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. Women Lead the Way presents argument, research, and tactical guidance to help readers wedge the door open and bring more women through and up. The evidence from around the world validates the findings of the United Nations General Assembly in 1995, which set a baseline of at least 30 per cent 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 per cent 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. This book helps readers get started on a win-win women-led strategy to bring about the leadership balance we all need. You will learn how to do away with cultural baggage that boxes us in, 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
"Linda has produced the first seriously practical guide to stepping up to leadership. Her clear, concise, down to earth approach challenges us all to keep moving forward and leading the way. Any woman [or man] reading this book can be left in no doubt of what needs doing and more importantly, how to do it. A must read."
- Rt Hon Baroness Catherine Ashton, EU Trade Commissioner [the first woman British Commissioner and first woman Trade Commissioner].
'Straightforward, empathetic and balanced, this compelling guide tells the stories that women positively engaged in changing the world will recognise. Though American in background, the messages are international and well researched. From the time of Hypatia of Alexandria through to the present day, women like Linda Tarr-Whelan do make a difference. Let's listen."
- Dr Melissa Hardie, Director, The Hypatia Trust Honorary Fellow, Exeter University.
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
The story of how and why women's full participation in leadership matters is still seemingly a well-kept secret, "Women Lead the Way" presents tactical guidance to help readers wedge the door open and bring more women into leadership roles within companies.
Synopsis
Despite enormous gains made in the past decades, women continue to be woefully underrepresented in positions of power. This is a loss for everyone--important priorities are overlooked and organizations miss out on the range of talent and fresh insights that women can offer.
Entrepreneur, diplomat, nonprofit and government leader, nurse, and mom 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. Taking lessons from her own distinguished career and those of the extraordinary women she has known, she 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.
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