Why The Best Man For The Job Is A Woman: The Unique Female Qualities of Leadership [Hardcover]

Esther Wachs Book (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 3, 2000

Corporate America is filled with millions of women managers striving to become successful, effective leaders. Yet the countless management books published each year fail to capture the experience of what it means for women to play with -- and beat -- the big boys at their own game.

Providing inspiration, encouragement, and hard-won advice, Why the Best Man for the Job Is a Woman draws on the cumulative experiences of women such as Meg Whitman, CEO of eBay; Shelly Lazarus, CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide; Patricia Fili-Kruschel, president of ABC-TV Network; Rebecca Mark, Vice Chairman of Enron; Orit Gadiesh, Chairman of Bain & Coo; Ann Winblad, Partner, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners; Martha Ingram, Chairman of Ingram Industries; and Marcy Carsey, Co-founder and Co-president of the Carsey -- Werner Company, to help all women climb the corporate ladder. It identifies the key characteristics of these women that establishes a new management paradigm, thereby leading to an understanding of what they do differently...and why it works!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Book, a business journalist who has written for Forbes and Working Woman, believes that today's most successful female corporate executives succeed for three reasonsA"they are extremely self-confident, they possess a keen sense of customer demands, and they tap into their feminine side to lead." To support her thesis, Book profiles the working styles of 14 executive women, including eBay's Meg Whitman, Ogilvy & Mather's Shelly Lazarus, Ingram Industries' Martha Ingram and Bain & Company's chairman, Orit Gadiesh. Among the most interesting is Gadiesh, an Israeli-born woman who stayed with Bain after the founder had nearly bankrupted the consulting firm. Gadiesh puts in long hours with her employees, seeing herself as a team member, always building toward her vision of the company. Once, she even gave a presentation with her face bandaged, arriving at a meeting immediately after being in a car accident. While this book's contention that successful women employ uniquely female qualities might generate some publicity, it also invites skepticism. Book's volume may not withstand the scrutiny, principally because the "female qualities" of these executives are never clearly defined: being a team player, managing people well and working toward a vision are traits of successful women and men. The author's claim that her subjects don't try to act like men, which according to Book, successful women of the recent past did, feels forced. The profiles are engaging, but the volume never fully delivers on the promise of its title. Agent, Jane Dystel. 25-city NPR morning drive radio tour; 15-city NPR radio tour. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Fourteen successful female business leaders are profiled here, and several of the best and brightest detail their paths and approaches to leadership in the new economy. The characteristics these women share include having a high level of self-confidence, being risk takers, instinctively anticipating change, capitalizing on understanding customer service, and using their femininity to manage employees and attract customers. Book, a seasoned journalist, identifies as embodying the essence of this new paradigm of leadership such women as Ellen Gordon of Tootsie Roll Industries, Meg Whitman of eBay, Inc., and Darla Moore of Rainwater, Inc. The stories of these pioneers show how women are reinventing management rules and redefining the meaning of power in today's corporate world. All business collections would benefit from owning this unique aggregate of case studies, as would women's studies collections.DSusan C. Awe, Univ. of New Mexico Lib., Albuquerque
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: HarperBusiness; First edition (July 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0066619866
• ISBN-13: 978-0066619866
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,995,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We are leaders, yes - now hear us roar!, March 28, 2001

By 

Marion E. Gold "Book Author & Editorial Writer" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why The Best Man For The Job Is A Woman: The Unique Female Qualities of Leadership (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book that should bolster the confidence of all the women who read it. But I would add one very important item: women show far too much humility about their talents and skills. If we want people to value our skills, we must first show that we value ourselves - by making sure our accomplishments are visible to targeted audiences. If we want people to hire us, buy from us, and invest in our companies, they have to know who we are, what we have accomplished and why they should do business with us! Self-promotion is not bragging. It is a valuable business tool that careerwomen must add to their strategies for success.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insights on female leadership qualities, June 30, 2000

By 

Perry Hewitt - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why The Best Man For The Job Is A Woman: The Unique Female Qualities of Leadership (Hardcover)

The author captures many of the unique aspects of female leadership missing from corporate America -- in its old and new economy iterations.

Wachs-Book uses clear examples to illustrate how specifically "female" problem-solving attributes can enhance a comany's leadership portfolio. Her commentary on women's rule-creating and not rule-following qualities rings especially true.

This is an excellent read for people participating in the process of creating and evolving their organizations' senior management teams.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This was the best book I ever read. A MUST READ!, July 18, 2000

By 

margie weingarten (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why The Best Man For The Job Is A Woman: The Unique Female Qualities of Leadership (Hardcover)

I loved this book. I usually read fiction but this book captured my interest right away. I especially enjoyed learning about the backgrounds and personalities of these intriguing women. Wachs Book has done thorough research and has made clear the parellels between these "new paradigm leaders" from whom we can all learn something. Don't miss this one!