When I am reading a book, some quotes just jump out at me. Like this one, from Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, in their new book The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance—What Women Should Know:

Women, for example, according to years of corporate research, tend to have other priorities beyond profit and earnings and their own place in a hierarchy. They are often more concerned with the morale of workers and the company’s mission, for example.

I’m not (totally) naïve. A company has to make a profit. But is it possible that the drive to make an ever-bigger profit can sometimes lead to practices that are bad for the morale of the people, and ultimately, bad for the people in a number of ways? The answer, of course, is yes.

I am well into The Confidence Code, the second book from Claire Shipman and Katty Kay, and it deals with a number of issues related to a person’s self-worth, which impacts a person’s self-assurance and self-confidence.

But this quote reminds me – a company dominated with only men at the top positions may have a tendency to ignore the human needs of its workers.

In other words, there are probably a lot of good reasons to try to have more women in top positions, and the morale and care of the workers is another one to add to the list.

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I will present my synapsis of The Confidence Code at the June 6, 2014 First Friday Book Synopsis.

For a great article, with plenty from the book, check out The Confidence Gap, from The Atlanitc.  (This is the cover article from this month’s print version of The Atlantic).