The G Quotient

The G Quotient identifies a management phenomenon that will change the way people view their professional roles in the workplace. Based on a landmark five-year study, The G Quotient redefines successful leadership for all managers. Organizations and working units under the leadership of white-collar gay males are collectively experiencing 35 percent higher levels of employee engagement, job satisfaction, and workplace morale in addition to reporting greater employer loyalty and individual productivity. It is proof that today’s employees are responding to a new type of organizational leader.

Preface v

Introduction: What Is the G Quotient? xi

Part One: The Seven Principles of G Quotient Leadership 1

1. Principle One: Inclusion 3

2. Principle Two: Creativity 21

3. Principle Three: Adaptability 35

4. Principle Four: Connectivity 47

5. Principle Five: Communication 59

6. Principle Six: Intuition 73

7. Principle Seven: Collaboration 85

Part Two: G Quotient Leadership Is Built to Last 99

8. Why G Quotient Leadership Works 101

9. Ten Things Every Manager Needs to Know About G Quotient Leadership 119

10. Why Making a Difference Makes a Difference 137

11. Why G Quotient Leadership Creates a Twenty-First-Century Advantage 149

Appendix A What's Your GQ? The G Quotient Assessment 161

Appendix B Research Overview 169

Appendix C Assessment Research 173

Appendix D Employee Survey: Employees Reporting to Gay Managers 183

Notes 187

Acknowledgments 197

The Author 199

Index 201

Kirk Snyder is nationally recognized as an authority on the role of work in contemporary society. He teaches at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business and is the president of Equality Career Group. His work has received widespread attention in the media, including The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, and the Advocate. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book Lavender Road to Success. What Do Managers from Barclay's Bank, Citicorp, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Disney, Ernst & Young, General Electric, and Morgan Stanley Know About The G Quotient?

Kirk Snyder's new book, The G Quotient, is based on a five-year study into the beliefs and behaviors of more than three thousand managers and employees across major economic sectors. The result is the identification of a new paradigm for successful business leadership that is generating unparalleled levels of employee engagement, job satisfaction, and workplace morale from Fortune 500 companies to entrepreneurial enterprises in all types of fields and industries.

Chronicling the dramatic changes of the new world of work, Snyder explains why employees of gay executives are responding to a new ethos of business leadership with record high levels of job commitment. The G Quotient provides all managers, whether managing teams of a few or a few thousand, with vital information and insight about fully engaging the strengths and talents of today's workforce.

The G Quotient—Named to Harvard Business Review's 2006 Reading List

"The G Quotient is a clarion call to all leaders wanting to successfully lead others and build winning twenty-first-century organizations. It is a call to authenticity, to presence, and to leading by being fully human."
—Andrew Fenniman, principal, The Exetor Group, LLC

"The G Quotient is for any executive, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, because Snyder's insights will help to improve everyone's leadership skills. It's a must-read not only for those interested in diversity issues but also for anyone who seeks to understand the secret of successful executive leadership in today's rapidly changing workplace."
—Kevin Jennings, founder and executive director, GLSEN