Carol Smith, senior vice president for the Elle Group, said recently that “female bosses tend to be better managers, better advisers, mentors, rational thinkers.” That prompted the New York Times to ask some executives, professors and a psychologist what research shows about the differences between women and men as managers.
Some of their comments:
“Women are less ‘bossy,’ probably because people dislike bossy women even more than bossy men.”
“None of this behavior matters if it’s accompanied with a denial of the continued existence of sexism in the workplace.”
“Women are often better communicators because their brains are more networked for language.”
“Carol Smith is wrong about her blanket statement about women being better managers. But she’s right about something else. Whether we’re talking about mentoring, managing or office politics, the research is clear: Men and women together are the best.”
Ukraine and Georgia sure made an impression on Joe Biden. On his trip home from those democracies, the vice president played Lear’s jester by speaking the truth about their erstwhile master, Russia. In an interview, Biden pointed out that the U.S. and Russia aren’t strategic equals. “I think we vastly underestimate the hand that we hold,” he said, noting that Russia’s economy and population are “withering.” As for the arsenal Russia inherited from the U.S.S.R., Biden said, “They can’t sustain it.” Biden’s commonsense observations undermine President Obama’s rationale for a “reset” with Russia built on arms control and a softening of U.S. support for Eurasia’s democracies. For example, why lock in lower numbers of U.S. nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles such as bombers and missiles in a new arms deal if Russia can’t afford to maintain its stockpile of either? Biden may not like the comparison. But in his willingness to speak the truth about Russia, Biden reminds us of Dick Cheney. — Wall Street Journal editorial
Vice President Joe Biden recently claimed that, because Russia’s economy is “withering,” Moscow will have to bend to the West, specifically on issues relating to the former Soviet republics and the reduction of its nuclear arsenal. But what Biden seems to be forgetting is the important role that Russia can play in the war in Afghanistan. Russia has no obligation to bend one way or the other. The country still exerts strong influence over most Central Asian states, including those directly bordering Afghanistan. In fact, Russia recently allowed — after nearly eight years of war — the United States to use its airspace to transport troops and military equipment into Afghanistan. After Biden’s comment, there appears to be a gap between the administration’s objective of stabilizing Afghanistan and the means with which it hopes to achieve it. Gratuitously antagonizing Russia risks prompting officials in Moscow to either retract their concession on Afghanistan, to pressure Central Asian republics to act in kind, or both. — Malou Innocent, RealClearWorld.com
Pondering the new adventures of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, Washington Post blogger Chris Cillizza led his latest list of possible women presidents with retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., also mentioning Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin of South Dakota, Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan and Florida CFO Alex Sink (for the Democrats), and former New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte and former eBay president Meg Whitman (for the Republicans). Of Kathleen Sebelius, Cillizza wrote: “Before she became head of the Department of Health and Human Services, Sebelius was in the mix for vice president — thanks in large part to her resume as a two-term governor from ruby red Kansas. Those who know her best insist she needed more seasoning before stepping into the limelight nationally, but that’s just what she’ll get as a member of the Obama Cabinet. And, she certainly has the political pedigree; her father, John Gilligan, served as the governor of Ohio.”
It’s good to see the Kansas Board of Regents and the Kansas State Department of Education working together to share and compare data in a way that tracks Kansas student achievement long term and measures the effectiveness of education programs. Gov. Mark Parkinson furthered the collaboration with a June executive order “supporting a seamless education system.” As Parkinson later put it: “What we want to know is — are we preparing our kids for college? The best way to find that out is to look at the big picture, and compare students’ success in college to their success in public schools.”
