Lines and Curves
Perhaps nothing is more deeply embedded in our collective consciousness than the idea that women are more purely emotional beings than men. James Joyce, one of the great novelists of the 20th century, put it this way: “Men are governed by lines of intellect, women by curves of emotion.”
It’s nicely and memorably stated, but, really? So 20th century!
Earlier this week I launched my new column for Fast Company Co.Design, where I will profile 21st century women like me who have built — or are building — careers in the design industry.
Design is historically a male-dominated field, but today it’s brimming with talented and ambitious females. I’ll share their stories and how they are evolving design practice through their unique perspectives on art, culture, technology, and business.
These days, we have study after study to show that the only real difference between the sexes is that men are much more concerned about hiding their emotions than women are — for example, when they totally act on emotions but claim that their actions are governed by intellect. I’m not interested in bashing men. They are what they are. They do what they do. What I am interested in is figuring out what it takes for a woman to succeed — not in a “man’s world,” but in our world together.
We have believed that women have to change and adapt themselves to compete with men. I beg to disagree. If women are in need of change, then they need to change to be truer to who they are and to put to use the powerful strengths and abilities they were born with.
Women should not fall for the lie that qualities like empathy and emotional intelligence are not suited to the business world. In fact, they are critically important and can be harnessed to produce remarkable results.
In the end, it’s not about men being the enemy; it’s that we can make progress on issues like equal pay if women are encouraged to bring their authentic selves to the task and prove they can succeed on their own terms.
Who am I to say all this? I’m a woman who has succeeded at the highest level of business, and I did it by being myself — emotions and all.
Early in my career, a male CEO gave me some advice: “If you want to succeed in business,” he said, “take the emotion out of it.” I knew he meant well and was trying to mentor me. But not for a moment did I agree with him. I knew in my gut that emotion is important in business. For example, you need to tap into people’s emotions to do good marketing. And before you can successfully communicate with people on an emotional level, you need to understand them, which is where empathy and harnessing your own emotions come in. It’s what a great football coach does. The intellect goes into the strategy; the emotion goes into the motivation and the execution.
Another time, I met with a corporate board to rebrand a company. A male board member asked me what I thought of several options for the new company logo. The majority of the group preferred a gray logo that was simple, clean, and corporate. I knew from my years of experience that if they wanted to pivot successfully, the brand would need to evoke something else. I suggested a version of the logo that was more colorful, more passionate, and more explicit in conveying the new direction of the company.
The people in the room looked at me like I had four heads. One said, “You’re just way too emotional, Doreen.”
I was emotional because my emotion was a reflection of the emotional reaction I knew the new logo could generate. This is the kind of difficulty women often have: they know they’re right, but male colleagues are reluctant to take their blinders off.
But the business world is changing. Day by day, success after success, women are showing that it doesn’t matter whether it’s a curve or a line. It’s getting the job done.
