A Woman's Place is in the Boardroom: The Roadmap
Author Peninah Thomson, Jacey Graham and Tom Lloyd
Publisher Palgrave Macmillan
Price £25.00
Rating 5 out of 5
Wow. This is the book I've been waiting most of my business life for. For my entire career I've had to be taught by individuals. There has been nothing to read that has understood what women feel and challenge how they deal with life at the top. A Woman's Place is in the Boardroom doesn't just pave the way to solving this, it sorts everything out for you. I really felt stirred reading it. Everything had its place - even the rather heavy first section comparing the UK with the US situation, complete with reports and statistics. It presented the roadmaps necessary for eight different challenges, and it was like being given all the necessary ingredients for how to cook whatever you wanted.
The real difference with this book, compared with others I've read, is that I found the material interesting, and it gave the information you felt you 'needed' rather than what 'would have been nice' to know. Particularly pertinent for me was the section the authors call the 'T-zone' - when women do reach the top, and wonder what is next, or how to cope with it. I thought progression just kept going, but it really does grind to a halt. It's not so much a glass ceiling, but more reaching the top of the stairs. It's frightening to have to come to terms with this, and this section resonated with me. What you have to remember is that books like this can so easily be overly feminist but this one avoided the temptation to go that way. It understands that women do things differently, because they think differently. They know that most women feel completely ignored when they go into a boardroom, but since reading this I'll certainly not take it personally.
Elsa Celab is chair of the Institute of Business Consulting (London), and member of the Small Business Council, Women's Enterprise Panel. She was also awarded Woman of the Year, 2005 by Social Enterprise
WHY NOT TRY...
Overcoming Information Overload
Author Kina Konstant and Morris Taylor
Publisher Hodder Education
Price pounds £8.99
Rating 4 out of 5
Part of the Chartered Management Institute's excellent Instant Manager series, this snappy, pocket-sized book on overcoming information overload takes its own advice by resisting the temptation to weigh down readers with heavy theory. More bite-sized than a mini Mars bar, the chapters and 'tips' boxes are a breeze to read, but contain thought-provoking stuff: Are you a time or quality perfectionist? Are you an information bottleneck? If you are, this book tells you how to stop it. Quirkier titbits include everything from how to speed read and improve your memory to how to 'think like a genius' and prioritise what to remember. It's a gem you won't mind spending a tenner on.
Conflict in Organisational Groups
Author: Kristin J Behfar & Leigh L Thompson
Publisher Kogan Page
Price £57.99
Rating 3 out of 5
From the ludicrously accessible, to the ludicrously academic. The chapters of this tome (from 'Group Heterogeneity and Faultlines' to 'Temporal Issues in Conceptualisation and Measurement of Disagreement') were first presented at a conference held at the Kellogg School of Management. Nothing if not comprehensive, it comes with regression tables that predict 'group-level outcomes' and the latest research on conflict and autonomy in teams. Special mention must go to the 'linear and quadratic regression models of team-effectiveness on confronting members who break norms with empathy as the moderating variable'. Best read with Overcoming Information Overload.
MUST READ
Melissa Bate head of HR at housing provider Lovell, chooses an eclectic mix of texts
I'd thoroughly recommend How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It offers great practical advice on how to get the best from relationships in all areas of life, not just in the workplace. This book was particularly useful to me as I was fortunate enough to be involved in the Dale Carnegie programme recently.
I'd also suggest It's a Zoo Around Here by Nigel Risner. It provides an honest and fascinating insight into personality types and how to communicate effectively with all different kinds of people, whether it be your colleague or your boss. I was lucky to meet Nigel Risner a few years ago and was struck by his perceptiveness. Finally, It's Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong is a truly awe-inspiring tale of an individual with an immense appetite for life.