Putting more women in charge is the key to a better future for business?

"Can women fix capitalism?" is the title of Joanna Bush's article in September's Mckinsey Insights. She imagines a future where women " replace capitalism's relentless push for ever-increasing short-term profits with long-term value for all stakeholders". But this isn't a sexist view because she aspires to something better "where men and women lead as equals delivering meaningful impact over the long-term".

However, she is propounding that the feminine archetypes of leadership could be the answer and in her research looks at women leaders who both love working at the top and have a life outside to help shape a new leadership approach that actually values feminine qualities. She calls this "centred leadership" and this it is what "centred leaders "do:

• lead from a core meaning by tapping into strengths and building shared purpose, with a long-term vision for positive impact
• reframe challenges as learning opportunities by shifting underlying mind-sets to replace reactive behaviour patterns
• leverage trust to create relationships, community and a strong sense of purpose
• mobilise others through hope,countering fears to take risks and act boldly on opportunities
• infuse positive energy and renewal through deliberate practice to sustain high performance.

 The research showed that these were the minimum factors for a distinctive leader and that the qualities resonated with men, The suggestion is that if centred leadership was embraced by both men and women it could be a game changer transforming business into more "conscious capitalism" with long term value and sustainability key. A new way of engendering ethical behaviours, fair treatment and trust.