Are women better networkers than men? (article comment)
Candy Tymson is the Australian expert on gender differences. She wrote an excellent short article on the differences regarding networking: “Who Wins More Business – Men or Women?”
She points out that “an all-female group … [will] be talking business … from the perspective of sharing information, offering assistance and showing their vulnerability by talking about mistakes they have made so that the others can benefit from their experience”. Sounds familiar?
As this blog’s readers know, networking is based on helping others. Thus, couldn’t we assume that women will be better networkers?
Well… Tymson goes one step further and suggests that each gender excels in at least one of the network types identified by Ibarra and Hunter (see the comment on a previous post). Women excel in operational and personal networks while men are best in strategic networks. Thus, final score: Women 2 –Men 1!
My take is that to be a better networker:
- Men, switch on the female within you!
- Women, activate the male part of your brain!
Related links:
- Who Wins More Business – Men or Women? [www.tymson.com.au/articles/winningnetworking.pdf], Candy Tymson, February 2007.
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