Tomorrow is the 100^th Anniversary of International Women’s Day, when literally thousands of events will be held around the world to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women.  Over the next few days, people far more knowledgeable than I will discuss women’s accomplishments and challenges ahead.  That’s not what this post is about.

I just want to make one point:  Women don’t rule the world.  They’re still in the minority in business, government, science and academia.  But if more women did rule, the world might be happier, healthier and more fulfilled.  This is not a feminist or political statement; it’s based on women’s unique skills, and how they are programmed to act.

Most women today, despite their out-of-home responsibilities, are the CEOs, CMOs (chief medical officer) and in some cases CFOs (chief financial officer) of their families and their households. Consider some of women’s everyday responsibilities that make them well suited for leadership:

• Management:  Few would debate that women rule the roost in virtually every way. This is most evident in women’s economic power:  they make 85% of all purchase decisions – everything from homes to cars to vacations, according to She-conomy.
• Health decision making:  Women excel in managing their family’s health.  They have superior skills in processing complicated health information, considering both the rational and emotional implications, and then making reasoned decisions about what to do.   “Women seem to know instinctively what to do when health is on the line,” Dr. Mehmet Oz asserted in a Time magazine article last year.
• Consensus building:  Women naturally seek cooperation and consensus when faced with conflict, a point that sociolinguist Deborah Tannen makes in her book, You Just Don’t Understand.  This may not guarantee world peace, but I can think of a few countries and corporations where that skill might come in handy.
• Forgiveness:  You can debate the pros and cons of this as a leadership skill, but according to a recent Spanish study, women are better at it.  All things considered, I think forgiveness trumps blame or anger.
• High performance:  Women outperform men in government, according to a new study, perhaps because the bar is higher for them to get elected in the first place.

I could go on about this, but I think I’ve made my point.  Women have skills that make their families flourish.  These are skills that also make great leaders.  As we celebrate women, let’s keep that in mind the next time you have a say in whether a women breaks through a glass ceiling.

At MMC we’re proud that 10 of our 12 top executives are women and we’re honored to be a certified woman-owned business by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).