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It's time for male leaders to not only ask for binders of qualified women, but to re-write the definition of 'qualified.' The best man for the job, may in fact, be a woman, whose biography is not traditional, but is rich with experiences and skills that are not necessarily learned either in school or on the job.
Madeleine M. Kunin
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Leaders should broaden their definition of qualification to include diverse experiences and skills, particularly those of women.

This quote emphasizes that leadership should not solely rely on traditional qualifications, which often exclude women and those with unconventional backgrounds. Instead, it calls for a reevaluation of what being 'qualified' truly means, advocating for the recognition of diverse experiences and skills that can contribute significantly to leadership roles.

Themes

LeadershipDiversityWomenQualificationsExperience

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about diversity and inclusion at a corporate event.

More from Madeleine M. Kunin

It's time for women to wake up, to use the power of the vote, to honor the suffragists who chained themselves to the White House fence so that women could vote.
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When women and men can shed an equal quantity of tears in public, that's when we'll have equal power.
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Any smart executive understands that to find the best talent she has to explore new territory that lies beyond familiar geography. That applies not only to gender, but also to race, religion, background and age.
Madeleine M. KuninRead
What works for a man, still does not work for a woman - both in terms of how they see themselves and how we see them.
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Legislative proposals that would enable an employer to determine whether or not a woman's insurance would cover the cost of birth control strikes women as particularly bizarre. Is the boss going to take care of the children that are conceived accidentally? Stop treating us like children. Women are grown ups.
Madeleine M. KuninRead
What some men don't understand is that by opposing policies to reduce violence, promote equal pay and universal healthcare and voting to limit access to contraception and legal abortion, they are relegating women to another century, a time when men ruled exclusively and women were considered property and had to be guided by a firm masculine hand.
Madeleine M. KuninRead

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