Be Your Own Mentor: Strategies from Top Women on the Secrets of Success

by Sheila Wellington, Betty Spence

Surprising secrets of success from some of America's women leaders; all the things a mentor would tell you are revealed in this mentor-in-a-book. Sheila Wellington, the president of Catalyst, draws on Catalyst research, contacts, and know-how to tell you how to understand the unspoken rules in the real world of work today and how to get ahead.

Catalyst studies reveal that having a mentor is the crucial key to success at work, and it's the single advantage men usually have, and women usually don't. Even at the best organizations for women, there is still a shortage of mentors. Be Your Own Mentor becomes that mentor for you, providing through stories and eye-opening advice a step-by-step guide to advancement. How to master the art of networking, how to create opportunities to gain experience and visibility, how to manage time, how to negotiate salary, and much, much more is discussed, as you learn from leading women how they got where they are, the mistakes they feel they've made along the way, and how they created lives of achievement and satisfaction. Hear from women such as Carly Fiorina (CEO, Hewlett-Packard), Cathleen Black (president, Hearst Magazines), Judith Rodin (president, University of Pennsylvania), and Andrea Jung (president and CEO, Avon). From that first resume all the way to the CEO's office, Be Your Own Mentor guides you along your path to success.

Be Your Own Mentor gives advice from top women on how
Devise a short-term and long-term career strategy
Gain visibility in the workplace and in your field
Create opportunities to gain valuable experience
Change your career path
Negotiate salary
Balance work and family
And much, much more...

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Womens, Self Help

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jill Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book in connection with a project for our firm's women's networking group. It contains some good tips, but nothing that hasn't been covered in other materials on this topic. It was written more than 10 years ago and seems a bit out of date in terms of the status of women in the workplace and, more specifically, in professional firms.

[Leslie Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm in the middle of a job transition so I'm reading career advice books like crazy. This is somewhat of an odd book as it brings together research done by the Catalyst group to offer advice to women. It is somewhat dated although certain things still are useful. As a reader, however, I grew very tired of the format. The book brings up an issue in each chapter and then includes quote after quote from major female leaders. These quotes may read like tips - but only the kind of tip that can be contained in three sentences. There are sections in each chapter giving advice but for my personal taste, it's much too observational about gender inequality and less helpful for those experiencing it. I was intrigued by the title as I haven't been successful in identifying a real mentor but I'm not sure this is the book to help me find one or be - as the title claims - my own.

Interesting information but maybe more of a starter book for someone interested in gender in the workplace.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wellington offers advice drawing upon her company's own data collection as well as interviews with specific high fliers. Some of it it the same old, same old (Women have to work harder to get the same recognition), some of it was contradictory (pretend to be into sports, be true to yourself, don't follow sports if it's not your thing, it's very good if sports are you thing, fake it if it's not...), some of it was new to me (line jobs get you further up the ladder, but staff jobs give you breadth).

Read, review, take with a healthy grain of salt.

[Alexa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basic, good tips.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written for women.

[Lemy]

Looks very interesting, cannot wait to read it :)