Response to Joanne–Wanted: Less Excuses And More Competitive Women

Interesting and challenging response to Joanne’s USNews blog piece in Forbes.  The author argues that women aren’t good at raising women who can compete with me.  I don’t agree, but it’s fascinating that this kind of debate is occurring in well-read mass media.

Ladies, we’re good at raising someone else’s self-esteem, helping them feel good. It is a byproduct of how we nurture, creating connection through listening, kind words and gentle touch. We suck at building self-confidence. It isn’t what we are wired to do.

Believe it or not, the guys are good at building self-confidence in others. Male aggression nurturance (Gurian & Annis: Leadership and the Sexes) builds self-confidence by expecting an individual to perform. Think of it as throwing someone into the deep end and expecting them to swim (while you’re standing on the shore with a floatie to throw if they need assistance). When they dog paddle to the shore, their self-confidence rises measurably. They did it and they know they can do it again.

via Wanted: Less Excuses And More Competitive Women – Forbes.