What matters most? That was the question blogger and marketer Seth Godin put to 70 top thinkers.

Paco Underhill, CEO of Envirosell, responded “women.”

He wrote: “We live in a world that is owned by men, designed by men and managed by men, and yet we expect women to participate.
But did you know …

1. Women dominate higher education. Most college and university campuses across North America are 60-40 female.

2. Approximately 70% of all American females work outside the home, and women make up nearly 50% of the total workforce.

3. During the recent recession, 82% of job losses befell men, and mothers are the major breadwinners in 40% of American families.

What we have here is a failure to communicate

4. The earning power of women globally is expected to reach $18 trillion by 2014.”

Businesses failure to communicate

“If you’re a man running a business, and if the
power and influence females wield hasn’t completely registered on your radar, well, then, what we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.”

What I would’ve said? “If you’re a man running a business, and if you aren’t putting women in positions of power and influence, well, then, what we’ve got here is a failure to capitalize on our society’s most valuable, hardworking and intelligent resource.”

Underwill added: “If your store, restaurant, bank, hotel lobby, mall, or
other public space or amenity doesn’t acknowledge
the female factor; if it doesn’t invite women in and make them feel at home, at ease, safe, hygienic, respected and in control, if it doesn’t take into account what women want and expect (which is
different from what men want and expect), well, then, it’s bad business.” I agree.

I loved Godin’s book. It made me take time out to stop, pause, breathe …  to think about ideas and the future, and rise above the day to day grind of immediate work deadlines, family pressures and the ever pressing question of “What’s for dinner?”

You can download the PDF of What Matters Most here.

Info:Paco Underhill is the CEO of Envirosell and author of Why We Buy and soon to be published What Women Want.