BOOKS IN THE PINK
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Books in the PINK
Ahead of the Curve: Nine Simple Ways to Create Wealth by Spotting Trends
Investment success involves paying closer attention to your kids, gabbing with your girlfriends, watching E! and even shopping, says Hilary Kramer, AOL financial editor and author of Ahead of the Curve (Free Press, October 2007). Kramer offers timely tips for investing in the stock market, including look ing for hints in your everyday life. For example, instead of investing in corn, a key ingredient of ethanol and a current trend, an ahead-of-thecurve investor might buy stock in John Deere, the tractor company whose sales will likely increase with the rise in corn demand. Kramer also advises observing the demand for products around you, including toys your kids want and accessories both your friends and celebrities are buying.
Whitney Homans
The Art of War for Women
Chin-Ning Chu, an expert on Sun Tzu's ancient Art of War, has taken the principles of the famously enigmatic text and applied them to modern business with The Art of War for Women (Doubleday, March 2007). She begins with an overview of Sun Tzu's elements of strategy – the five tactics that govern success, including Tao (righteousness), Tien (timing) and Di (resources). Perceptiveness lies at the heart of Chu's advice and comes through inmantras such as "business is war, and our competitors are our opponents." She tailors her message to women, pairing modern-day examples with Taoist advice on improving personal timing or leadership. For instance, Jiang (true leadership) is all about attitude: If you can't handle the pain of setbacks, don't take on leadership. And she adds: "Until you have convinced the world you are worthy, don't expect to be given much responsibility."
Sarah Dowdey
Awake at Work
After attending a Buddhist seminary, Michael Carroll was determined to devote his life to spiritual study. But instead, he found himself seeking the spiritual path in the middle of Wall Street. In Awake at Work (Shambhala, February 2006), Carroll writes, "In our impatience to succeed and be come better, faster and more profitable, we overlook the fact that work, with all its pressures and problems, is encouraging us to be engaged, resourceful and alive."
Using 35 Buddhist principles, such as "be humble while ambitious," Carroll describes the balance between motivation and blind ambition. He defines humility as a combination of patience and attention to detail. Carroll suggests treating work like a journey, knowing the direction you are headed, respecting where you are and remembering what it took to get there.
Bre Edmonds
Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life)
Using anecdotes from her days at Ms. and USA Today, as well as her current tenure as president of Hearst Magazines, Cathie Black offers her keys to success and "Black & White" business tips in Basic Black(Crown Publishing, October 2007). During her first year at Hearst, Black got tired of hearing the phrase "We've tried that already" in response to her ideas, so she started charging $10 whenever someone said it. "Finally," she writes, "everyone learned to reframe that particular debate" to discuss why the previous idea had failed and what they could learn. Another lesson from her earlier days: Black was so excited to be offered the position of USA Today president that she forgot to ask who did not report to her, which caused problems later on. (Visit pinkmagazine.com to read our recent interview with Black about her book.)
Bari Lieberman
Be Happy at Work: 100 Women Who Love Their Jobs, and Why
It's what we all want. PINK writer and author Joanne Gordon tells how in Be Happy at Work (Ballantine, 2005). From interviews with interesting women – from key execs with major corporations like Gap, Estee Lauder, GE, and JPMorgan Chase to the Indigo Girls and Lesley Stahl. Asked how she stays happy while running a multibillion-dollar company, Shelly Lazarus, chairman and CEO of Oglivy & Mather Worldwide, says "That phrase still goes through my head about once a week: What's the worst that could happen? That philosophy has a lot to do with who I am. I never had huge ambitions, and I certainly never expected to have this much fun."
The Big Moo
"Most organizations are stuck in a rut, petrified that growth means change, change means risk and risk could mean death," explains Seth Godin, editor of The Big Moo (Portfolio, 2005). "Nobody wants to screw up and ruin a good thing, so the organization just sits there, motionless." Godin has assembled 33 of the world's most important business thinkers – including Chris Meyer, Malcolm Gladwell, Tom Peters and Robin Williams – to demonstrate how to "remarkablize your organization." Contributors use personal and historical anecdotes, lists, poetry and even jokes to drive home their secrets to success: "Those who fit in now won't stand out later"; "too often in the business world, we preserve and revere experience when we should be challenging and renewing it"; "failure is an option", and "if it feels safe, it certainly isn't" are just some of the insights. In today's market, where everything is "bigger and better," companies must "stop trying to be perfect and start being remarkable." All royalties benefit charity.
Taylor Mallory
The Breakthrough Company: How Everyday Companies Become Extraordinary Performers
Every large corporation started as a struggling business, but author Keith McFarland couldn't find a book explaining how they advanced from this early stage. So he wrote his own: The Breakthrough Company: How Everyday Companies Become Extraordinary Performers (Crown Business, January 2008). McFarland's research led him to eight principles, including "crowning the company," whereby leaders put the firm's interests above their own, and "navigating the Business Bermuda Triangle," crucial for surviving. When football legend Roger Staubach nationalized his commercial real estate business, he "crowned the company" by allowing agents to run their own offices as entrepreneurial enterprises under the Staubach name. And telecom company ADTRAN avoided the "Triangle" by encouraging customers to talk directly to its engineers rather than inserting layers of management.
Grace Kim
Coaching, Counseling and Mentoring: How to Choose and Use the Right Technique to Boost Employee Performance
What's the difference between coaching, counseling and mentoring? According to author Florence M. Stone, coaching is continually developing employee performance; counseling is one-on one communication with poor performers; and mentoring is helping top performers with career development. In the new edition of her book Coaching, Counseling and Mentoring (AMACOM, February 2007), Stone offers real-life solutions to common situations, such as dealing with unmotivated employees. When an employee has trouble completing a task, the typical manager assumes the person knows the problem and can solve it. But initial directions may have been inadequately conveyed. Before counseling a problem employee, a manager must ask herself: Is it worth it? "You can't become such a nurturing manager that you fail to get the job done," Stone writes.
Ashley Pier
The Corporate Dominatrix: Six Roles to Play to Get Your Way at Work
With advice as sharp and snappy as a black leather whip, The Corporate Dominatrix (Simon Spotlight Entertainment, April 2007) will have businesswomen discovering their inner dominatrix in no time. Author Lisa Robyn shows how the balance between submission and dominance is just as imperative to a businesswoman as it is to a dominatrix. She defines six distinct roles: the Amazon, the Nurse, the Schoolgirl, the Governess, the Goddess and the Queen. Do you like to call the shots rather than take orders? If so, your Queen side is well-polished. Would you rather be strategically submissive to authority? Then you may enjoy being a Schoolgirl. Each role can be useful in various business situations, such as tuning in to your Amazon side (that refuses to admit defeat) if a proposal is shot down.
Ashley Pier
Death to All Sacred Cows
Death to All Sacred Cows (Hyperion, March 2008) uses satirical comedy and real-life examples to refute well-worn business maxims. Authors David Bernstein, Beau Fraser and Bill Schwab, ad executives for a multimillion-dollar enterprise, play devil's advocates to every imaginable "sacred cow," which they define as the act of blindly doing things because of traditionally imposed ethics. For instance, it's common to only hire someone who has done the job before. The authors beg to differ: A person with mounds of experience may be safe, but is experience more valuable than ingenuity and initiative? As for "the customer is always right," they note that focusing exclusively on the "wonderfulness of your customer can alienate and demoralize your employees." They quote Gordon Bethune, who turned around Continental Airlines: "You can't treat your employees like serfs. You have to value them."
Valencia Wicker
The Dictionary of Corporate Bullshit
In this take on office politics, The Dictionary of Corporate Bullshit (Broadway Books, 2006), author Lois Beckwith offers a Webster's-like guide to the corporate world. For instance, the term "administrative assistant" is redefined as "people not to be called secretaries." "Depending on how long they've been around or the status of the exec they support, they might make a lot more money than you do," writes Beckwith, who also defines pastimes and catchphrases. Casual Friday, for example, is "a gratuitous display of horrid fashion expressed in an ocean of pleated khakis, cutoff jean shorts, flip-flops, and anything terry cloth or spandex." TGIF (Thank God It's Friday) is actually a "mind-numbingly obvious statement from the catalog of office small talk spoken to those you really have nothing to say to."
Wendy Roberts
The Disgruntled Employee
Where there's business, there will be unhappy employees. In his book The Disgruntled Employee (Adams Business, August 2008), "business shrink" Peter Morris suggests these employees often have deeper psychological issues, such as a bad breakup or career dissatisfaction, driving their disgruntlement. Sometimes an issue can be solved by communication alone, such as putting expectations in writing. He cites the example of a new office manager who is expected to get your lunch, though she wasn't told in advance. "To you, it's just an expectation, but to [her] it's an insulting … imposition on [her] professionalism." Other ways to handle errant employees: Tell them exactly what behaviors are problematic; establish appropriate avenues for "venting," like a peer meeting; and give lots of encouragement to those who feel stressed out. Morris advises never to allow problems to fester. The longer they're avoided, the worse they'll become.
Casey Childers
Don't Keep Me a Secret
Want to spend less time selling but make more money? You can by establishing a strong referral-based business, says author Bill Cates in Don't Keep Me a Secret (McGraw-Hill, September 2007). Being committed to building referrals and overcoming the fear of asking for them are two crucial steps. That's because 60 percent of your clients will consider referring you to others, but only if you ask. One tip is to keep a referral "prop" on your desk during client meetings to act as a reminder. At other times, you can stay fresh in clients' minds by making "good news calls," such as letting a client know her order is coming on schedule, and by holding client appreciation events. If you take a client and a couple of her friends out for a birthday lunch, for example, she'll likely repay the favor soon after with some good word of mouth.
Bari Lieberman
Don't Retire, Rewire!
Retirement traditionally meant a gradual retreat from the center of society, but according to Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miners, authors of Don't Retire, Rewire! (Alpha, November 2007), such a withdrawal is unnecessary. Before declaring retirement, plan what you'll do once you've stopped working and consider why you want to retire now. Many people retire just because they don't like their current job, which can quickly lead to boredom, stress and even depression. Some, for example, plan their entire lives around moving to exotic locations upon retirement, only to miss familiar activities and people so much that they return home within a couple of years. During retirement, stay active by doing something you love, the authors advise — which includes developing interests you've neglected and forging connections with old and new acquaintances. The key is not to lose energy but to redirect it.
Whitney Homans
The Etiquette Advantage in Business: Personal Skills for Professional Success
In The Etiquette Advantage in Business (HarperResource, 2005), great-granddaughter-in-law, Peggy Post and Peter Post, great-grandson of celebrated etiquette expert Emily Post, go far beyond manners tips. In this, the book's second edition, the Posts dispense a wide range of advice, from how to handle an unwanted office flirtation (they suggest a polite rebuff, such as, "Really, Dan / Donna, there's no chance of our going out") to how to manage a screaming boss (combat the abusive behavior with group action and documentation). Among the more unusual advice: It is acceptable to invite a co-worker in a wheelchair to "go for a walk," or to say to a blind co-worker, "See what I mean?"
Nicole Cridland
Fired!
When comedienne Annabelle Gurwitch, host of TBS's "Dinner and a Movie," was fired by her idol, Woody Allen (who said, "You look retarded"), she didn't get mad; she got inspired. For Fired! (Touchstone, 2006), Gurwitch solicited the help of her funny friends, whose tales of dismissal eased her pain. Felicity Huffman learned from a newspaper review that she'd been replaced in a Neil Simon play. Being canned from a morning show freed Bob Saget to accept the role he'd been offered on "Full House." And when Tim Allen turned down a club manager position fearing it would interfere with college, the new manager fired him for being "too popular." Gurwitch and friends prove that getting fired can be a blessing in disguise.
Taylor Mallory
Flying Solo: How to Go It Alone in Business
This is the "soloists' century," according to Robert Gerrish and Sam Leader, authors of Flying Solo: How to Go It Alone in Business (Allen & Unwin, May 2006). Of all businesses today in the U.S. and U.K., two-thirds are solo ventures. Think you have what it takes to go solo? Soloists are fearless doers who love what they do, hold themselves accountable, cherish their independence, have their priorities right, are good with money, keep their cool and "can … because they think they can," the authors say. Flying Solo encourages would-be entrepreneurs to ignore "old assumptions" – small businesses fail, you must work long hours, suits are imperative,work must happen in an office, you shouldn't expect to enjoy your job – and teaches how to "adopt an attitude of success." The advice: "Develop a game plan … spread the word" and "keep on track."
Taylor Mallory
Get Ahead by Going Abroad
As part of a growing trend, women executives are advancing their careers by working abroad. In Get Ahead by Going Abroad (HarperCollins, September 2007), authors C. Perry Yeatman and Stacie Nevadomski Berdan, along with featured expatriates, reveal how they developed crucial skills like adaptability and managing across cultures and time zones — all of which enhanced their business success back home. After requesting a transfer to Geneva, DuPont's Diane Gulyas built relationships with plant managers and senior manufacturing executives during her four-year stint in Switzerland and Belgium. Well-versed in manufacturing and management, she returned to the company's Delaware headquarters as group vice president of DuPont Performance Materials. The hardest part of launching a career abroad, according to the authors, is landing an international assignment. You can increase your chances by volunteering for a global project.
Angela Boey
The Girl's Guide to Starting Your Own Business: Candid Advice, Frank Talk, and True Stories for the Successful Entrepreneur
The Girl's Guide to Starting Your Own Business (HarperCollins, 2004) offers a sounding board for women interested in starting a business. Don't be fooled by the cutesy title. Coauthors Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio, also co-owners of New York's YC Media, combine firsthand experience and interviews with some of the nation's best-known women business owners. This book's overriding message: Collaborate with like-minded and competent contractors and branding partners. "Aligning yourself with another small business of quality can enhance your corporate identity, build word of mouth and save on precious marketing dollars," they emphasize. Another suggestion is to find a business mentor. Don't have one yet? The website for the Women's Network For Entrepreneurial Training (sba.gov/womeninbusiness) is one resource they recommend to help women succeed.
Tiffany J. Davis
Going Gray
Can the decision to skip the salon negatively impact your career? In Going Gray (Little, Brown and Co., September 2007), Anne Kreamer discovers what people truly think about women who embrace their salt-and-pepper hair. Surprisingly, while most men seem to find her grayhaired profile on match.com more attractive than her brunette profile, some consultants openly acknowledge that she may be passed over for jobs because she looks too old. One headhunter tells her that of the 100 employer clients she does searches for, not a single woman has gray hair. Ironically, Kreamer's personal survey shows that while 35 percent of women admit being worried that gray hair makes them unsexy, only 19 percent worry about it blunting their "career edge." In the end, Kreamer herself decides to stop dyeing her hair, dropping, she writes, "the baggage of forever-young anxieties, jettisoning a uniform I no longer feel like wearing."
Meg Suggs
Good Is Not Enough: And Other Unwritten Rules for Minority Professionals
Using the advice of minority CEOs and industry leaders, plus anecdotes from his own corporate experience as a Pitney Bowes division president, Keith R. Wyche gives minorities the keys to advancing toward senior management in Good Is Not Enough (Portfolio/Penguin Group, July 2008). Wyche quotes American Express CEO Ken Chenault, who encourages people of color to use to their advantage the fact that they stand out in the corporate world. Minority women in particular should become more active in corporate events, as they often find themselves outside the business networks that white men and women exploit for advancement. Wyche also advises minorities to request an annual "skip level" meeting with the boss's boss. A formal conversation with this senior leader is an excellent opportunity to "toot your own horn." Just make sure to inform your immediate boss first to avoid any conflict.
Aisha Mickens
Great Taste: Fresh, Simple Recipes for Eating and Living Well
Evelyn Lauder, a senior vice president of the cosmetics giant Estée Lauder, which had $6.3 billion in revenue last year, has compiled more than 100 of her favorite family recipes for In Great Taste (Rodale Books, September 2006). Lauder writes that breakfast should include small amounts of food rich in nutrients (like fruit and whole wheat), while lunch can be energizing and dinner, light on the digestion but deeply satisfying. Recipes vary from smoothies to salmon mousse to caviar and potato tartlets. A longtime women's health advocate, Lauder, who attributes her energy and stamina to her home cooking, plans to donate the royalties from the book to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Caroline Duncan
Happier
For those in agreement with Mark Twain that "Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination," help is on the way. In Happier (McGraw-Hill, May 2007), Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D., provides strategies for finding more satisfaction in life. "A human being, like a business, makes profits and suffers losses," says the Harvard lecturer, who teaches a popular course on happiness. For humans, the ultimate currency is not mon ey, but happiness. One way to achieve it is through the process of MPS (meaning, pleasure, strengths). By mapping out these three areas, you learn what job is best for you based on personal characteristics that overlap from all three categories. And whether you view your work as a job, a career or a calling can have a huge impact on your ultimate satisfaction.
Meg Suggs
How to Run Your Business Like a Girl: Successful Strategies from Entrepreneurial Women Who Made It Happen
Does an entrepreneurial woman run her company differently from her male counterpart? In her book How to Run Your Business Like a Girl: Successful Strategies from Entrepreneurial Women Who Made It Happen (Adams Media, 2005), Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin says women play by their own rules when starting businesses, since they do not feel the same pressure as men to run things the standard way. Drawing from her own experience and that of other successful female entrepreneurs, Baskin answers such questions as, "Can you be the boss without being a bitch?" (Yes! To avoid putting yourself in the bad cop role, gather people whose talent you respect and whom you genuinely like, she says.)
Taylor Mallory
How We Lead Matters: Reflections on a Life of Leadership
"Women can actually come pretty close to having it all, but you just can't have it all every day," writes Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Carlson Cos. chairman and CEO, in How We Lead Matters (McGraw-Hill, September 2008). Nelson recalls her sometimes conflicting roles of mother and businesswoman as she struggled to prove to her father that she could run the family company as well as any man – and still be a good parent. Given her own struggle, Nelson admits that she could've done more to level the playing field, but, "I just didn't focus a lot on the fact that I was often the only woman in the room." Today Nelson is the leader of a global corporation where 40 percent of the executives are women, and she says she's more determined than ever to bring equality and diversity into the workplace.
Aisha Mickens
The Imperfect Mom
Therese Borchard was a "closet perfectionist mom" until she confessed in a magazine to having allowed a friend's toddler to fall into deep, icy water. Afterward, women everywhere confessed to her their maternal transgressions big and small, which she gathered for The Imperfect Mom (Broadway Books, April 2006), hoping to "shed the unnecessary weight shouldered by most moms." While one mother worries that her decision to return to work "created a son with special needs," another learns to be "assertively imperfect" – teaching her children to be more self-serving. This after her daughter, for whom she was "unfailingly attentive, supportive, patient and encouraging," turned into "a total monster." Ultimately the book proves that no two parents are the same and you can't possibly be perfect – just "perfect enough."
Taylor Mallory
Instinct: Tapping Your Entrepreneurial DNA to Achieve Your Business Goals
Instinct by Thomas L. Harrison (Warner Books, 2005) offers success tips that work whether you're a corporate CEO or launching a small business. Harrison, chairman and CEO of Diversified Agency Services, Omnicom Group Inc., shows you can be successful even if you "got shortchanged in the genetic lottery. But only if you know how to make up for what you may not possess." He uses case studies of entrepreneurs such as Kay Koplovitz, who founded the USA Network, becoming the first woman to head a television network. Harrison says for born entrepreneurs, "pleasure comes from winning. We get high on overcoming roadblocks." And such individuals are not afraid of risk. They have "risk blindness. Risk doesn't feel like risk; it just feels like the way the world works." He says the secret to success isn't just being smart and ambitious. For those who move from one success to another, "It's a drive to do more, to want more, to try more."
Tiffany J. Davis
Keep Them On Your Side
In Keep Them on Your Side: Leading and Managing for Momentum (Platinum Press, October 2006), Samuel B. Bacharach shows how to maintain per sonal connections to accomplish your long-term goals. He writes that leadership starts with com municating a vision and winning people over. Bacharach adds that the second part of being a good leader is sustaining the momentum need ed to turn your vision into a final product. He offers suggestions such as make sure people operate as problem-solvers rather than executers of specific tasks."
Bacharach cites Diane Keller, chief sales officer of Specialty Beverages, as a prime example of leading with momentum. Keller led her team to success when she centralized sales budgeting in her Chicago office, scripted sales scenarios, and had reps videotaped and coached.
Billie Rampley
Latin Chic: Entertaining with Style and Sass
Latin Chic (Harper Collins, 2005), a new title by journalists Carolina Buia and Isabel C. Gonzalez, takes the reader on an international culinary and cultural tour. Among 10 different parties, the authors play host to a bevy of Latin chic friends in places like Cuernavaca, the Hollywood Hills and the Argentine Pampas. Each exquisitely photographed chapter mixes up a menu of cocktails and dishes from across Latin America. Standouts include a Cuban kumquat mojito, a Chilean avocado butter and an Ecuadorian shrimp ceviche. There is also a primer on Latin wines and etiquette information (such as the proper way to smoke a cigar). "This book appeals to both Latins and non-Latins alike," Gonzalez says. "It's a reflection of how Carolina and I entertain."
Tiffany J. Davis
Latino Boom! Everything You Need to Know to Grow Your Business in the U.S. Hispanic Market
America's largest minority group, Latinos, spent $686 billion in 2004 and is projected to spend $992 billion in 2009. Still, most companies fail to effectively reach these important consumers. In Latino Boom! (Ballantine Books, 2005), author Chiqui Cartagena lists 10 mistakes to avoid, including: Do not make assumptions that Latinos are poor, uneducated and unwilling to communicate in English; do not enter the Latino market without making a commitment; don't be fooled by the surname when hiring Latino experts; and don't assume you know who is a Latino celebrity. Latino Boom! advises marketers to focus on diversity. "Stop thinking about everything in terms of black and white," because "in the end, isn't green the only color that really matters in business?"
Taylor Mallory
A Life in Balance
According to PINK contributor Kathleen Hall, Ph.D., "the single greatest threat to our lives is our lifestyle." In her new book, A Life in Balance (AMACOM, January 2006), she explains how to find balance and purpose – and prevent or minimize the dis-eases caused by chronic stress – in our busy lives by nourishing the four roots of true happiness: serenity, exercise, love and food. For each root, Hall outlines the incredible health benefits and how to achieve each goal. For serenity – which is "essential to the life of your body, mind and soul" – Hall walks readers through meditation, deep breathing, prayer, journaling and gratitude. She also explains why diets fail, teaches healthy eating practices and lists essential foods that prevent disease and retard aging, including fish, broccoli, blueberries, strawberries, green and black tea, and tomatoes.
Taylor Mallory
Lipstick Jungle
Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell's latest novel, Lipstick Jungle (Hyperion, 2007), out in paperback in August, profiles three powerful career women's struggles to be successful at work and life. Fashion designer Victory Ford fights to succeed; movie exec Wendy Healy's mother tells her how men should make more money than their wives; and magazine editor Nico O'Neilly works to become CEO while her marriage loses its lust. A la Carrie and the girls, these women's supportive relationships with one another are imperative to their success. Bushnell writes, "It was only with women that you could be really vulnerable – you could ask for pats on the back, without worrying about being seen as hopelessly insecure." She tells PINK, "Women discuss their career aspirations [with each other] and encourage each other to go for it."
Taylor Mallory
Looks: Why They Matter More Than You Ever Imagined
It's no surprise that people judge others based on physical appearance, but did you know that "lookism" can also influence business outcomes? Gordon L. Patzer, Ph.D., makes this assertion in his new book, Looks (AMACOM, January 2008). He cites a study by economist Gerard A. Pfann of Holland's University of Maastrichtwhich found that, among 70 percent of Dutch advertising agencies, those employing executives and management with higher PA, or "physical attractiveness" levels, averaged more than $60,000 of additional annual revenue.However, another study showed that women with higher PA were subject to higher expectations, jealousy and harsh er reprimands, illustrating the contradictory nature of the phenomenon. Patzer encourages readers to challenge "lookism" by considering how they judge others.
Claire Basarich
More Sex is Safer Sex: The Unconventional Wisdom of Economics
What's the best way a woman can increase her lifetime earnings? According to economist Steven E. Landsburg, wait to have children until her late 20s or beyond. In his book More Sex Is Safer Sex (Free Press, April 2008), Landsburg claims that a woman who has her first child at 25 instead of 24 can increase her lifetime earnings by 10 percent. "Part of that is because she'll earn higher wages; the rest is because she'll work longer hours," he writes. An extra inch of height will add roughly $1,000 a year in wages too. Even among identical twins, the taller sister earns substantially more than the shorter. Why? Some controversial studies show that tall people are smarter on average, Landsburg notes. And they tend to have more self-esteem too.
Nadirah Watson
My Answer Is No ... If That's OK with You
"Very often women are held to a higher standard when we lay down the law: It's OK to say no as long as we do it nicely. But if saying no isn't warm and nurturing, we lose points," says Nanette Gartrell, M.D., in her new book, My Answer Is No ... If That's OK with You (Free Press, January 2008). She encourages women to value their own styles and offers a practical approach to saying no in business that keeps a woman's humanity, sense of humor and self-respect in tact. Gartrell's advice? Keep it simple. If you have to explain your reasons, be concise. Ask yourself: What might you lose if you say no? When turning people down, be as encouraging as possible. Acknowledge the requester's need by suggesting others who could help. And if you decide saying yes is not in your best interest, state no clear ly and decisively.
Nicole Winslow
Naked in the Boardroom: A CEO Bares Her Secrets So You Can Transform Your Career
Robin Wolaner's guidebook for corporate women, Naked in the Boardroom (Fireside, 2005), hits shelves in paperback in early 2006. From secretary to CEO, Wolaner shares the lessons she learned from her climb up the corporate ladder. Among the 80 "Naked Truths" she offers: "If you've had management responsibility and have never fired anyone, you probably should be a candidate for the ax. It comes with the territory." Another: "When you've made a mistake you are most vulnerable to making a second in your eagerness to recover." Wolaner shares her perspective not only on management, but also on motherhood: "You can't time your baby's conception. This will prepare you for giving up control, which is a [positive] side effect of parenthood."
Christina Livingston
No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't
In The No Asshole Rule (Warner Business Books, February 2007), Robert I. Sutton, Ph.D., provides a manual for dealing with difficult (and often detrimental) characters in the workplace. Citing various studies, including one in which 36 percent of employees reported "persistent
hostility" from co-workers and supervisors, and another showing negative interactions at work were five times more influential on mood than positive interactions, Sutton reveals the potential danger of "jerks" in the professional world. He identifies "certified assholes" (people who
consistently humiliate and disrespect those less powerful) and offers blunt tips on dealing with them: Avoid self-blame, develop indifference and emotional detachment, and limit exposure. "If you're scheduling a meeting with known assholes, finding a place with no chairs can … cut your exposure time by 34 percent," Sutton says.
Bre Edmonds
Overcoming Underearning
Fifty percent of Americans feel underpaid, 59 percent believe they are not paid as much as their peers and 42 percent of women (32 percent of men) worry about not having enough money. According to Barbara Stanny, author of Overcoming Underearning (Harper Business, 2005), if you are constantly stressed about money, you are an underearner, regardless of your salary. How do you avoid becoming one of these statistics? Through a combination of outer-work – "marketing yourself, negotiating higher pay, managing your money" – and inner-work – "transforming your thoughts, attitudes, and decisions about yourself and money." In this part workbook, part journal, Stanny walks readers through five steps to overcoming underearning: tell the truth, make a decision, stretch, create community, and respect and appreciate money. Far too many successful women still rely on men to handle their finances, often with disastrous results, Stanny says. She tells PINK: "For women, this is the final act of feminism. Once we master our money skills, we can take our places as equals in the world, and the world will be better off."
Taylor Mallory
The Power of the Purse: How Smart Businesses Are Adapting to the World's Most Important Consumers
According to Fara Warner, author of The Power of the Purse (Prentice Hall, 2005), most companies continue to market toward a stereotyped, homogenous "women's market" that no longer exists. Examining a few pioneering companies, Warner reveals what business leaders can learn. For example, Nike launched an unsuccessful campaign with female professional athletes. After failing with flowered tanks and pastel running shoes, Nike finally succeeded with its "feminine, tough and fashionable" Goddess line. Warner attributes Nike's success to "creating products from the ground up for women instead of retooling or scaling down products that were created for men."
Taylor Mallory
PrimeTime Women
Known for literally "writing the book" on Marketing to Women (Kaplan Business, 2006), Marti Barletta now warns marketers they'd better do more to cater to women 50 to 70. In PrimeTime Women (Kaplan Business, January 2007), the CEO and founder of The TrendSight Group points out that 55- to 64-year-olds who own homes spend 20 percent more on new cars and trucks, and 38 percent more on airfare, than their 25- to 34-year-old counterparts. And "PrimeTime Women" report higher feelings of optimism and contentment and lower levels of boredom.
To reach this growing market, use women who are attractive but not "perfect" in your advertising. And stay away from the retirement clichés — playing golf or sitting in Adirondack chairs. "Remember that PrimeTime Women are still working, and most don't plan to retire," Barletta writes.
Kathryn Whitbourne
Prince Charming Isn't Coming: How Women Get Smart About Money
After being shaken by a financial crisis, Barbara Stanny realized that she could no longer depend on anyone else to fix her finances. In the 10th anniversary edition of Prince Charming Isn't Coming (Penguin Books, May 2007), Stanny explains: "Getting smart with money is as much about conquering fear and overcoming resistance as about learning facts and managing assets." She points out that while 42 percent of Americans with gross assets of $600,000 or more are women, 71 percent of women between the ages of 35 and 54 don't know how to invest. In her seven steps to educate women, Stanny writes that "perhaps the most powerful component in creating wealth" is compounding interest. She stresses that money on its own can't produce action or more wealth. Only financially responsible women can.
Kimberly Zych
Rules for Renegades: How to Make More Money, Rock Your Career, and Revel in Your Individuality
You might think it wise to avoid business advice from a high school dropout, former cult member and owner of an $8 million business mishap. Think again. In Rules for Renegades (McGraw-Hill, September 2007), Christine Comaford-Lynch offers honest guidance for building a great career and a meaningful life. Forget the MBA: Comaford-Lynch advocates getting a GSD, or the ability to "Get Sh— Done." Her rules also include taking 100 percent responsibility for your life and following the so-called Law of Attraction, which states that the universe will conspire to help your dream come true if you first develop a clear goal in your own mind. Other advice includes "rocking" rejection: "The key is to fall forward," Comaford-Lynch writes, "where the pain of the failure is reduced by the benefit of the lessons it brings."
Angela Boey & Chris Moedjo
Sandbox to the Corner Office: Lessons Learned on the Journey to the Top
What's separating you and your cubicle from your boss and her corner office? According to Eve Tahmincioglu, learning from mistakes and adapting accordingly. In her book From the Sandbox to the Corner Office (John Wiley and Sons, October 2006), Tahmincioglu interviews more than 50 leaders to form a set of golden rules for the business world.
She balances inspirational stories such as Joe Moglia, current CEO of TD Ameritrade, and his lifetime struggle with stuttering, with practical tips, such as respecting co-workers, to prove that success does not begin upon entering the business world, but results from opportunities you are given in life and what you do with them.
Mara Betsch
Selling to Men, Selling to Women
After questioning whether the world needs another sales book, Jeffery Tobias Halter provides a refresher course in Selling to Men, Selling to Women (Fushian, April 2006). When pitching to a woman, focus on building a relationship first. When selling to a man, limit the conversation to facts and figures.
Women selling to men may need to know that too much animation can make male buyers uncomfortable. If a man crosses his arms and avoids eye contact, ask questions to see why you are off track. When he engages you in a debate, answer his demands by getting down to business quickly. "No" from a man is not absolute.
Halter, a PINK columnist, does warn that not all men respond to straight forwardness, and not all women want relationships. What's important is adapting to your client's needs.
Allison Sparks
A Sense of Urgency
The clock is ticking, but do your employees hear it? The economy's current decline increases the need for change to maximize success. In his new book, A Sense of Urgency (Harvard Business Press, September 2008), Harvard Business School professor and leadership expert John P. Kotter outlines four helpful tactics to create what he believes will enhance any business: a constant sense of urgency. His strategies – which include finding opportunity in crisis, bringing the outside in (by listening to frontline employees and sharing troubling news with staff), behaving with urgency every day and dealing with "NoNos" (people who don't want to change the status quo) – are paired with stories and analysis from business professionals. "A sense of urgency is not an attitude that 'I must have the project team meeting today,'" Kotter writes, "but that 'the meeting must accomplish something important today.'"
Mary Catherine Brutz
The Sexual Paradox: Men, Women and the Read Gender Gap
In her book The Sexual Paradox (Scribner, March 2008), Susan Pinker studies cases of rambunctious little boys who turned into successful businessmen, and overachieving young girls who later, as adults, opted out of traditionally male careers such as engineering and science. Her research shows that most women are not forced out of these careers because of discrimination, but instead switch to careers where they can have a social impact. (She does note, however, that some female scientists said pressures to play mentor and den mother on the job left them little time to get their work done.) Pinker encourages companies to embrace gender differences, veer away from designing their workplace for the single man, and cater more to inherent needs of their female employees in order to increase their numbers.
Rachel Kellogg
The She Spot: Why Women Are the Market for Changing the World—and How to Reach Them
Women are primarily the ones who keep nonprofits running, both with funding and volunteer work; yet most nonprofits don't appeal to women specifically for their support. In The She Spot (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, June 2008), authors Lisa Witter and Lisa Chen describe techniques for reversing this costly oversight. Women are not a "niche" audience, they argue, but rather are the audience, a powerhouse group that is the key ingredient for social change. To capture the female market, organizations should pay particular attention to greater transparency in their budgets, since women are more likely than men to research the trajectory of their donations. Meeting women's higher standards ultimately will have a payback across the board. When your organization exceeds women's "higher, tougher customer" threshold, "you'll sail above the men's bar as well and bring them along with you."
Elizabeth Butler
Signs of Success: The Remarkable Power of Business Astrology
In Signs of Success (AMACOM, May 2008), journalist and marketing consultant Steven Mark Weiss argues that there is a connection between astrology and success in business leaders. He says understanding your sun sign can help you recognize strengths and weaknesses in leadership. For instance, Aries leaders are direct but impatient, while Virgos tend to be diligent and perfectionist. Astrology may well be "a load of poop" to some, Weiss acknowledges, but he notes, "Astrology builds inspiring constructs of archetypes … that have enormous relevance to … the world." He claims that astrology can even identify consumer trends — as with the passage of Jupiter through the sign of Cancer, which highlights issues of family, real estate and security. This happened in 1977 and 2001, and will happen again in 2013. So a restaurateur might want to emphasize regional comfort cuisine, as Weiss suggests.
Valencia Wicker
Simple Solutions: Harness the Power of Passion and Simplicity to Get Results
In Simple Solutions (Wiley, 2007), longtime FedEx executive Tom Schmitt and renowned management attorney Arnold Perl outline their leadership style – based on the principle that complex leadership problems can be segmented into simple, solvable components. Each chapter presents a leadership quality, concrete tools for attaining it, and an illustrative FedEx case study. For focus – "the right-brain component to time management" – the authors explain what to focus on (goals, communication and values)and how to prioritize. Schmitt asks his team: "Where do we need to be in three years? Where are we now? How do we get [there]?" Other tools include an importance-urgency matrix and the 80/20 rule: "In any given situation, 80 percent of the solution lies in only 20 percent of the variables . . . identify and focus on . . . the 20 percent [to] solve 80 percent of the problem."
Taylor Mallory
Smart Women Take Risks
Helene Lerner took a major risk 15 years ago when she left her lucrative job to follow her passion – helping other women be successful in their careers. Now an Emmy Award-winning documentarian, writer and host of a popular website for women, womenworking.com, Lerner shares success secrets in Smart Women Take Risks (McGraw-Hill, 2006). She describes "six steps for conquering your fears and making the leap to success": Choose and commit to a goal that you feel passionate about; understand the difference between a "best bet," a "no go" and a "not now"; build and maintain a strong support team; stay focused; acknowledge your courage for taking action; don't stop now. Women leaders – including HBO's Dolores Morris and Denise Morrison of Campbell Soup Co. – share stories of risks that fueled their success.
Taylor Mallory
Success Built to Last: Creating a Life That Matters
Stewart Emery and Mark Thompson team up with Jerry Porras — co-author of the business classic Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies — to create Success Built to Last (Wharton School Publishing, September 2006). The authors interview 200 successful people to come up with surprising insights on success. For instance, powerful people have a history of making new mistakes and harvesting their failures. Technology pundit Esther Dyson says anything worth doing will kick you into a constant state of trial and error, so take good notes as you stumble through. Another finding: It's dangerous to do work just for the money because someone else who loves it will work harder and outrun you. Or, as Warren Buffett puts it, doing something you don't like is like saving up sex for old age.
Stacey Triche
Streetwise Small Business Book of Lists
With the ambition of creating a one-stop reference for small-business owners, consultant Gene Marks and his group of experts have compiled the Streetwise Small Business Book of Lists (Adams Media, September 2006), a resource of business facts, rankings and candid advice. The lists range from the broad "Questions to Ask to Tell If You Have What It Takes to Start a Business" ("Can I generate enthusiasm about my idea from others?") to the narrow "Brilliant Deductions for the Self-Employed" (Open your business parties to the public in order to deduct the entire cost of food and liquor;write off your dry cleaning and laundry bills on a business trip). Marks ventures into consumer report territory with a section on office gadgets, plus travel tips for finding cheap airfares through Internet sites such as TripStalker and Booking Buddy.
Sarah Dowdey
Take This Book to Work: How to Ask for (and Get) Money, Fulfillment, and Advancement
If you're looking for career advancement or wondering how to fend off that obnoxious colleague who relentlessly fills your screen with instant messages, you'll find help in Take This Book to Work (St. Martin's Press, Sept ember 2006).
Co-authors Tory Johnson and Robyn Freedman Spizman show readers how to sound assertive and professional. If you've be come the sounding board for a colleague's constant complaints, politely express concern and help find a solution, but make it known that you will not tolerate the complaints. Tell your coworker, "I feel I've done as much as I can. You should talk to your supervisor since your behavior is affecting your work and mine."
Allison Sparks
This Day in the Life: Diaries from Women Across America
Ever wonder what your life would be like if you had chosen another path? For This Day in the Life (Three Rivers Press, December 2005), authors Joni B. Cole, Rebecca Joffrey and B.K. Rakhra asked hundreds of women across America to keep a "day diary" on the same randomly chosen day, Tuesday, June 29, 2004. The resulting book contains 36 complete diaries from vastly different women: a college professor and novelist who worries about her teenage daughters dating; a 65-year-old grandmother of nine who views her wrinkles as "the signs of having lived a while"; a soldier in Baghdad who congratulates herself on becoming more assertive; and a type-A television reporter on vacation with her children. "We are all burdened by so much ridiculous divisiveness," the book's creators explain, "most of it grounded in false assumptions – feminists aren't feminine, abortion supporters aren't pro-family, working women are at odds with stay-at-home moms. By sharing the perspective of another woman we gain a greater understanding of how much we all have in common."
Taylor Mallory
Truth: The New Rules for Marketing in a Skeptical World
"In marketing, credibility is like air: You can't see it, taste it or touch it, but you'll find out very fast if you're running short," says Lynn Upshaw in Truth: The New Rules for Marketing in a Skeptical World (AMACOM, May 2007). Upshaw demonstrates how leading firms like specialty grocer Trader Joe's use integrity to increase brand loyalty. Eighty percent of products sold at Trader Joe's are private labels, compared with 16 percent at most supermarkets. The private labels create a "label of trust" between Trader Joe's and its customers by being a tacit seal of approval. Truth also shows how major players have incorporated integrity into their companies. For instance, Gap Inc. uses a global compliance team to eliminate potential suppliers who violate labor rights.
Carol Romashko
The Wall Street Diet
How many times have you grabbed a Danish at the airport while waiting for a too-early flight, or eaten a high-fat meal while entertaining clients at dinner? Nutritionist Heather Bauer recognized these challenges in her clients' lives and used their experiences as a jumping-off point for The Wall Street Diet (Hyperion, April 2008), a book designed to help busy professionals with their specific food challenges. Among her suggestions: At the airport, try a one-stop breakfast of a skim latte and a piece of fruit. At a party, order your least favorite drink to slow down your alcoholic intake. At the office, "never let the sun set on a food gift"; instead take it to the reception desk or conference room. Sample diet plans are included, along with eating-out "cheat sheets" showing the calorie count for typical bar drinks and snacks, as well as popular restaurants like KFC and P.F. Chang's.
Cassie Dres
The Weekend Marriage: Abundant Love in a Time-Starved World by Mira Kirshenbaum
Is this what we've come to in our work-obsessed lives? The Weekend Marriage (Harmony Books, 2005) examines a new concern in today's rushed, stressed, work-focused society: helping time-crunched couples achieve healthier relationships. Instead of cramming a marriage into a weekend, perhaps reprioritizing how time is spent would be a better, more lasting solution. Nevertheless, Kirshenbaum insists quality time trumps quantity and offers "gorilla" success tactics varying from a week away by yourself before being joined by your husband to "skip the complaining. State your needs as simply as possible."
What Men Don't Tell Women About Business: Opening Up the Heavily Guarded Alpha Male Playbook
If you've ever wondered what the good ol' boys discuss at the cigar club, look no further than What Men Don't Tell Women About Business (Wiley, November 2007). Author Christopher Flett divulges alpha-male secrets and advises women how to break the code. For instance, while a man may appear sympathetic if you mention family illness, he really thinks, "Jeez, I'm tired of hearing this crap," Flett says. His advice? Be like the men: On days when they can't face colleagues because of personal issues, they "immediately catch the flu and take a few days to get control of the situation." The tough exterior, however, is just an act. Flett, a former alpha male, says most are driven by insecurities. "When a woman is authentically strong and holds herself in high esteem … she will be considered an equal partner at the table."
Maria Carter
What Women Really Want
As women remodel their lives, they are also reshaping the American family, workplace and culture. "There has never been a better time to be a woman," write coauthors Celinda Lake, a political strategist for the Democratic Party, and Kellyanne Conway, a leading conservative pollster, in What Women Really Want (Free Press, 2005). Exploring the effects of today's women on our country, they describe 10 current trends such as generational compression (women across generations having more commonality) and a more baby-focused culture, and they make predictions for the next 10 years. Among them: There will be more pressure for affordable higher education and a more task-oriented, less time-obsessed workplace; unmarried women will be the number-one "get" for candidates in upcoming elections; and a woman will be on the presidential ticket.
Allison Sparks
Where We Stand: A Surprising Look at the Real State of Our Planet
Good news: The world is not coming to an end anytime soon. In Where We Stand (AMACOM, August 2007),Seymour Garte, Ph.D, shows why a healthy dose of optimism is justified. Better public awareness combined with more advanced technology has improved a host of issues, ranging from an actual drop of about 35 percent in carbon dioxide emissions in the last 40 years, to increased recovery rates for 93 percent of U.S. endangered species, including the bald eagle. Garte notes that as a result of the Montreal Protocol of 1986, world production of CFCs — a key cause of ozone depletion — has plummeted by 80 percent. While Where We Stand stops short of claiming that everything is getting better, Garte writes "we need to learn from our successes as much as from our failures."
Chris Moedjio
Where's Your Wow: 16 Ways to Make Your Competitors Wish They Were You!
In Where's Your Wow (McGraw-Hill, April 2008), authors Robyn Freedman Spizman and Rick Frishman help managers solidify competitive advantages with the mantra, "Ordinary is not extraordinary. The difference is extra." They present models for building brands, making alliances and staying hungry on your way to "wow success." Distinguish your "wow," for example, by customizing your service. Managers of Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, Mich., will walk customers to their cars with an umbrella on rainy days. Another key step is envisioning success. Chicken Soup for the Soul founder Jack Canfield holds a "come as you'll be" party, where associates dress up as the people they'll be after they reach their goals in five years. Also included are suggestions for creating your own brand statement using rhymes, testimonials or challenges — like the Lay's potato chip slogan, "Betcha can't eat just one."
Cassie Dres
Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins: How to Use Your Own Stories to Communicate with Power and Impact
Storytelling can be about more than just entertainment or venting. It can actually create the kinds of results you want to see at work or in the family. In Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins (AMACOM, June 2007), Annette Simmons identifies six kinds of stories designed to change perceptions in order to achieve goals: Who I Am; Why I Am Here; Teaching; Vision; Value in Action; I Know What You Are Thinking. For example, a Value in Action story about a contractor on the way to his son's weekend soccer game who instead comes to work to fix a leak inspires people to go "above and beyond." These stories can be found anywhere, Simmons writes, even in TV shows.
Sofia Safina
Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It
Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It (Portfolio, May 2008) by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson sounds like another time management gimmick, but the authors claim their book is based on "changing the whole conversation about what work is for." Demanding that employees "go to a physical space to do virtual work" is outdated in our knowledge-based market, they say. Their "Results-Only Work Environment" (ROWE) experiment with Best Buy's corporate employees allowed associates to work whenever and wherever they chose as long as their assignments were completed on time. The result? On one team, the voluntary turnover rate dropped from more than 31 percent to 4.5 percent in two years, saving Best Buy almost $1.4 million in turnover costs. Using their "13 Guideposts" (No. 7: "Nobody talks about how many hours they work"), the authors provide insights into how a ROWE functions and why it should work for everyone.
Rachele Zecca
Women of the Vine
If you've ever thought the life of a winemaker is all champagne and caviar, think again. In Deborah Brenner's Women of the Vine (John
Wiley & Sons, 2006), the life stories of 20 women in the wine business have their share of hardship and hard work. Stephanie Brown, founder
of Divas Uncorked, works eight hours a day at her regular job and another eight on Divas. Stephanie Gallo, director of marketing for Gallo Family Vineyards, recalls how her father would not let her work in the marketing department without first selling the product. "He said, 'It's probably one of the most challenging jobs that you'll ever have, but you're going to learn the most about yourself — how to deal with … and … overcome rejection." For a change of pace, the book suggests trying one of wine writer Leslie Sbrocco's favorite combinations: champagne and potato chips, or rose wine with a burrito.
Christie Davis
Working with You Is Killing Me: Freeing Yourself from Emotional Traps at Work
Psychotherapist Katherine Crowley and business consulting guru Kathi Elster have merged their expertise to create a handbook for the workplace,Working with You Is Killing Me (Warner Business Books, March 2006). This manual uncovers eight "brands" of "distressing behavior" within a work environment. For example, is your work role as the "hero," the superhuman of the workplace," confining you or taking a toll on your personal life? The authors recommend "heroes" avoid taking on burdensome responsibilities outside of job descriptions and learn to set limits, such as leaving work at a practical time and taking a relaxing vacation once a year. Their "unhooking" method uses a mixture of self-assessments and analyses of the surrounding situation to improve work life.
Karen Kim
Your Inner Entrepreneur
The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) is now publishing books. On the heels of its first, Taking an Idea to Market: How to Turn Your Vision into a Successful Business Venture, NAWBO has released two more this year. Your Inner Entrepreneur: Making the Move from Employee to Business Owner and Money Matters: Positioning Your Business for Growth. The books discuss how to begin the journey to successful business ownership. Check nawbo.org for more. No doubt such information is needed – with 424 women starting companies of their own every day, according to the National Women's Business Council.
