Synopses & Reviews
“. . . smart and strategic, but savvy and saucy, too.”
— Cathie Black, Author of the New York Times bestseller Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life)
“This book is a KNOCKOUT! I have read my fair share of career/self-help books but have never read one like this. No pulled punches, just brilliant insight and advice. Emily’s enthusiasm and passion to get women really fired up to want to become their best selves infuses every page. A true game changer for women in business.”
— Janet Hanson, Founder, 85 Broads
“The stories and advice are so down-to-earth and relevant to the real-life circumstances we face as women in the business world. This is definitely a book I will recommend to the women I mentor.”
— Marie Artim, Vice-President of Talent Acquisition, Enterprise Rent-a-Car
“Women in business have so much going for us—but as Emily Bennington so clearly points out, we are often our own obstacles. With humor and reality on every page, this book is an education on how to be real with ourselves and how to move up in our careers—while truly owning the journey. ”
— Lisa Ashworth, Director of Human Resources, PepsiCo
“A refreshing blast of sound career advice from start to finish. Striking just the right tone with her experience, humor, and wisdom, Bennington gives you the confidence needed to think big and transform yourself via an easy-to-follow action plan.”
— Connie Blaszczyk, Managing Editor, Monster Resource Center
“This book is a roadmap for women who want to take control of their lives: not only to DO more in their careers, but to BE more fulfilled in the process.”
— Tory Johnson, CEO of Women for Hire and Good Morning America Workplace Contributor
“Emily offers rock-solid advice in a breezy and entertaining way. The practical assignments at the end of each chapter give readers actionable steps to take on the way to ruling in the corporate world.”
— Scherri Roberts, Senior Vice-President of Human Resources, Hearst Magazines
Review
“Thanks to business journalist Bennington, women now have an energetic, strong-minded guide to dodging the worst pitfalls of a corporate career.” --Publishers Weekly
Review
"As an educator, I appreciate the practitioner approach, witty, mildly caustic, and affable, with an educator’s heart in her latest offering." --The Voice of Job Seekers
Review
"Emily Bennington's Who Says It's A Man's World? is a great, easy-to-understand guide to navigating the office." --Chicago Now
Review
"I had one of the most enjoyable and enlightening plane rides in a really long time…and it had everything to do with reading Emily Bennington’s latest book..." --PeopleResults
Review
"What I like most about Bennington’s book is the focus on self first… Business is a game about people—like everything else in life—it all starts with you.” --Washington Post
Review
“…great deal of useful (and often refreshingly blunt) advice that specifically relates to how women can help themselves achieve the corporate success that has either eluded or been denied them.” --Accounting Today
Review
"Who Says It's a Man's World is the perfect guide for the current and aspiring professional women." --Kick Ass Book Reviews
Review
"This is an uplifting book, packed with stories and anecdotes from women in business along with lots of practical advice." --A Girl's Guide to Project Management
Review
“Like every wildly successful advice book, this one approaches a badly bruised and beaten topic with a fresh perspective.” --ProfessionGal
Review
"It may be serendipitous that Who Says It's a Man's World appeared the same time as Lean In….But Emily Bennington’s book is more fun to read.” --Blue Heron Journal
Review
"Bennington writes with a snappy and humorous style, which engaged me right from the beginning. She uses tons of real-life examples and quotes from executive career women. I love all the tools sprinkled throughout the book, and the action plan items are realistic and achievable. Read this book several times, take time to create the suggested action plan and then take action. This book is the tool you have been waiting for to set your career on the right path!" --Portland Book Review
Review
"This book is the tool you have been waiting for to set your career on the right path!" --Portland Book Review
Review
“...provides a real hands on workbook for women to take charge of their own careers to increase the likelihood of reaching a C-level position” --Blog Business World
Synopsis
The Atlantic magazine has called it the “end of men.” For the first time in U.S. history, women form the majority of the workforce, filling more managerial positions than their male counterparts. Today’s women are primed to take over the corporate world—if they don’t stumble on the way up.
Packed with insights from extraordinary women who have climbed the corporate ladder—including McDonald’s president Jan Fields, JetBlue cofounder Ann Rhoades, and fashion pioneer Liz Lange—Who Says It’s a Man’s World helps women navigate the rocky path from cubicle to executive suite. This ultra-practical guide offers an ideal “Success Profile” along with the measurable action steps needed to excel in each of five reputation-enhancing areas: personal development, social skills, effectiveness, team building, and leadership.
Complete with the latest research on women in the workplace and an eye-opening “promo ta bility” assessment, Who Says It’s a Man’s World provides readers with everything they need to build their own fast-track career plan.
Synopsis
The Atlantic magazine has called it the "end of men." For the first time in U.S. history, women form the majority of the workforce, filling more managerial positions than their male counterparts. Today's women are primed to take over the corporate world-if they don't stumble on the way up. Packed with insights from extraordinary women who have climbed the corporate ladder-including McDonald's president Jan Fields, JetBlue cofounder Ann Rhoades, and fashion pioneer Liz Lange-Who Says It's a Man's World helps women navigate the rocky path from cubicle to executive suite. This ultra-practical guide offers an ideal "Success Profile" along with the measurable action steps needed to excel in each of five reputation-enhancing areas: personal development, social skills, effectiveness, team building, and leadership. Complete with the latest research on women in the workplace and an eye-opening "promotability" assessment, Who Says It's a Man's World provides readers with everything they need to build their own fast-track career plan.
Synopsis
You’ve read all about the historic gains women have made in the workforce. You know we’re primed to level the corporate playing field.
Now…what does this mean for you?
The answer is: Absolutely nothing if you don’t know how to earn the respect and credibility it takes to see real traction in your career.
Good news. In Who Says It’s a Man’s World you’ll find the specific actions and answers you need to enter the executive suite, including:
• Measurable steps you can take to enhance your reputation in five key areas: self-awareness, social skills, personal effectiveness, team building, and leadership
• Eye-opening assessments that will help you identify your most effective actions, map out your personal career plan, and gauge your own promotability
• Career-planning templates, worksheets, and tools for applying the book’s lessons, including a “Leadership Readiness Assessment” and a list of “20 Things Every Career Woman Must Know”
• First-person narratives detailing lessons hard-learned by highly successful women executives, such as McDonald’s USA President Jan Fields, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch, and fashion pioneer Liz Lange
• “How to Handle It” sections that give you step-by-step guidelines for navigating tricky situations—like when a colleague dumps work on you, a boss is unresponsive, and when clients want way more than they’re paying for
With this no-nonsense approach to climbing the corporate ladder, you’ll not only learn how to “play the game” at work but how to win it on your own terms.
Emily Bennington is a career-transition consultant and has led employee development programs for numerous Fortune 500 companies. She has been featured as a career expert on CNN, ABC, and Fox Business, and quoted in publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, and Washington Post Express. Emily is a contributing writer for Monster.com, a featured blogger for Forbes Woman and Huffington Post, and coauthor of Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job. You can find her digital sandbox online at www.EmilyBennington.com.
About the Author
EMILY BENNINGTON is a frequent speaker on the topic of career success and has been featured on Fox Business, CNN, and ABC, and quoted in publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, and Washington Post Express. She is a contributing writer for Monster.com, a featured blogger for The Huffington Post, Forbes Woman, and US News and World Report, and coauthor of Effective Immediately.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
Foreword by Ann Rhoades, Founding Executive
of JetBlue Airways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XIII
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XV
Introduction: Ding, Dong! The Bitch Is Dead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
You Crafty Career Planner, You: How to Use This Book . . . . 6
PART ONE: CUT THE CRAP
Section 1: Self-Awareness
1 Getting Rid of the “Hob” on Your Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The Three Biggest Career-Killing Hobs
and How to Handle Them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Woman 2 Woman: Knowing Your Worth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2 If Busy Were the Indicator of Success,
We’d All Be Billionaires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3 Reining in the Mommy Guilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Sanity 101: Five Must-Have Tradeoffs
for Working Moms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Woman 2 Woman: On Parenting vs. and Career. . . . . . . . . . 29
4 Om the Job: How to Beat Stress and Anxiety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Keeping in Mind @ Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Action Plan: Self-Awareness Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Section 2: Social Skills
5 Indirect, Emotions, and Tears (Oh, My!) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Why Surveyed Women Preferred Male Bosses . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Attention Crybabies! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
6 Competition (Yeah, Let’s Talk About It) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Why Do Comparisons Trip Us Up So Much?. . . . . . . . . . . . 56
The Real C-Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
7 Seriously, Don’t Bring Sexy Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Woman 2 Woman: On Harassment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
How to Handle: Tricky Social Situations @ Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Action Plan: Social Skills Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
PART TWO: CALL IN THE GOOD STUFF
Section 3: Personal Effectiveness
8 Be More to Do More: Creating Your Virtues,
Intentions, and Goals (VIG) List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Virtues: Your Evergreen Self . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Intentions: Your Present Self. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Goals: Your Future Self . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
So . . .Now It’s Your Turn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
9 Building VIG-ilicious Habits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
VIG-ilicious Scorecard A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
VIG-ilicious Scorecard B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
10 Six Ways to Earn Respect Under the Corporate
Umbrella . . . and Seven Ways to Screw It Up Royally . . . . . . 99
Small Business versus Large Organizations:
Two Different Cultures, Two Different Games . . . . . . . 100
Woman 2 Woman: Owning Your Career. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
11 A Note to New Grads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Must-Have Skill #1: Communication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Must-Have Skill #2: Critical Thinking
and Problem Solving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Woman 2 Woman: Get the Job Before
You Get the Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
How to Handle: Tricky Service Situations @ Work. . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Action Plan: Personal Effectiveness Goals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Section 4: Team Development
12 Women Were Raised to Be Nice. So What? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
13 The Cure for Fake Harmony: 100 Coaching
Questions for Team Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
14 Solve the Freakin Problem! (Plus: Two Really
Simple Anger Management Techniques) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
When The Sh*t Hits the Fan—H.E.A.L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Woman 2 Woman: Managing Through
Turbulent Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
How to Handle: Tricky Team Situations @ Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Action Plan: Team Development Goals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
PART THREE: ALIGN WITH WHAT WORKS
Section 5: Leadership
15 Having Authority Is Like Having a Gun in Your Closet:
There If You Need It, but Hopefully You Won’t Have
to Pull the Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Leading from Where You Are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Meeting Other People Where They Are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
No Like-y? No Problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Influence Right Now. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Woman 2 Woman: Finding Your Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
16 That’s Great and All, but Nobody Knows Who You Are. . . . 184
What’s Your Worth?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
The Difference Between Mentors and Sponsors . . . . . . . . 188
Woman 2 Woman: On Networking. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
How to Handle: Tricky Leadership Situations @ Work . . . . . . . . 192
Action Plan: Leadership Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Section 6: Toolbox
Tool 1: Career Plan Template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Tool 2: Six-Month Check-In Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Tool 3: Personal Career Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Tool 4: Leadership Readiness Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Tool 5: 20 Things Every Career Woman Must Know . . . . . . . . . 211
Epilogue: The Glass Ceiling Is
Only There If You Think It Is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217