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Success On Our Own Terms: Tales of Extraordinary, Ordinary Business Women
 
 
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Success On Our Own Terms: Tales of Extraordinary, Ordinary Business Women [Hardcover]

Virginia O'Brien (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Book Description

February 12, 1998 0471178713 978-0471178712 1
Q: How many female CEOs does it take to break the glass ceiling?

A: That's the wrong question!

Numbers alone simply don't tell the real story of how women are doing in today's corporate world. Success on Our Own Terms does. It's filled with real stories -- stories of ordinary women who are making an extraordinary difference in the way corporations work.

Success on Our Own Terms features women of different ages, ethnic backgrounds, and educational levels. Their combined experiences offer a fascinating portrait of how the corporate landscape has changed for women over the last few decades. This book is filled with the wisdom of these experiences, from important lessons on navigating corporate corridors and influencing the system to juggling work and personal life, helping local communities, and much more.

Exploring the multidimensional definition of success shared by these women, this book reveals how they are working hard to reach their goals, balance their lives, and make a positive contribution to society. It shows how they --and others like them --are transforming the organization from the inside out through their own unique management style, values, vision, and determination.

By designing, achieving, and owning their success, women are exploding conventional definitions of their progress in the workplace. The female voices in Success on Our Own Terms inform, encourage, and inspire us all.

"Wonderful, timely, and absolutely refreshing. Reading this book excited and inspired me, and reaffirmed my belief that the future will be a great place for women." --Sally Helgesen, author of The Female Advantage: Women's Ways of Leadership and Everyday Revolutionaries: Working Women and the Transformation of American Life

"Virginia O'Brien tells the real story --that 'we are entering a new phase in which women are becoming full participants with men in conducting the nation's business.'. . . It's a heartening read, and a good antidote to media tales of doom and gloom." --Caryl Rivers, coauthor of She Works, He Works: How Two Income Families Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off

"A must read to understand the multidimensional new values successful women bring to the marketplace of ideas. . . . [Readers] will find themselves, a friend, or a loved one on every page." --Carol R. Goldberg, President of the Avcar Group, Ltd. and former President and COO of Stop & Shop Companies, Inc.

"Insightful and informative. This excellent work brings the stories of successful women executives to the forefront." --Charles E. Rice, Chairman and CEO, Barnett Banks, Inc.

"These are inspiring stories, which I highly recommend." --Richard McCormick, Chairman and CEO, US West, Inc.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this clearly written study, O'Brien (The Fast Forward MBA in Business), a former communications consultant, puts a positive spin on the progress women have made in corporate America during the last three decades. According to the author, current research that focuses on "glass ceilings" or the small number of female CEOs obscures what women have actually achieved in the workplace. Drawing on 45 interviews she conducted with women holding high-level positions in a variety of industries, including banking, manufacturing, sales and telecommunications, O'Brien convincingly demonstrates that her subjects are satisfied and successful. In their own words, executives describe the positive changes they have made within the corporate world by contributing new ideas from a woman's point of view. As a vice-president at Proctor & Gamble, Carol Tuthill's cross-cultural skills enabled her to restructure the human resources department, while Jean Brennan and Erin Andre's successful managerial job-sharing at Pacific Gas and Electric impressed their clients and managers. An eye-opening look at women in the business world that is also filled with useful pointers.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

O'Brien sets out to track the business journey that women have taken over the last 25 years. Her research includes interviews of 45 women in companies that she considers friendly to women, presenting her findings on how these professionals feel about the level of management they have attained, what motivates them, what their visions and goals are, and what strategies helped them achieve their objectives. Also, she references the 700 responses received from a survey with Executive Women magazine on being happy, meeting goals, and having passion about work and life. She effectively changes the definition of corporate success. O'Brien concludes that women have risen high enough to show that cultural change is taking place and are progressing even though they are not CEOs of the Fortune 500. Although the author acknowledges that her feelings of satisfaction about the overall advancement of women put her in the minority and may be a disservice to women, she nevertheless offers this book to celebrate her conviction about their success. Mary Whaley

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 267 pages
  • Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (February 12, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0471178713
  • ISBN-13: 978-0471178712
  • Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,654,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars This book teaches us that it is okay to define our success, October 15, 2000
By 
J Magee (Cape Cod, MA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Success On Our Own Terms: Tales of Extraordinary, Ordinary Business Women (Hardcover)
I think Ms. O"Brien hit the nail right on the head. What it is all about is being able to define what YOU believe is the key to success and to live you life in that way. As long as you live up to your expectations, that is what really counts. At least to me anyway.

On another note, I personally met Ginny and she is a fabulous person with extrordinary insight. Her book is not a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, but actual experiences of real people. I would recommend this book for those who question their idea of success. It is very enlightening.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great book!, April 12, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Success On Our Own Terms: Tales of Extraordinary, Ordinary Business Women (Hardcover)
I am a career coach and work with professional women in leadership and career transition. This book first came to my attention by several clients who were surprised that it was not on my client reading list. They were right - this book is a gem. Virginia O'Brian has done her homework. This well researched and well written book is both useful and inspiring. A must for any woman serious about her carreer.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Positive and Uplifting, July 23, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Success On Our Own Terms: Tales of Extraordinary, Ordinary Business Women (Hardcover)
This book has been a tremendous experience for me -- on par with Sally Helgesen's "The Female Advantage" which I read several years ago. This is a wonderful follow-up to that life-changing book. "Success on our Own Terms" is a celebration of the diversity of paths that women have carved in the business world. The creativity of the women's decisions, and the companies that supported them, is inspiring. The title of the book is apt -- the definition of success itself is not an absolute. While the book strongly identifies the need for mentors, it also clearly shows that the traditional career paths, and the myths associated with those paths, don't always fit the situation or the individual. Ultimately, these women are doing what is right for them, celebrating the complex lives that they are determined to live to the fullest. It gives one hope -- for women and for the business world.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
It generally takes 25 to 30 years to "grow" a CEO-equivalent to the time it takes to grow a tree. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
corporate women, job share, female engineers, female managers
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Bell Atlantic, Barnett Banks, Women's Initiative, New York, Shaunna Sowell, Texas Instruments, Judy Beaubouef, Becky Allen, Carol Tuthill, Diana Bell, Teresa Wahlert, United States, Julie England, Karen Moreno, Lew Platt, Marlene O'Toole, Teresa Elder, Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Beth Kaplan, Cynthia Danaher, Rite Aid Corporation, Semiconductor Group, Catalyst Award, Cynthia Cannady, Gannett Supply
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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