Halla Tomasdottir: A feminine response to Iceland's financial crash

http://www.ted.com Halla Tomasdottir managed to take her company Audur Capital through the eye of the financial storm in Iceland by applying 5 traditionally "feminine" values to financial services. At TEDWomen, she talks about these values and the importance of balance.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/translate. Watch a highlight reel of the Top 10 TEDTalks at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10

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[Bumblybee256]

If you're so sure, why so defensive?

Generalising much?

[nemaspasa]

Men's values: saving money, fixing things, self sufficiency.

Women's values: shopping, shopping and more shopping.

So whose values are more unsustainable? 

[nemaspasa]

Icelandic women behave the same way men do so all this is just metaphysical bullshit. What happened in Iceland and around the world is cyclical crisis of capitalism. Not the first one, not the last one. It has been observed and explained by much, much more intelligent and analytical people than this idiot above which is as "feminine" as my toilet.

[Bumblybee256]

While it may be impossible to put 'values' into feminine and masculine categories I think she has a point about macho environments. She's talking about her values relative to what was going on at the time (testosterone-driven risk-taking). So while these values are not exclusively feminine, things like being aware of the emotional side and taking more notice of risks are indeed more associated with women. If you do get a difference with greater workplace diversity then what is your explanation?

[MithranArkanere]

That's not how logic work.

Just "because you say so" won't do.

If you find a man that has what you call female values despise their environment being against that, and a woman that doesn't have them despise being environment leaning towards them, then you can rule out gender.

I've found many, and so gender gets ruled out. One doesn't have those values for being female. They have them because they can think logically and rationally.

[MithranArkanere]

You should know my sisters.

Those are not female values, those are logical values.

If you've met only illogical males, don't generalize and include the rest with that bunch. Because illogical and ignorant males are the ones up there, and won't let logical people into positions of power, because logic would strip them from their power.

If you go all "male hater" all over the place, you only play right into their game.

[fitobcnfito]

excuse me, who wins? is this a competition? I thought we had to colaborate...

[bentothetenthpower]

@somethought

Right, because no group of men ever met to make a long term plan for the health and well-being of their progeny.

Please, do us all a favor, and re-think your position, perhaps come around to one that favors communication seeking consensus, rather than rhetoric causing division and strife.

Really, you would likely be happier, and more fulfilled, if you just dropped the prejudice.

Good luck,

Ben.

[bentothetenthpower]

Tasty.