Women are Too Emotional To be Leaders

For many years growing up and as a young adult I have heard the reason that women aren't in leadership roles is that they are too emotional.

I don't think so.

On Thursday February 28, 2008, the Michigan women's basketball coach, Kevin Borseth joined the long line of male coaches to lose it in press conferences. Kevin joins Dennis Green, Mike Gundy, Hal McRae, Herman Edwards, Jim Boeheim, and Bobby Knight, in ranting and raving, and throwing a temper tantrum. To see all these male coaches and more lose it, go to YouTube.

Emotional Intelligence, that was written about by Daniel Goleman, is now being found to be more important for success than IQ. Emotional Intelligence is an awareness and management of your own emotions, and an awareness of other people's. It really is self management, social management, and relationship management.

In study after study, women are found to have higher Emotional Intelligence than men. Which suggests that we are better able to control our emotions. So the thought that women are too emotional to be in leadership is false, and we might want to ask that question of men. Maybe, they are too emotional to be in leadership. After watching all these male coaches be so emotional, it begs the question.

Brain research, also suggests that when we lose it we get stupid. All the blood in our brain goes to our extremities for the "flight and flight," response. That is why when people are angry they say the funniest things. They are stupid.

Kevin Borseth apologized on Sunday, and his team lost anyway. My daughter, when she was four, had temper tantrums and she also apologized afterwards, but that didn't stop her the next time.

Men, I fear might be too emotional for positions of leadership. At least they need to clean up their act and become more "emotionally intelligent" and remember not to try to communicate when they are angry.

There should be no temper tantrums allowed by coaches in sports. And the next time a man suggests that women are too emotional to be leaders, I will just use my emotional intelligence and smile at him.

Jana Ruth
Author of Laugh and Live Happier: P.L.A.Y.S. for Life
www.janaruth.biz
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