New Rules of the Game: 10 Strategies for Women in the Workplace

by Susan Packard

Business is a team sport. Learn how to win.

Where would your career be if you could understand how your colleagues--especially men--succeed and win at work? And if, in understanding and applying the rules, you could win, too?

In New Rules of the Game , business leader Susan Packard shows you how to cultivate gamesmanship --a strategic way of thinking regularly seen in the video game and sports worlds, and most often among men--that develops creativity, focus, optimism, teamwork, and competitiveness. You'll learn the Ten Rules of Gamesmenship and how to use them effectively to:
 
·        Compete outwardly in a healthy, rewarding way
·        Build support groups to help you advance
·        Step up with more grit to get the next win
·        Approach your workplace with more lightness and insight
·        Take loss in stride and provide the emotional distance needed to win at work

Packard shares her career story with humor and candor, including the successes and the mistakes, the triumphs and some personal and career setbacks, and presents them as teachable moments for you.

But the book is much bigger that one person’s experience. Packard also shares the stories of other presidents and CEOs who have become great gamers in their own fields, providing you with the insight and inspiration to play the business game smarter, stronger, and more successfully. You will also be better able to coach others, inspiring your team to perform at higher levels as you drive them toward the next win.
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Feminism, Buisness, Womens, Self Help

256 pages, Paperback

First published February 3, 2015

Reviews

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure at first that this book would be beneficial to me since it's written by a woman who rose to the top in corporate scenarios and I'm a recently self-employed entrepreneur who left behind a string of Fortune 500 employers to have more autonomy and work/life balance. As it turns out, this book is a valuable read for anyone, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, and employment status.

Packard skillfully combines personal anecdotes and straightforward advice from her various career and life experiences to illustrate how we can compete with grace (applicable to both women and men), but spices it up with a lot of humor, which is rare in books of this nature.

I have a hard time looking at my career objectively, and without being too critical of myself (you are your own worst boss as an entrepreneur, after all!). She thankfully addresses perfectionist tendencies and gives tips on separating emotion from business when needed, but without appearing cold.

Losses are described as important reminders to re-evaluate your goals, and growth happens personally and professionally from them much more so than you would see by winning all the time.

Her lessons on resilience and looking at the workplace as a game can carry over from our careers to our personal lives, reminding us to treat life with less seriousness than we tend to, and incorporate more laughter. Having met Susan Packard, I can say that she is the real deal and as personable as she sounds in her book - her recent focus really is helping women and men relate to one another better, and creating an inclusive and fair playing field in the workplace.

Very well done! A must-read for all females who work.

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book to be outdated in some parts. I don’t know if this is because I’ve been very fortunate in my experiences as a women working in sports but I found some things contradictory. However there were some great stories from some bad ass women in various industries which I really enjoyed!

[Meghan Sørensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit outdated and some of the sports/videogame references took me out of it a bit but still lots of good lessons to take away and into the workforce!

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's similarity between the book and 'Lean-In', which I like. Both are about women in workplace and how we should behave/act, taking advantage of our feminine power, to climb up the ladder in male-dominated workplace. Both authors of the book had some unpleasant experience (one was divorced at the age of 25 and one was raped in a hotel) which made them stronger and who they are now. I appreciate their honesty in revealing their frustration and vulnerability during the hard time.
However, the major difference I found in this author is that she adopts a 'harsher' approach in work as compared to 'Lean In'. She encourages female not to say random useless stuff like 'I am hungry' or 'I am sleepy now' in workplace, not to mention shedding tears, because it will make colleagues lower your authority level. Whereas in 'LEAN IN', the author encourages a sharing of emotion, at extreme cases, crying helps you to build a personal connection with colleagues.
I personally prefer 'LEAN IN' soft approach more, but definitely this is a great book providing pratical advice for dressing/talking/working style in workplace.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book covers many aspects of the experience of a women’s professional life, that can’t be fully touched on in short-form articles. It’s useful and insightful. Reading this has been worthwhile, leaving me equiped with a foundation of my approach to relatable situations. Many men would also benefit from the tips she provides! Susan Packard’s emphasis on the team mentality a was particularly notable aspect of this read. Would definitely recommend her wisdom to others looking to gain insight into areas of workplace interaction that they may not have naturally considered.

[Nita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think if I were younger than this book would have meant more.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reinforced my desire for going for it.

[Ces Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book that started my interest in self-help. It was easy to read, not too heavy and quite entertaining - felt like a senior colleague sharing things with you over coffee break.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outdated and not always easy to follow, the author goes from one topic to another, but offers a broadly interesting take on things.

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

With humor and sports contexts women will gain very practical, relevant information which valuable for the manager and employee alike. The format is very user friendly with short chapters ending with a Your Turn section motivating you with practical information to get you focused, thinking, and most importantly, easy to reread. I repeat, this book is meant to be used for rereading and structured for you to do so easily with the numbered, important points in the Your Turn section.The reference section at the back gives excellent mostly online references for each chapter. I received a copy for review from Goodreads First Reads.

[Angela Teague · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a mid-level employee I never felt I could manage or lead people but after reading this book now I think I can. “New Rules of the Game” has become my new personal trainer for the workplace. This book has given me a new sense of purpose and inspired me to take the next step in my field. I feel like Susan Packard is telling me to “Go for it! I succeeded and so can you.”

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot of attention paid to the notion of getting a promotion. While useful, I felt that she had a lot of other interesting insights that took a back seat to this topic. Her discussions on a company's culture were valuable and not something that I've seen n a lot of books.

[Kim Ballard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for women in leadership!

[Candace W · Rating 3 out of 5]

There wasn't anything that I had not already heard, thought there were some tidbits I found useful. I was thrown though by the spelling and grammatical errors found throughout the book.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed the reminder to play a bit more in my work and to be okay with failing.