The Naked Truth

September 20, 2004
"I never
wanted to work in business," writes Heffernan. Twenty years after expressing that sentiment, as CEO of a technology company, she found herself "having the time of my life" and wondered whether she had "completely lost my mind? Or sold my soul?" Heffernan sees "women creating a new business order that places values at the heart of business, takes sustainability seriously, and recognizes that business is and always will be emotional." Eleven chapters are peppered with her own illustrative anecdotes and insights plus those of 63 career women representing a wide variety of positions and professions. These contain instructive descriptions of potential pitfalls and urgent advice, each one ending with a list of "Travel Thoughts" to keep in mind. Readers are told how to climb the corporate ladder, maintain a female identity, navigate toxic environments, see through common fallacies, acquire power, balance work with personal life, break into top management, assert autonomy, strike out on their own and reinvent a "parallel universe" of humanitarian alternatives. Nothing is new or told in a fresh way, but Heffernan delivers the catalogue of female careerist frustration succinctly and sympathetically.

October 15, 2004
This book is fresh, honest, and compelling--if only for the dozens of women (and some men!) whose lives and thoughts are excerpted here. What Heffernan--an ex-CEO, consultant, speaker, and former BBC television producer--has compiled is the story of women in corporate America today, who, despite all the hype and hyperbole, have not progressed as far and as fast as has been predicted. Women hold 8 percent of executive titles and 9.9 percent of line positions: statistics revealing the true state of affairs. Frankly autobiographical, the author also shares the experiences of others; specific issues include stereotyping (calling someone a "geisha," "bitch," "guy," or just plain "invisible"), toxic bosses and hostile environments, power, a well-balanced and whole life, exits, career paths, and, ultimately, becoming an internal change agent. There is much good advice (remember to "leave smart") and much to think about, including provocative questions at each chapter's end called "Travel Thoughts." Reassurance--and a reaffirmation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)