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Her Place at the Table
Book

Her Place at the Table

A Woman's Guide to Negotiating Five Key Challenges to Leadership

Deborah M. Kolb, Judith Williams and Carol Frohlinger
Jossey-Bass, 2004
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Editorial Rating

8

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  • Applicable

Recommendation

Women in leadership positions will thank authors Deborah M. Kolb, Judith Williams and Carol Frohlinger for their strategic advice. Their book, solidly based on the experiences of 100 women in leadership jobs, clearly identifies obstacles women face in gaining legitimacy as leaders. The authors explain how women executives’ incorrect - and possibly unconscious - assumptions increase their troubles. The book teaches readers to make their assumptions explicit and to overcome obstacles with step-by-step deliberate solutions. For instance, the book counsels you to get as much information as you can before taking a new position, and then to really think about what you have learned. The main chapters enumerate five major ways to gain respect and credibility as a leader, but the authors also provide advice on negotiation and some relevant questions for job hunters to ask. Although it gets repetitive, the authors accompany the final outline of major points with specific recommendations you can implement. getAbstract recommends this book to women in business who want to move up, or who already have.

Summary

Fighting Assumptions

Discrimination against female leaders is subtle and its invisibility may mask its power. At a recent conference of women in leadership roles, two-thirds of those present believed that their colleagues and bosses assumed they would not do well as leaders. Such implicit assumptions and such a lack of confidence can make women leaders feel insecure. Yet, one-third of the women at the conference were surprised to find their leadership constantly tested. Women who are promoted to leadership positions, at whatever level in their organizations, often face four major kinds of tests:

  1. The token test - Women must prove that they got their jobs because they’re good, not just because they’re female, driven or simply fortunate. People tend to assume that men deserve their promotions, but to question women’s advancement.
  2. The double bind test - Women who lead in traditionally masculine ways are criticized as tough, condescending or cold, but women who behave in traditionally "feminine" ways risk being considered unqualified to lead. Women must try to show that they are qualified without appearing too severe or too strong.
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About the Authors

Deborah M. Kolb, Ph.D., is a professor of management at the Simmons School of Management and its Center for Gender in Organizations. Kolb and Judith Williams, Ph.D., wrote The Shadow Negotiation: How Women Can Master the Hidden Agendas That Determine Bargaining Success. Williams earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University, as well as an M.B.A. from the Simmons School. Carol Frohlinger, J.D., is a consultant specializing in strategy, workplace behavior and women in business.

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