It is that time of the year—Woman’s History Month. I suspect many of us have seen a plethora of articles, soft news television news pieces and commercials highlighting the contributions of women throughout history. Many of the articles go unread; news pieces unwatched and the commercials are perfect opportunities to surf-the-channels.

This article is not extolling the virtues of women throughout the history of the world. Rather this is a short read. One that will not speak of the contributions of Malala Yousafzai, Margaret Atwood, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, J.K. Rowling or Eleanor Roosevelt.

This article is about how men view women. It will be to the point.

Two Types of Men

In my experience, there are two types of men what I call—the conformist and the courageous. The conformist goes with the crowd, stays comfortably in fashion and is never an early adopter. They are not decisive. They communicate in vague terms.

The courageous seeks to push the boundaries. They are focused on a clear and exciting vision of the future. They establish an environment that encourages risk. They are decisive and communicate in clear and electrifying terms. They see women as little difference from men. They see a person’s potential.

Conformist view of women

Conformists see women as mother, girlfriend, daughter, wife and mistress. In the workplace, men add these views note-taker, object, hard worker, smart, capable, not worthy of respect and a threat. They see women as being foisted upon them.

Courageous view of women

Men I place in this class may also see women as mother, girlfriend, etc. as noted above. The difference is the workplace view. They see women as a value add. They see the value in having a woman’s mindset in the workplace. I would offer that women indeed bring a mindset uncommon to men.

In my experience, women bring four things to the table as a matter of routine. They take action. Women seem to have an uncanny ability to see the branches and sequels to a plan, which would be plan B and C before plan A is complete. Women are unashamedly in touch with their Emotional IQ, the very best male leaders I have ever known have that same ability, and finally, women are the epitome of servant leadership. The Marine Corps, an organization that breeds its leaders from day one, are believers in the concept of servant leadership. One of the greatest visuals of that leadership style is the “chow” line. When Marines form-up to eat, you will always note the more senior leaders eat last with the most senior leader eating dead last. Have you ever seen your mother eat first?

Conclusion

This month is Women’s History Month. Women are changing the course of history throughout the world. That’s nice and so what, you may be saying to yourself if you are a man. If you are a businessman and saying so what; your business will not change its history. The margins you have will be what they are. For those businessmen that see the true value of what women bring to the table, I applaud you and look forward to reading about your future successes.

Women business leaders, who are out there changing the world, enjoy the month! Keep rewriting history.

This article was not another history lesson.

© 2015 by John Boggs all rights reserved.