Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman
Description
Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman: What Men Know About Success that Women Need to Learn
by Gail Evans
The fact that there are few women occupying top-level positions in corporate America has, for a long time, been blamed on a ubiquitous “glass ceiling.” But according to Gail Evans, this is a tired myth implying a woman is a “person-who’s-done-to instead of a person-who’s-doing.” In Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman, CNN’s ebullient–and successful–executive vice president puts forth a new thesis: women are not in star positions because they haven’t yet learned how to play the game.
The game of business is played on a field where males have been comfortable since they were very young, says Evans. It’s a game where winning is the obvious (and only) objective and where aggression, self-promotion, a tough skin, and an effective display of power are the signs of a winner. Women, on the other hand, enter the game disadvantaged, having been taught to be cooperative rather than competitive, to enjoy the process rather than simply the result, and to seek approval rather than assume success. In her entertaining, informative, and practical book, Evans sets out to level the playing field by providing instructions on how men play and by teaching women to play smarter and win on their own terms. In one section, where she offers such advice as “Toot Your Own Horn,” “Accept Uncertainty,” and “Be an Imposter,” Evans presents a common business scenario. She shows the typical male and female responses to it, analyzes the problem with the woman’s reaction, and offers advice on what to do differently. Writing in light, accessible prose, Evans supports her observations with both personal and professional anecdotes and covers the gamut of women’s experiences on the corporate path. Evans’s message is inspiring: women can learn to play the game as well as any man and bring with them a unique set of skills and experiences.
It’s impossible to ignore a woman who has reached the top of her profession in a tough business and is still prepared to claim that “everything I ever needed to know about business I learned driving the car pool.” –S. Ketchum
Review
“I want to let you women in on a secret I’ve learned through my years in the corporate world: There is a set of unwritten rules in business and, while you may not choose to follow all of them, if you don’t know what they are, you might as well be playing the game with both hands tied behind your back.”
–Gail Evans
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Tags: Business, women
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