A new book about women in business could teach us all a thing or two.
Emily Bennington’s “Who Says It’s a Man’s World: The Girl’s Guide to Corporate Domination” is about maintaining core values while climbing the corporate ladder. Bennington’s insights may be aimed at women, but they could apply to anyone. Small business and startup owners who are just beginning to define their corporate culture could learn from the book, which was based on interviews with more than 700 executive women, such as McDonald’s president Jan Fields and JetBlue co-founder Ann Rhoades.
Here are some of the book’s insights that are worth thinking about:
- Your reputation is your best professional asset.
- Goals are short-lived, but virtues last forever.
- Sometimes having the right answer isn’t as important as having the right attitude.
- Like diets, careers shouldn’t start tomorrow.
- Confidence isn’t having the right answer. It’s knowing you can figure it out.
- Hold grudges and they’ll hold you back. Or in the words of Michael Corleone, “It’s not personal, Sonny, it’s strictly business.”
- No matter what your career destination is, there is no direct path and the layovers take longer than you think.
Adapted from How to Succeed: Advice From a “Girl’s Guide” by Dennis McCafferty at Baseline Magazine.