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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FeministReview.org Says..., June 9, 2010
This review is from: The Next Generation of Women Leaders: What You Need to Lead but Won't Learn in Business School (Hardcover)
Has the glass ceiling been shattered? There is a widely accepted perception that it has. However, as author Selena Rezvani points out in chapter one of The Next Generation of Women Leaders, although women make up 46.5 percent of the U.S. workforce, they constitute only 15.7 percent of corporate officers. What you won't learn in business school, which Rezvani discovered from interviewing top women executives, is that social, economic, psychological, and even generational barriers still prevent women from reaching the top. But don't despair. This book is chock full of highly useful tips and information to help women of all ages creatively circumnavigate these roadblocks and negotiate their way to the top.
A John Hopkins University MBA graduate and successful consultant, Rezvani conducted thirty interviews with top women executives in the corporate, non-profit and government sectors. She then analyzed her data for trends. The overarching themes of her analysis are covered in chapters two through nine, and address everything from career orientation to maneuvering office politics, networking and negotiating. Although this may sound like any other book on how to succeed in business, it contains plenty of information that might otherwise take you your entire career to learn. In fact, The Next Generation of Women Leaders reads more like a handbook that you will go back to at different stages in your career.
There is an emphasis in this book on networking, which many of us are tired of hearing about. However, Rezvani's presentation is empowering. She describes networking as a lifetime activity that helps women forge lasting relationships, learn more about their areas of business, discover other career paths and develop outside interests and skills. She also emphasizes the importance of women's networks and having women as role models. The author includes some helpful tips on networking etiquette and where to focus your energy.
Given my own particular situation as a mother and professional, I was interested in the chapter on work-life integration. The author tackles the "You can have it all" message that women have bought into and addresses the underlying societal pressures on women to be the successful executive, the cookie-baking mother, the physically fit and attractive partner, the friend, the crafter, the daughter, etc. Rather than attempting to balance, or juggle work-life demands, we are instead to integrate a select few work-life priorities that give us the most satisfaction. In a nutshell, the "you can have it all" message does little more than hold us back.
The author originally wrote this book because of the dearth of business books targeting Gen X and Y women, but there's something in this book for women of all ages, especially those trying to rejoin the labor force or attract talent to their companies. I usually give away the books I review, but this one is now on my bookshelf.
Review by Heather Leighton
Originally published at [...]
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For more than just the young, new leaders, June 4, 2011
This review is from: The Next Generation of Women Leaders: What You Need to Lead but Won't Learn in Business School (Hardcover)
There are so many articles being written on the problems women face in the workplace but few give the in-depth and realistic advice as Selena Rezvani does in The Next Generation of Women Leaders. She bluntly reveals the current reality, which business schools fail to share. In my own research for my book Wander Woman[...], I discovered that most women lack the teachers and mentors that will tell them what to expect and how to deal with the ongoing discrimination in the workplace. I would have loved to recommend this book to the women in my study.
Once she paints a vivid picture of the workplace, Rezvani provides clear guidance on what it will take to be a leader in this environment. I have been working inside as a leader and from the outside as an executive coach for over thirty years. I found many ideas I can share with my female clients of all ages. I even quoted Rezvani in a Huffington Post article on the problems with women's programs at [...]. She is a woman wise beyond her years. Her book is a gift to all working women. You won't regret reading it and keeping in close by as a vital resource for your career development.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding, relevant, comprehensive, July 13, 2011
This review is from: The Next Generation of Women Leaders: What You Need to Lead but Won't Learn in Business School (Hardcover)
Rezvani's book is a timely, thought-provoking and comprehensive guide for ambitious young women. All of the topics are relevant and the insights new. It felt like I was having a personal discussion with the author as I read, as opposed to reading a list of tips on 'how to maximize your inherent power as a woman and as a leader'.
Rezvani collects the wisdom and advice from a number of powerful, successful, and candid women to illustrate her main themes and points. What I found most interesting were Rezvani's own gems of summary and/or analysis in-between these quotes and stories that continue to impact my everyday thoughts and actions.
For example, I still often find the majority of "networking" events to be superficial or lacking in depth--but with Rezvani's discussion of the authenticity of networking, it opened my eyes to the possibilities of renewing my own priorities and creating a level of comfort--by just getting to know new people, rather than determining how to use people and how they will use me.
Additionally, I found the discussion of how important people are in an organization to be incredibly helpful. I feel that one of the greatest struggles as an ambitious young woman is reigning in the tendency to "leave everyone in the dust in order to get to the top." Understanding the complexities involved and the importance of "people first" has been instrumental in my development personally, and especially as a manger and as a leader.
Beyond these two examples, the book is filled with a plethora of sound and tempered advice for each arena a woman might find herself in throughout her career path and development as a leader.
I really have no criticism for the book--only that I would have been interested in some discussion of generational issues (between women) and sexism being addressed.
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