The focus was a study carried out by Lilith Project, with the cooperation of the ministry and paperJam, on male-female leadership. Keynote speaker Alexander Christiani then addressed the subject of “Men and women as equal forces of powerful change in business and society.”

“Proven individual performance is far more important than gender,” says Alexander Christiani. In an entertaining and enlightening talk he provided a wealth of examples to which his audience could relate – from choosing a taxi driver to the selection process for the new CEO of General Motors he illustrated that most people would opt for the best candidate for the job rather than base their decision on gender. But Christiani also pointed out that in some cases this “no brainer” choice, as he calls it, is still not an immediate reflex. Citing controversial American psychologist Carol Gilligan, Christiani also highlighted the difference in male and female approaches to problems. Males, he argues, are primed to play by the rules and focus on results. Females, on the other hand, place far more importance on the value of relationships and are willing to bend the rules to get results and maintain happy relationships. “If you get men and women with these different decision-making patterns together in the same team, you have the best of both worlds.”

Christiani’s presentation also focused on the personality traits required to embrace change and achieve successful new behaviour patterns in the business context. Motivation and ability go hand-in-hand, he explained. Even the most motivated employee will not perform well if the basic skills are lacking. But the difference between success and failure can be something as seemingly insignificant as the way a customer is first greeted by a sales person, or the tone of voice used by a nurse when bringing a patient breakfast first thing in the morning. By identifying these successful key behaviour patterns, and passing those skills to other employees in short, targeted training sessions, companies can help re-motivate their staff, Christiani says.

He pointed out the differences between coaching in the first division and the Champions’ League. Indentifying precise key behaviour, using personal experience and role models as elements of communication strategy, and embracing six-dimensional integral concepts are all essential tools in successful change management. Christiani used the examples of two much admired public figures to highlight the potential for successful change and thinking outside the box – Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus and Delancey Street Project founder Dr. Mimi Silbert. Both have achieved success by wilfully moving outside their comfort zone and, by using their own behaviour pattern as an example, challenging the women who take out micro-loans at Grameen Bank and the ex-criminals who work and train in new skills at Delancey to embrace change and improve their own lives.

See the video interview with Alexander Christiani (Part 1/2) HERE

See the video interview with Alexander Christiani (Part 2/2) HERE