Why Does Gender Intelligence Matter Everywhere Else?

The gender intelligence conversation gets a bit more personal as Barbara Annis, author of Results At The Top, examines why it matters "everywhere else," including the home, the hospital, and in difficult conversations.   

In the final episode of the Gender Intelligence mini-series, Baraba Annis talks about how gender intelligence can be the difference between life and death, as in the case of heart attacks, but also how companies have implemented the gender intelligence research to completely transform their businesses and in some cases double or triple their yearly revenue.

• Research on the gender differences of our bodies didn’t exist before 1990. At that time the US Health department couldn’t figure out why more women than men were dying of heart attacks, and when they looked into the cause they found that 72% of women had entirely different symptoms when they had heart attacks.
• They didn’t know what they didn’t know, because before 1990 the US Health department only tested men and male animals.
• Once they started looking they found a slew of gender differences. 80% of autoimmune diseases occur in women, Alzheimer’s is more predominant in women, so is dementia.
• If you want to take care of your health, particularly if you’re a woman, ask your doctor if they have any research on gender differences.
• Knowing these differences and being willing to push your doctor to look into the research can be a life or death situation. There are differences in the genders in how they handle difficult conversations as well. Women tend to take things personally, where they internalize conflicts, whereas men tend to externalize things. This can cause problems between men and women and create power struggles if we don’t understand where each gender is coming from. There is equal learning for both men and women in this regard. Women tend to seek understanding, men tend to seek space and resolution, and there are a few simple things that you can do to make a conversation work between the genders. Honoring each other’s differences and avoiding the blame game is the key.
• Dr. Hubble Hendricks says that we go through three phases of committed relationships. The first is the romantic phase where everything is great. The second is the power struggle phase where gender differences occur. Only 7% of us enter the third spontaneous acceleration phase where people can be themselves and loved for who they are.
• With an understanding of gender intelligence and the science around how the genders interact, more people can reach the third phase of a committed relationship.
• Due to the rise of the #metoo movement, many men reported that they became uncomfortable mentoring or networking with women. Dr. Annis has created a program that has empowered men to raise their standards but also to engage other men.
• Gender intelligence is about men and women working and winning together. When we understand the how of it, it becomes really empowering.
• Home relationships are becoming much more important in the age of Covid-19. The research showed that the same themes came up in most situations where the genders are working at home.
• Stress has increased considerably across the board, especially for women. The challenges of communication have increased as well.
• Men and women deal with conflict differently, with women tending to internalize conflict and men externalizing it. As stress levels have increased, so have the incidences of conflict.
• Men and women are different, and by celebrating and honoring those differences we can do more together.
• When you feel valued and heard, your happiness goes up. The more you understand the other gender and how they communicate and operate, the happier and more productive your relationship.
• Several companies have implemented the research of gender intelligence and transformed their businesses in as little as 12 months. Understanding the differences in the genders in your personal life can allow you to become closer to people important to you. Learn and engage in the research and it will have a lasting positive impact on your life.
• Imagine if we created a world that was gender intelligent, where we valued boys and men and valued girls and women for who they were. It starts with you.