How Women Can Succeed in the Workplace (Despite Having "Female Brains"): Second Edition

by Valerie Alexander

Women graduate from colleges, law schools, business schools and film schools at the same rate as men, but ten years later, our participation in the upper ranks of almost all industries is less than 20%, and in some fields, less than 10%.

How Women Can Succeed in the Workplace (Despite Having “Female Brains”), takes a frank and honest approach to examining what women are doing to hold ourselves back, and how we can compete on a playing field designed by men to reward their achievements.

Using relevant studies in evolutionary biology, anthropology and sociology, as well as examples from her life as a securities lawyer, investment banker, Internet executive and screenwriter, Valerie Alexander explains the evolution of the “gendered” brain and the corporate structure, showcasing and dissecting areas where women’s natural tendencies prevent us from succeeding in male-designed workplaces.

How Women Can Succeed in the Workplace tackles a difficult subject with candor, humor and confidence -- and two of those traits are actually welcome in the workplace!

Genres: Business

Kindle Edition

First published October 27, 2014

About the author

Valerie Alexander started her career in the Silicon Valley during the Dot-Com gold rush of the late 1990s, where she worked on some of the most high-profile transactions of the decade as a securities lawyer, an investment banker and an Internet executive.

From 2000 to 2001, she returned to Indiana to care for her mother, and in her absence the Internet bubble burst, leaving her no choice but to move to Los Angeles to write and direct movies.

As a screenwriter, Valerie has worked with Joel Schumacher, Catherine Zeta Jones, Ice Cube and others. Not satisfied writing scripts that never got made, she co-wrote, produced and directed the award-winning short film, Making the Cut, as well as numerous commercials and public service announcements.

Valerie received her B.A. from Trinity University and her J.D. and M.S. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. In the spring of 2010, she returned to Berkeley Law to teach the legal ethics seminar, "Representation of Law in Film," and she continues to lecture at colleges and film schools across the country with her entertaining talk, "How to Survive in Hollywood (Despite Having a Female Brain)."

Valerie lives in Los Angeles with her husband, writer and producer Rick Alexander, and their ill-mannered German Shepherd, Pepper.

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book entirely reductive and problematic . In the beginning of the book Alexander makes the statement that nurture has its point but that nature is overwhelmingly dominant. While she contradicts herself by loosely claiming she has done her research but does not discuss the nature of her research or the counter arguments for her opinions. She claimed that she was not favoring one gender over the other however, majority of the book was centered around "females acclimating to the male's thought processes". Her "scientific" support was a joke as it related to belated sociological referencing and a lens of neurosexism. She argues that she is not focusing on nurture, however when she uses predominantly anecdotal evidence and outdated research it refutes her claim entirely. I am not discrediting her experience because that is a waste of time, however I am saying she cannot discredit social constructs and then use majority of her "evidence" as personal experience. There cannot be an argument about social situations without discussing social structures as well as biology and historical evolution. She claims to be "gender impartial" but there is no way she can do that without acknowledging that past research was constructed solely through a patriarchal lens. The brain has been argued to be androgynous in nature and to use her tone, " there is more research supporting otherwise". If she must talk about sex and gender she would be better off discussing things from a chromosomal level and discussing hormones entirely. She misuses the term gender as biological sex which is incorrect as again, gender is a social construction of roles assigned for the sexes and changes. Also she further does not include marginalized groups including race and sexual orientation which furthers the error of her books "evidence". This book was very informative for a limited cis, female audience and I fall into that category however she attempts to cover a lot of ground with little to back it up which discredits her goal.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written advice

This book had some very good advice about what to do, and what not to do, in the workplace. I have known and respected several women that I work with , and I recognized how they follow a lot of the tips in this book. I have also known women who practice some of the "don't do" things in this book , and I must admit I do not respect these women as much.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Women don’t need to put men down to raise ourselves up. This book thankfully makes that clear.

An easy read that move quickly through some general gender instincts and how they translate into the workplace. I found this interesting and it helped me better understand some of my behaviors and things I can work on.

The examples to highlight the findings were fine, but what the books lacks are examples to help women improve when they find themselves in male dominated situations. When I’m in a room of man and I’m asked to take note - a list of optional replies would be helpful.

Frequently advised was that for women “to succeed in any competitive workplace, you must make quick decisions, confidently, and not be apologetic or self-deprecating about changing them if they’re wrong. Just decide.” But there’s no guidance on how to develop and fine-tune these skills. How does one become a better, faster decision maker?

The best takeaway came in the Final Thoughts section at the end of the boom: BYOB, Bring Your Own Brag! It’s a game where everyone shares something that makes them great at their job. What a great exercise! Good for any team, not just women.

Read the book or get the highlights in the author’s Ted Talk, How To Outsmart Your Own Unconscious: https://www.ted.com/talks/valerie_ale...

[Kendra Fredrickson-Laouini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invaluable, Quick Read

This book is not just for women. It's a quick, no nonsense read about male and female brains and about how those differences play out in business/life. I heard myself in some of her examples, and I can imagine that I'll remember these lessons a long time. Take an hour and read this book. It's worth it.

[Ashley Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read!

Nice to hear someone finally discussing this! I can’t say i personally agree with everything she says, but good to hear a different perspective.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a line in the introduction of Alexander's book - on the first page actually - where she ponders why the topic of "female brains" and how they affect women in the workplace hasn't been discussed more often. After reading the book -and with 20+ years of corporate workplace experience in my rear-view mirror - I concur that this subject hasn't been given its due attention. But lest you think from the title that this book might undermine women or call attention to their "weaknesses" (note quotation marks please), fear not. Nor is it a male-bashing book. Far from it. This is a book about how women can achieve the greatest possible success in workplaces and industries, that by and large, are still dominated by men. It is a how-to book, where Alexander dispenses clear and practical advice, backed up by many personal anecdotes and sound examples. This is a business book, but I'm going so far as to to call it a reference book, one worthy of dog-earing and pulling out from time to time to serve as a reminder of how to approach our work lives. As an aside, I've known Alexander for more than half my life (yikes!) and can say that she herself is the best example of why the guidance in this book works. She is a product of her own advice - strong, successful, and worthy of emulation.