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Even
though women make up 46% of the labor force, only 11.2%
hold leadership positions and 2.7% earn top pay at Fortune
500 companies. Did you ever wonder why? Well, Susan
L. Abrams did. She devoted her energies to interviewing
45 top women leaders to figure out their common success
factor. How did these women break through the glass
ceiling? How did they climb the ladder of success? What
are they made of? The answers may be found in Abrams’
The New Success Rules for Women: 10 Surefire Strategies
for Reaching Your Career Goals (Prima Publishing. $24.95).
If
career advancement is one of your resolutions this year,
then take a look at this book which lists the common
qualities of these exceptional women. Instead of telling
you how to get ahead, Abrams shows you by including
biographies of the 45 female leaders’ career paths,
including information from their educational background
to their involvement in the community. Among the women
interviewed include: Carole Black, President and CEO
of Lifetime Television; Connie K. Duckworth, Managing
Director of Goldman Sachs and CEO of MuniGroup.com;
Dawn Mello, former President of Bergdorf Goodman; Sharon
Patrick, President of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia;
Barbara L. Scholleg, Commander United States Navy; and
Diane Swonk, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist,
Bank One.
Abrams
compared and contrasted these women’s success tips and
created a David Lettermanesque “Top 10 List.” One of
the tips is that all of the women are passionate about
their jobs. They did great because they chose something
they wanted to do. Their career has a heart. Another
similarity was that each women “put the right support
network in place to maximize [her] focus and flexibility.”
Some additional advice we glean from the mentors is
to “seek feedback aggressively,” “inspire others to
do their best,” “recognize the value of your experience
as a woman, ” and “assess your communication skills.”
Another point stressed is that “woman-to-woman connections
work as relationships are intangible currency.”
Abrams’
book is motivational in tone. She will help you to identify
what business success means to you and how to get it.
She wants you to “have it all,” but stresses that you
must know what you want. Then you can become more focused
in your efforts so that you will “work smarter, not
harder.” Abrams concludes with some words of inspiration,
“Remember, you are in charge of your destiny...Make
the choices that are right for you.”
After
reading this book, you will come away with a feeling
of “it can be done.” Your job will be to figure out
what you want to do and to make the right choices. That’s
what new years are for.
For
more information regarding The New Success Rules for
Women, visit the author’s site at www.susanabrams.com.
Debra
Scala is the Director of Marketing at the East Meadow
law firm of Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP,
and she teaches “How to Market and Promote Your Business”
at Hofstra University’s School of Continuing Education.
Her e-mail address is dscala@cbah.com.
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