Why Good Girls Don't Get Ahead... But Gutsy Girls Do: Nine Secrets Every Working Woman Must Know (1996) - Plot & Excerpts
Kate White's photo on the cover of this book, her references (like Julia Roberts and Demi Moore,) and her advice on how to develop the career of women made me a little nostalgic to the mindset and the movies of the nineties. The attitude in this book was reminiscent of older TV screens airing films such as "working girl" or "philadelphia". The book itself is more like an article in reader's digest, or in a journal from the 90s with a title that appeals to working moms on how to be 'gutsy' and 'make it' in the male-dominated corporate America.The points that Kate shares could all summarized in a page or two. Basically, what she is saying is that to "get ahead," a girl must ask for what she wants; she must break the rules, trust her instincts and take (smart) risks; she must walk and talk and dress like a winner, and have clear goals; more importantly, a girl must stop being a doormat and a people-pleaser, and she must not worry about whether people like her or not. She must ask for the raise she deserves, and she must never say "I'm not sure". She must be aware of the "competitors" around her, and she must be 'snappy', 'gutsy,' and not a 'loser'. That is more or less it. The rest of the book is made up of examples Kate uses to explain her points, and most of these examples are based on her own lessons learned and successes experienced. "You wanna be successful," she seems to be implying, "be more like me, or like Donald Trump, and his wife, and us people who have made it in the United States." While I realize that this might have been deemed a generous book in the 90s, this go-get-em-tiger attitude nevertheless does not sit so well in my stomach. Perhaps that's because the concept of "those who get ahead and those who don't" will always sound a little foreign to me.
Kay White was a keynote speaker at the Women's Leadership Conference I recently attended and I enjoyed her witty irreverent style and wanted to see if her books were as entertaining as she was as a speaker. In addition to the business books she's written she's done a mystery series as well. This book is one of the most useful and yet entertaining books I've read on how to be a more effecctive leader. She gives concrete lessons to help women get over the "good girl" programming we have. It's a great book for women in the corporate world, whether you're experienced or just starting out in your career.
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