Who Says It's a Man's World

November 19, 2012
Thanks to business journalist Bennington, women now have an energetic, strong-minded guide to dodging the worst pitfalls of a corporate career. A survey of more than 700 female executives found, to the author’s horror, that more of them preferred a male boss to working for a woman. Meanwhile, only 4% of Fortune 500 CEOs are female, and from personal experience Bennington doesn’t believe that women can improve this discouraging statistic by collectively emulating Hollywood’s “take-no-prisoners alpha femme” archetype. In a no-nonsense tone, she describes the corporate world’s challenges and opportunities, observing that jumps in position and salary happen not at review time but when you take the bull by the horns. Topics discussed include avoiding chronic (and unproductive) busyness, conquering stress and anxiety, and moving from self-awareness to leadership, as well as setting appropriately ambitious goals with a “VIG” (virtues, intentions, and goals) list. “You must be a magnificent woman first,” she points out sagely, “to have a magnificent career.” Bennington’s realistic, straightforward advice, bolstered with “Woman 2 Woman” narratives from executives like Sheryl Sandberg, CEO of Facebook, will prove invaluable to readers. The front illustration of a stiletto heel and the “girl’s guide” wording are unfortunate, but, hey, at least the cover’s not pink.