The G Quotient

Reviews / Votes

According to Snyder, whose book compiles the results of a five-year research project covering over 2,000 organizations and 3,500 professionals, openly gay male managers and executives offer a specific and effective model of leadership that he calls the G quotient, which accounts for a 25 to 30 percent higher level of job satisfaction and workplace morale among employees of gay managers. Snyder believes the gay experience teaches these managers to "place a greater emphasis on the individual value of their employees," and identifies seven qualities that gay executives bring to the workplace: inclusion, creativity, adaptability, connectivity, communication, intuition and collaboration. Snyder is perceptive and detailed in analyzing his research and discussing it with a slew of today's top gay business leaders, including a state senator, a college president, and top executives at Disney, PepsiCo and Morgan Stanley. Novel managing strategies, including "focusing on the process of work rather than the final product," "placing value on experiential learning" and "seeing inspiration as a manageable commodity," make this a practical business primer as well as a landmark study; managers looking for a fresh approach should pick this title up, as should those interested in the rising profile of gays in America. (Publishers Weekly Annex (starred review), June 2006)Snyder (Rossier Sch. of Education, Univ. of Southern California; Lavender Road To Success: The Career Guide for the Gay Community) here explores not only what it means to be a gay male executive but what it's like to work for such an individual. His provocative study clearly and impressively shows that employees working for gay bosses have higher rates of satisfaction, job commitment, and productivity. The secret? Snyder calls it The G Quotient, which measures seven components of executive leadership: "inclusion, creativity, adaptability, connectivity, communication, intuition and collaboration." While these are certainly not new business principles, they are apparently more consistently and creatively applied by the executives in Snyder's study. Snyder argues that "G Quotient leaders understand and value themselves," implying that they are better able to understand and value their employees. He even includes a few employee testimonials. While in no way implying that heterosexual male bosses do not also motivate their employees, Snyder's research strongly suggests that they might learn a thing or two about leadership from their gay colleagues. While some may find this a questionable subject for a business book, Snyder treats the material sensibly and seriously. Highly recommended for libraries with gay/lesbian studies or larger business collections.--Richard Drezen, Washington Post News Research, New York (Library Journal, June 2006)