LeadershipHQ Magazine June 2015 2nd Edition | Page 6

Apply that analogy to the traditional, hierarchical
and cultural male hegemony; how does it pass on its
‘genetic material’?
What we think we know about the world is constituted
through the ways in which we engage with the world.
However, narratives arrest meaning; they tend to control
and coerce conformity to an existing order. The work
being undertaken by the organisation I keep referring
to has the potential to do something remarkable – in a
small country that is remarkable; New Zealand is proud
of a heritage that saw it become the first country in the
world where women could vote on equal terms with men.
Ahead, as the reality to engage and employ more women
unfolds, there is uncertainty, ambiguity, vulnerability and
strangeness to be embraced.
Professor Sebastian Reiche showed recent data suggesting
the diversity issue isn’t improving. The World Economic
Forum calculates a decrease in the gender gap by an
average of 4% in the past 9 years. This figure predicts
complete gender equality by 2095 (when I’ll be 125
years old!). Distinguished feminist international relations
theorist, J.Ann Tickner wrote back in 2004 that, “In today’s
world of about 190 states, less than 1 percent of presidents
or prime ministers are women.” Combined with the World
Economic Forum figures, Reiche poses cogently: “are we
doing something wrong, or just not enough?”
Here’s an analogy that helps me get comfortable with

something difficult: a horse refusing to step onto a horse
float. It’s kicking up a fuss, offering resistance, fighting
against the idea, and doing anything to avoid going onto
the float. I’ve dealt with lots of such horses, but haven’t
encountered one yet (in over a thousand with which
I’ve worked) that hasn’t willingly, and of its own accord,
walked onto the float and stood calmly in the end. That
doesn’t mean I mightn’t meet one that defeats me in
future (in which case, I’ll need to learn more about why),
it just means I’m optimistic that my approach is right and
what I’m trying to achieve is reasonable.
Gender equality and leadership are inextricably linked;
dealing with associated issues requires courage and
innovation. This isn’t a bandwagon to leap on as a
self-promotion exercise. If you pride yourself in thinking
differently; if you pride yourself on being innovative and
open-minded; if you consider yourself fair and unbiased;
if you pride yourself on having the moral courage to do
what’s right – then you’re probably a feminist.
I’ll try to link the close of this article back to my opening
paragraph. If we want ‘diverse’ organisations (because
frankly that’s how we achieve the best type of resilience
and ensur