Well, there is no doubt that the issue raised about the lack of women in the Davenport list of "Management Gurus" has struck a chord.  Tom Davenport himself talked about this in his most recent blog (http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/davenport/2008/05/the_dearth_of_female_managemen.html).  In his blog, Tom considers a few women who might have been candidates for the list, some academics and some from different areas of life, and suggests reasons why they aren't there.   That having to be alive part was a tough one.  However, the most interesting part of his blog are his Rules on How to Become a Management Guru.  Here is my summary version of his rules but please check them out for yourself. 

1)      Be old.  Ooops, not old but in the field for a couple of decades.    Take-away conclusion - Impact takes time.  (Is this one from the U.S. Presidential race?)

2)      Write a huge best-seller.  Ok, we're all trying to figure that one out.  The women who have had the most success at this are largely from "outside the field."

3)      Have a regular outlet for your writing.   Makes sense to me.

4)      Don't be a second author.   So the strategy has to be about how to be that first author (see Rule #1)

5)      Be in the U.S.  We'll see how this holds for 2012 (the possible next list?)

6)      Pick "broad, sweeping topics."  And we're back to impact again.

Tom closes by asking if women can pull this off.    Another question is whether women want to or if there is a different kind of "impact" list that would matter even more.

Patti