Every CEO recognizes the importance of winning buy-in for his or her vision from the board, executive committee, employees, and other critical groups, but in a high-stakes, high-pressure environment, many do a poor job of it.

FORBES: Every CEO Needs an Executive Listener

Vinnicombe adds that she has found anecdotal evidence that a number of senior women in the British banking sector have chosen to leave their jobs, rather than work in a "high pressure, highly controlling" work environment brought about by the economic crisis.

CNN: Study: Women overlooked for promotion in recession

Solid-fuel reactors are atomic pressure cookers, with the constant danger of high-pressure ruptures, meltdowns, and the forceful ejection of radioactive material into the environment.

FORBES: UK Parliament Group to Study Thorium Reactors