Rachel Wallis Andreasson is the coauthor of a new book, “The Sixth Level: Capitalize on the Power of Women’s Psychology for Sustainable Leadership.” Andreasson is the executive director of Congregation Temple Israel. The additional co-authors of the book are Stacy Feiner, Kathy Overbeke and Jack Harris.
What is the Sixth Level?
According the website thesixthlevel.com:
The Sixth Level advances leadership for all leaders. The Sixth Level model is derived from the narratives of 16 women leaders as seen through the lens of Self-in-Relation theory, which defines the psychology of women as oriented to connection and care. This model supersedes Maslow’s fifth level, self-actualization, which is based on men’s psychology and is consequently incomplete.
The Sixth Level model features four core differentiators, qualities that distinguish women’s leadership. These differentiators—mutuality, ingenuity, justness, and intrinsic motivation—redesign leadership. The differentiators promote a collective interest to create healthy social dynamics that, in turn, optimize business results. Women are naturally oriented to exhibit these differentiators, but they can be learned, just as dominance has been learned by women.
The four core differentiators expand the notion of leadership by highlighting qualities in women, long misinterpreted as weak, as essential strong leadership qualities. Finally, the command-and-control model can be left behind. Dominance will no longer be confused with leadership. For the first time, essential aspects of women’s social psychology are defined, reshaping a shared reality that improves the quality of human interaction and improves profitability and sustainability in business.
