Women’s broad-minded thinking a critical business advantage: CEO Ellen Moore

One of a woman’s many advantages in the business world is an ability to see issues broadly and to “look around corners,” according to Ellen Moore, president and CEO of Chubb Insurance Company of Canada.
“The woman’s thought process is a little bit more like radar, versus laser,” Moore said in a speech at the Toronto Insurance Women’s Association (TIWA) in Toronto on Jan. 19. “Radar for women, laser for men – both very important.”
She defined the “radar” capability as an ability to think broadly, contemplate options, look for compromises, and then “focus on two or three things,” she said, tongue in cheek.
She encouraged women to use their broad-minded thinking as an advantage in the workplace. She also urged women in the industry to be mindful, support webs of inclusion, respect the power of empathy, show humility and to set personal and professional boundaries.  
Through humour, Moore made it clear she was not saying men did not also share these traits. “There’s a joke out there, you’ve probably all heard it: what if it [the now-bankrupt Lehman Bros.] had actually been called Lehman Sisters?” Moore quipped, before turning serious once again. “But this is all about the promotion of talent that is innate in us [women].”
Women also need to be aware that each of these strengths could actually lead to difficulties in the workplace if “taken to the wrong degree,” she cautioned.
For example, thinking too broadly might actually lead to an absence of focus – a focus that is critical in being decisive and in making business decisions.
“You have to present,” Moore said, when talking about being mindful. “That’s where that guy focus is really an advantage.
“Try not to multi-task. It’s really hard, and we wear it as a badge of courage… And you know what? It should be worn as a badge of courage…. But what we miss by wearing multi-tasking as a badge of courage is that it fragments our attention from what’s really important in the moment. And it really diminishes our ability to contribute.”
Because men and women each bring their own strengths to the table, it is very important to have gender-diverse teams in order to problem-solve, Moore said.