Synopses & Reviews
This is the story of how and why women’s full participation in leadership matters is still seemingly a well-kept secret. To have the future we all want, women must play a more robust role in setting priorities and allocating resources.
Evidence from around the world validates the findings of the United Nations General Assembly in 1995, which set a baseline of at least 30% women at the table as a prerequisite for genuine partnership and lasting, positive change in the international arena. We see the same phenomena in the business world. More women as corporate officers and members of boards of directors results in stronger financial performance. At 30% representation, we see concrete, positive outcomes for everyone – not just women -- including increased shareholder value, more flexible management approaches, a broader definition of success, and better bottom lines. More women at the table means more progress for all of us.
Get started on a win-win women-led strategy to bring about the leadership balance we all need. You will gain a clear understanding of how and why Women Lead the Way, and receive practical, road-tested tactics to help you and other women step up and into leadership.
Review
Women Lead the Way: Your Guide to Stepping up to Leadership and Changing the World
Linda Tarr-Whelan. Berrett-Koehler, $24.95 (240p) ISBN 9781605091358
A smart, illuminating work for women (and the men who work with them), this leadership self-help from prominent women’s issues scholar and advocate Tarr-Whelan presents a discussion of women’s leadership styles and roles rooted in theory, research, and a shining intellect, as well as thorough knowledge of the practicalities of the modern workplace. While some arguments are familiar (a future filled with women executives will benefit women and men alike), Tarr-Whelan also digs up men’s strategies worth paying attention to--for instance, fostering tomorrow’s leaders while climbing the career ladder yourself. Many of Tarr-Whelan’s ideas are surprisingly simple, and at times counter-intuitive, but she’s clear in her reasons for questioning studies that don’t disaggregate results by gender: revelations include women investors make fewer mistakes than males--less likely to make trades based on emotion, more likely to use the advice of experts. Tarr-Whelan also introduces useful vocabulary to encapsulate her ideas, including “womenomics” as a mainstream business issue, and “first women” as a vital peer group. Conversational and eye-opening, with many narrative illustrations and concrete advice, Tarr-Whelan’s text could prove an important volume for working women looking to advance and enrich their careers. (Oct.)
Review
“Tarr-Whelan encourages flexibility, willingness to mentor other women, and assertive drive to push for more women in leadership positions.”
-Vanessa Bush, Booklist
“The emphasis on truly changing organizational and societal norms (from donating money to charitable causes that share your goals to actively mentoring and hiring other women) is, in the end, what truly sets this title apart from other recent “women in business” titles.”
-Sarah Statz Cords, The Reader’s Advisor Online (for Library Journal)
Synopsis
A few "first women" are making key decisions in high places but a few is not enough to have a significant impact. Changing what gets decided takes changing who makes the decisions. But with just 17% of Congressional seats and 14% of Fortune 500 board seats held by women, the leaders defining priorities and solutions continue to look and act much the same as generations ago.
Linda Tarr-Whelan marshals eye-opening facts and figures to decisively dispel the myths that still hold women back and shows women how to build their confidence and skills to pioneer a distinctive approach to leadership, one that emphasizes collaboration, communication and consensus. The proven tipping point, surprisingly, is just 30%--when women's representation at the top reaches 30%, real change starts to happen. Drawing on her extraordinarily diverse background as a consultant, organizer, and diplomat, Tarr-Whelan offers a women-led strategy for change and a complete set of practical road-tested tools readers can use to become powerful partners in creating a better future in a rapidly changing world.
Closing the leadership gap is a win for everyone--it brings in new ideas, creates a more balanced and productive work environment, a revitalized social compact and demonstrable positive effects on the bottom line in business and government. Women Lead the Way artfully combines advocacy, research, and tactical guidance to help readers wedge the door open and bring more women through and up.
About the Author
Linda Tarr-Whelan is a premier expert on women’s leadership in this country and internationally and a distinguished fellow of the well-known national think-tank, DEMOS. Linda was a US delegate to the UN 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing, and her career path and networks stretch across the globe. She has also held leadership roles in business, nonprofit, and political organizations, including union organizer and negotiator, lead lobbyist for a two million-member teacher’s organization, Deputy Assistant to President Jimmy Carter, and a US Ambassador appointed by President Bill Clinton.
Foreword author Marie Wilson is founder and President of The White House Project, co-creator of Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work ® Day and author of Closing the Leadership Gap: Why Women Can and Must Help Run the World