Product Description

So, you finally got that promotion. You’re the boss now. The supervisor. The manager. The captain. The taskmaster. Those days of taking orders, running errands, and clock-watching are over. As exciting as all this might seem, once the rush of the promotion is over, you might be scratching your head wondering exactly what to do. Being the boss is never easy, but it's twice as hard for a woman. It seems like there's no middle ground. Either you're the dragon lady who rules with an iron fist or the mousey girl who gets drowned out at every meeting. When a woman wields authority and dares to make tough decisions, how often is the "B-word" bandied about by her employees? How can she strike that balance between pushover and dictator?

Fear not. You can do the job. All you need is a little helpful advice to send you on your way. Whether you supervise two as a shift manager or lord over an entire corporate empire, Caitlin Friedman and Kim Yorio will show you how to step gracefully into your new position of power. They’ll teach you how to motivate your team without alienating them, how to delegate without feeling guilty, how to deal with office politics and how to handle evaluations, promotions, and even firings. And for those of you who are already running the show, they can help you become the mentor your employees deserve.

Inside, there are self-assessment questionnaires to help you find out where you land on the bitch or wimp scale; interviews with prominent female bosses, human-resources directors, and therapists; and advice from a whole host of experts. In addition, there are funny and informative checklists and tips to make sure you’re the Good Witch around the office and not the Big Bitch. And, most important, Caitlin and Kim will teach you the secrets to owning your role and loving it. You’ve earned your promotion, so enjoy it!

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #359430 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-18
• Released on: 2006-04-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Amazon.com Review
Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio offer advice for "both the leader and the led" in this entertaining and useful guidebook for today's working woman. Through quizzes, personal anecdotes, and interviews, Friedman and Yorio help readers to identify their leadership style and share support and encouragement from experts to help women become better (and more comfortable) leaders. Want to know more? Check out Friedman and Yorio's "Top 5 Reasons to Buy This Book" for the inside scoop.

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Top 5 Reasons to Buy The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss (Without Being a Bitch)

1. You just got promoted.
Yikes! Nobody ever taught you to be a manager. Your role models have been less than fabulous and you want to be better. We teach you how to be more mentor than manager. We show you how to be firm but fair. Armed with our book, you will learn how to get the best out of your employees.

2. Most management books put you to sleep.
No jargon and no need for an MBA. The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss Without Being a Bitch is a fun read that offers information without intimidation and includes all the advice you need to learn to lead, inspire and motivate. We include quizzes, tips, checklists and fun sidebars such as "Celluloid Bitches," and "The Girl’s Guide to Gossip" throughout.

3. Your manager is crazy.
You're not alone. In our "Good Witch/Big Bitch" boxes we share both the horrible and the heroic--stories from women from around the country who have seen it all and learned their lessons.

4. You're not a manager…yet!
Unlike most management books we speak to both leaders and the led. We offer tips and suggestions for dealing with issues such as micromanagement, taking credit for ideas, managing up to get the promotion, office politics and taking responsibility for mistakes.

5. Don't take just our word for it....
Good management is a life-long pursuit. We'd be foolish to believe we know it all, so to help us fill in the blanks we got on the phone with women from all over the country. We include interviews with coaches, human resource directors, other writers, supervisors, the supervised, mediators, and social workers to get their take on the challenges and opportunities of being the chick-in-charge.

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From Publishers Weekly
Since the early 1980s, studies have shown that the techniques utilized by successful men in leadership roles do not have the same effects when practiced by women in similar contexts. It is commonly known that when a woman behaves like her male counterpart, she is often negatively labeled as cold, tough, etc. In addition, women have fewer female role models to whom they can turn for advice and assistance. Friedman and Yorio help readers through this dilemma by compiling personal anecdotes, pop culture references and an array of interviews with female leaders in various fields in an attempt to offer the support and encouragement women need to excel as leaders. The authors state that the patience, strength, wisdom, resourcefulness and nurturance that society cultivates in women might actually make females better managers than males. The book is filled with numerous examples of management styles as well as quizzes to determine if the reader is a "Good Witch" or a "Bad Bitch" with regard to her own leadership skills. Leaders of any gender will find solace in reading these stories from the trenches and may learn some new tips to improve on their own leadership skills as well. (Apr. 4)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–This crash course in management covers the gamut in perky prose, from hiring to firing and everything in between. The authors provide examples of their principles with stories from their experiences as bosses and with reports of other female executives. Interviews with successful businesswomen add insight into techniques on which the chapter focuses. Other stories about bosses who were either good witches or bad bitches provide juicy anecdotes. Not all issues will apply to every teen in a leadership position, but young women will find this a handy guide. Whether student-body president or yearbook editor, or at work in another environment, teens will find tools, techniques, and advice that they can use to lead people more efficiently and effectively.–Jane S. Drabkin, Chinn Park Regional Library, Woodbridge, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Customer Reviews

Love it!
This book is insightful without being preachy. The cover and title make it seem as if the content is based on humor, but it really provides some great, realistic tips for those of us who are new to management roles. I would recommend this book to both new and experienced managers.

Somewhat basic, but an easy read
I skimmed through this book and it pointed me in the direction of other valuable resources. For that alone it was worth the price. That said, I agree with the earlier reviewer who said it doesn't provide much in the way of 'tactics'. I supposed you could call it 'grand strategy' wherein you get ideas on what to work on and then leads to other books.

For myself, I think most women I meet have a fair idea of what not to do (barring the wildly overemotional), but it's what to do that many of us could use the mentoring on. For example, working in an environment dominated by former military men, precise instruction on how to communicate effectively and/or come across as firm/tough but fair is helpful. The authors suggested "Nice girls don't get the corner office" which has much more in the way of concrete 'tactics' -- i.e. what words, postures, activities to avoid and which to cultivate.
So if you only have to by one book, it would be "Nice girls don't get the corner office". If you feel that you could use more broad advice and have the money to spare, buy both. Certainly this is more easy to read than some of the other career books I have encountered.

Don't Be That Horrible Boss You Had
This book provides practical advice to support your efforts to be a great manager. Even if you do not have direct reports, the book can be a tool for you to evaluate the working relationship you have with your manager. The author's use of humor makes this an easy and enjoyable read. If it makes any difference, I am not just recommending this book to you reading this Amazon posting. I have recommended the book to three of my friends and even walked one of them right into the bookstore to make her purchase when we were out shopping. Enjoy!