When Helen Fisher speaks, the politically correct members of her audience are likely to flinch, as she dissects the differences between men and women. Men are more analytical; women are better long-term planners. Following the invention of the plough and with the resulting need for hard manual labour, the power balance shifted. Understanding that male and female brains develop and behave differently is important. It also helps us to hire the right people, improve teamwork and can - to quote part of the title of her talk at the World On average, women gather more data, consider the context, are intuitive, have a sympathising mind and think more long-term. Ms Fisher calls it "web thinking". Men, on the other hand, are more focused, think linear, focus on rules and the short-term - "step thinking". So what does all this mean for business leaders? Combine the long-term thinking of women with the short-term focus of men. And bear in mind that different thinking also results in very different behaviour. Men think more in terms of status and rank. Women prefer flat hierarchies. Men can have tunnel vision; women may fail to get to the point.
BBC News