The One Trait Successful Managers Have In Common

Successful managers have a visceral dose of empathy for those they lead.

That's according to John Gerzema, businessman and co-author of The Athena Doctrine: How Women (and the Men Who Think Like Them) Will Rule the Future, who spoke to HuffPost Rise's Cat Greenleaf at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Friday.

As an example, Gerzema pointed to MIT's AgeLab project AGNES  (Age Gain Now Empathy System), an apparatus that is something like a hockey guard's uniform. When worn, it simulates the effects of aging by making your joints hurt and dulling your eyesight. AGNES is used by designers who create products for the elderly. It quite literally puts otherwise young and able designers in the elderly's shoes.

"You can think about innovation in new ways if you are thinking more from feminine values and if you're thinking more empathic," Gerzema said.

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• Why Monitoring Workers Could End Up Backfiring

• The Woman Who Most Inspires Melinda Gates

• Finance Industry's 'Macho Attitude' About Sleep Has Serious Consequences

• The Incredible Things Your Brain Does While You're Sleeping