a lifetime being challenged by and eventually saved by strong women both as a person, a political follower, and the leader of a company. I noted this on my 70th birthday as I listed those that had contributed so much to my own success. At every rung on my ladder to success there was a woman helping me. I now firmly believe that in my granddaughter’s lifetime women will end up running everything. For that I am profoundly glad, even relieved. The more they are in charge of, the better the world will be.

Strangely, Irving Berlin’s wonderful song from the 1940's in Annie Get Your Gun will be true. “Everything you can do I can do better”, she sings to Frank, and on it goes from shooting to dressing. Annie’s conviction and belief in herself is what pushes women on and on, to the top of their professions and callings. 

The most recent proof of the smarts and decisiveness of women leaders comes from the amazing record of women political leaders in facing up to the Covid-19 pandemic. Here is what Forbes said about model leader, Angela Merkel: 

The German Chancellor stood up early and calmly told her countrymen that this was a serious bug that would infect up to 70% of the population. “It’s serious,” she said, “take it seriously.” She did, so they did too. Testing began right from the get-go. Germany jumped right over the phases of denial, anger and disingenuousness we’ve seen elsewhere. The country’s numbers are far below its European neighbors.

The same goes for the female leadership of Taiwan, Iceland and of course New Zealand, where Jacinda Ardern made an international name for herself in the unrelenting way she handled the pandemic. The young, charismatic Prime Minister’s handling of the disease was described by Forbes in this way:

Ardern was early to lockdown and crystal clear on the maximum level of alert she was putting the country under—and why. She imposed self-isolation on people entering New Zealand astonishingly early, when there were just 6 cases in the whole country, and banned foreigners entirely from entering soon after. Clarity and decisiveness are saving New Zealand from the storm. As of mid-April they have suffered only four deaths, and where other countries talk of lifting restrictions, Ardern is adding to them, making all returning New Zealanders quarantine in designated locations for 14 days.

Contrast this with the politically expediency and dithering of so many our male leaders. Don’t forget Adhern is a feminist and social democrat, the weaker sex indeed! 

Iceland’s Prime Minister also set the standard for other nations in a science-based approach to the pandemic, as reported by Forbes:

Iceland, under the leadership of Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, is offering free coronavirus testing to all its citizens, and will become a key case study in the true spread and fatality rates of COVID-19. Most countries have limited testing to people with active symptoms. Iceland is going whole hog. In proportion to its population the country has already screened five times as many people as South Korea has, and instituted a thorough tracking system that means they haven’t had to lock down or shut schools.

While much bemoaning continues about the lack of women in high corporate positions and on boards where they do cause changes for the better to occur, this is a story focused on women achieving Federal Cabinet positions, formally reserved for men. There is little doubt that the appointment of Anita Anand moves the long simmering issue of sexual misconduct in the military to the front burner. She tweeted this as one of her first acts: 

I have accepted in full ,Madame Arbour's recommendations to move the investigation & prosecution of sexual misconduct cases to the civilian system.

Experts who study Canada's military culture say the move is an important step toward rebuilding trust in the military and making it easier for victims to come forward.

We all have examples of the wisdom and care women exercise in leadership roles. This is evident in the wonderful woman who succeeded me in the company I founded. Sailing countries and companies will be smoother with women at the helm.