Swim with the Dolphins: How Women Can Succeed in Corporate America on Their Own Terms - Softcover

Until recently, working in corporate America was like swimming in a pool of sharks. Command-and-control was the watchword of the day, and circling near the top of most hierarchies were cold-blooded sharks. You know the type. Tough. Arrogant. Ruthless. Maybe you even tried to mimic them - and if so, you weren't alone. Many women, in their efforts to climb the corporate ladder, attempted to emulate the sharks. But for most, it wasn't a comfortable fit. And no wonder. Women aren't like sharp-toothed predators. They're more like dolphins. Unlike sharks, who prefer working in rigid traditional hierarchies, dolphins thrive in teams organized around networks. Comfortable with power, they rarely abuse it, viewing themselves as leaders rather than bosses. And although they value the bottom line as much as any shark, they know that the bottom line grows fastest in a flexible workplace where people are satisfied and motivated to do their best. With their tough but caring ways, women have the very characteristics America's forward-thinking corporations are looking for in today's fiercely competitive and ever-changing business environment. Now, there's a navigational map to guide you through the new corporate waters. Swim with the Dolphins is loaded with specific strategies and hands-on advice that will help make you, as a woman, a better manager, both for yourself and for your company. Based on interviews with more than 200 successful female managers, it will show you how to attract, hire, and keep good employees; build and coach effective teams; share the workload; motivate and inspire your staff; manage conflict and difficult employees; set the stage for win-win negotiations; bounce back fromadversity; work smarter, not harder; get noticed and promoted; avoid the fear of failure, and prevent stress from managing you; overcome obstacles that female managers still encounter in corporate America...and much more. Whether you're a trainee or an executive, learn to swim with the dolphins, and succeed in business. You'll succeed on your own terms. And succeed without selling out.

To the mind's eye, the dolphin suggests the image of a friendly sea animal as opposed to the predatory shark, which may attack in a rush of fury. Glasser and Smalley (coauthors of More Power to You, Warner, 1992) successfully use the characteristics of these sea creatures to convey the differences between the management styles of women (dolphins) and men (sharks). In the 1980s, there was a widespread belief that women climbing the proverbial corporate ladder had to behave like the men who had preceded them. With the changing business environment of the 1990s, according to the authors, women are succeeding on their own terms. This informative, well-written book comprises interviews and specific profiles of successful managers. Here we learn important lessons from women who share similar stories. Although the focus is female-oriented, both genders can benefit from reading this book. Recommended for public and academic libraries.?Belinda Wise, SUNY-Farmingdale
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.