Could neuroscience hold the key to recruiting women leaders?
Imagine you are interviewing candidates for a leadership job. You ask two candidates to share a success story. The first person says, “I saved $10 million on supplies,” and then proceeds to give some background. The second candidate begins obliquely: “One time I was worried that the people on the East Coast didn’t feel involved …” The story goes on, with what might appear to be irrelevant details, before finally working its way to the point: “… and that’s how we saved $10 million.” Which candidate is more likely to be hired? All other qualifications being equal, the candidate who got right to the point and did not burden the interviewer with a lot of contextual detail is more likely to be seen as the better leader. This, according to Barbara Annis, is why companies are so poor at hiring women leaders. Annis, co-author with Michael Gurian of Leadership and the Sexes: Using Gender Science to Create Success in Business, is an expert on gender differences in the workplace. “The candidate w
