More results of email archaeology...
How Women Lead by Sharon Hadary and Laura Henderson should be required reading for all female managers, although the name is rather misleading. This book is not so much about how women lead (although the first chapter does pay tribute to their strengths as managers), but about how they should lead. It is chockfull of practical advice about things that male managers seem to know instinctively, but most female managers either don’t know, or are too diffident to put into practice, for fear of seeming too forward.
It’s time to throw off the shackles, the
authors, say. Learn to promote and position yourself. Always be aware of your
worth to the company (in fact, calculate it, and if you don’t know how,
learn!). Keep a stock of all your
contributions, put a dollar value on it and during your annual review, have it
at hand when you’re discussing your progress and promotion and exactly what
kind of raise you are looking for.
Even if you’re very good at doing the
technical stuff, upskill to learning how to handle other people doing the
technical stuff. And above all, don’t micro-manage. …and …point out that for
most female managers, micro managing ends up being the killer:
One of women’s strengths is their
commitment to providing quality products and services. Conversely, one of the
things that can hold them back is believing that the best way to ensure this
level of quality is to stay personally involved in every aspect of the
day-to-day operations, they point out. Resist the temptation.
“When you stay involved at that level, you
end up doing so many things that you are not doing any of them well and no one
is leading the integration of all parts. The result is that you become the
greatest barrier to the growth and success of your project or function,” they
say.
And while literature may be rife with the
“fickleness” of women, according to this book, one of their main drawbacks in
career advancement, is being too loyal to a company, because it’s been good to
them. They stay even when there’s nothing more to be learned or nowhere to grow
into. Know when to leave, is a crucial piece of advice. But, when leaving, you
should not just be looking at your new renumeration package. You should
investigate the new company’s culture to see if it’s a fit.
And as for remuneration, here’ the two
authors say a little bit of outside help never hurt. If you don’t know what the
industry average is for your new position, or what kind of value you will be
bringing into the new company, get the help of an expert to calculate it.
Another thing is personal branding. Many
women toss off emails lightly without bothering to check or edit, not realizing
that a little mistake goes a long way towards branding them. Or their phone
manner. Did you know that your physical appearance and voice account for 93% of
that first impression, and that first impressions stick? Which means your
content is only worth 7% of what people think of you. Sad, but true.
The authors recommend that you spend as
much as you can possibly afford on quality clothes. Men understand this and
dress for the part. It’s a lot harder for women, as there are too many choices
available. Go for a balance between sexy and dowdy, if you expect to be taken
seriously. Too sexy, they will be looking at you but not listening, and too
dowdy, well, they will neither look nor listen. And invest in the services of a
really good hairdresser.
Basically the book is divided into eight chapters, each with a
crucial pointer for women in their journey as managers. At first you will be
tempted to think that it is just another wishy-washy tome, advocating woo woo strengths
like “intuition” and bringing “motherhood” to bear on the job.
Many of the suggestions will feel uncomfortable, but the more uncomfortable, apparently, the better. One of the main suggestions in the book is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. This is not a book for the fainthearted. If you’re contented with being where you are and moving up the corporate ladder, slowly if at all, don’t bother with it.