Book: Nice girls don’t get the corner office

Author: Lois P. Frankel

I got introduced to this book by an article published in a local newspaper (www.eenadu.net) in Telugu language. By the title of the book itself I decided to but it. I got the discounted price from ‘Flipkart’ and in next two days’ time I had the book delivered. The first think I noted about the book was its weightlessness. I thought that was a perfect pie for a handbag-carry.

The subtitle of the book says it all. 101 unconscious mistakes women do that sabotage their careers. The word to be marked here is ‘unconscious’. If this one word was not used, every woman reader, like me, might get depressed to the core while reading the book. The reason is that many incidents from your past, especially if you are a working women in a corporate office, replay in your mind irrespective of the pace with which you decide to read the lines. The author explains in around two pages about each mistake. The author provides lots and lots of insights into the routine followed by women at work. After reading about every mistake, I ended up folding the book  and got lost into the memories.

This book is one of those very few books which give you practical understanding of the necessity of common sense. I liked this book very much not just for the practicality it showcased but also for the appropriate way the author did put the facts on paper. I read this book long ago. I’ve been miserably failed in writing this post soon after reading this book. Well, better late than never, here it is. I would prefer to say less about the mistakes mentioned in the book. You better read them yourself. After almost three months of reading it, I tried to put down what I could recollect. Below is the list. I’m sure, if you read the book you will learn to be conscious about certain acts, called as mistakes in this book, that you do as part of your regular work routine.

• Apologizing frequently and for less valued mistakes
• Cooking food and servicing it to colleagues
• Not concentrating much on looks
• Asking for permission instead of informing (say, taking leave)
• Occupying less space while being seated
• Trying to be a ‘man’
• Asking doubts/questions instead of proposing answers for your own questions
• Avoiding attending high profile meetings
• Not or less speaking in the meetings
• Combing hair/applying lipstick in public
• Not applying quo-do-pro
• Avoiding social networking
• Doing hard work instead of smart work
• Being modest more than required on receiving an appreciation
• Feared of taking responsibilities
• Allowing people to waste your time
• Staying away from high profile people
• Seeing boss as a father figure
• Silently accepting the unfair/discrimination
• Waiting too much to get recognized for the good work
• Striving too much for perfection
• Accepting the bad work immediately, unlike  men
• Thinking that raising voice is not allowed for women, crying in anger

I don’t relate myself to all of the above mentioned. I do connect with few of them. There is a lot change that I observe in myself, in the unconsciousness that I could win over in the past few days after reading this book. Since many incidents from your past come to you while you read the book, it becomes easier for you to be conscious about an act, called as mistake in this book, when you do it or about to do it next time. 

This book is a must read for every woman. I’ve already suggested many of my friends to read this. I gave it to my mother after I had been done with it. She is a working woman and I’m sure that reading book is going to help her too although she does not work in a corporate office. Human mentality is the same. Be it in a corporate arena or some where else, psychology remain the same more or less, I guess.