Mayer glass ceiling

A big step was taken last year in the battle against the glass ceiling when Marisa Mayer was appointed as CEO of Google. It is significant in a number of ways including the fact that she is only 37 and Google is a hi-tech company. Today she announced that too much teleconferencing is bad for business even though her company is a big player in this method of communication. She said that talking on the phone isn’t nearly as good as meeting face to face when it comes to creative ideas. I bring this up because for most of my life I did not understand the value of small talk. I saw it as a waste of time. When I called someone on the phone I said what I called for and then hung up. What I didn’t grasp was what was being communicated between the words. People were developing emotional relations while talking about mundane everyday items of mutual interest. This bonding is what Ms. Mayer feels is important in creating an atmosphere of trust that leads to innovation and team work. I believe this is an example of the kind of change that women in high positions can bring to business. It promotes a desire to cooperate and share ideas in a relaxed setting. The productivity of good old boys sitting around the table can be increase with the addition of some good old girls.