Real Women, Real Leaders: Surviving and Succeeding in the Business World - Hardcover

by Kathleen Hurley (Author), Priscilla Shumway (Author)

Plan your path to leadership with insight from real women at the top

In Real Women, Real Leadership, twenty-four women leaders describe their personal journeys to the top, providing deep insight and a fascinating perspective on "making it" as a woman in the male-dominated business environment. They discuss their experiences and offer guidance on topics such as balancing family and career, building alliances, mentoring and being mentored, and overcoming obstacles in the business world which is still dominated by men in the senior levels of management. Drawn from a range of industries including higher education, technology, law, the military, politics, the media, and more, these stories provide the details that every ambitious woman needs to know. You'll learn which skills, attributes, and relationships served these women best, how they overcame the obstacles thrown into their paths, and the people they credit as instrumental along the way. A self-assessment chapter helps you discover your own leadership attributes, and determine which skills you need to acquire as you formulate your own personal roadmap to the top.

There are many books about women who have been excellent leaders, but Real Women, Real Leadership provides the personal, relatable testimonials from women who have navigated the opportunities and pitfalls of the business world. Each story sheds light on women's unique leadership attributes, and provides guidance for professional women charting their own professional advancement.

• Learn from women leaders in a diverse range of industries
• Discover the leadership attributes that make the biggest impact
• Gain insight into work/life balance, mentors, relationships, and more
• Discover your leadership strengths and develop a plan forward

Studies have shown that companies with three or more women board members dramatically outperform the competition in returns on equity, sales, and invested capital -- yet women only claim a tiny percentage of boardroom seats and top executive positions. Why? And why, when they do achieve leadership positions, do women tend to make such outstanding leaders? Real Women, Real Leadership tackles these questions and more from an in-the-trenches perspective to help you become the leader you want to be.

Front Jacket

Women are significantly underrepresented in upper management positions--particularly at the top companies. For example, women hold only 5.2% of CEO positions in the Fortune 500 companies. Business is still a man's world, but why? Research findings continue to show that women are just as good, and often better, than men at displaying the skills and competencies that make for good leadership. So women who aspire to top leadership positions need to know how to overcome the statistics. Real Women, Real Leaders is a unique new resource in which some of the world's top female leaders tell their stories firsthand. These authentic accounts provide invaluable lessons from the women who experienced--and overcame--obstacles to advancement.

By interviewing transformational women leaders and allowing them to explain the secrets to their success in their own words, Kathy Hurley and Priscilla Shumway uncovered crucial patterns that begin to explain how women can succeed in business while remaining true to themselves. The chapters of Real Women, Real Leaders come together around the key competencies that researchers have identified as being crucial to leadership excellence. From motivating others to developing strategic perspective, these abilities come naturally to many women, and the stories in this book provide priceless insight into how today's leaders harnessed their innate talents.

Despite much progress in the area of gender equality, women still face significant obstacles as they work their way to the top. Real Women, Real Leaders is full of inspiring anecdotes demonstrating the attitudes and techniques that work to overcome barriers and clear the way for success. Readers are also encouraged to be proactive, applying what they learn from the book's contributors as they complete the Personal Leadership Assessment and begin to develop their own top competencies.

Contemporary research insights and action strategies for leadership development are woven together with the personal narratives in Real Women, Real Leaders, yielding a book that is at once practical and relatable. A companion website contains video interviews with many of the powerful contributors, giving readers living examples to study and observe. The ascension of women to leadership success in business, government, and nonprofit is one of the major cultural shifts of our time. With Real Women, Real Leaders, Kathy Hurley and Priscilla Shumway promote the advancement of women by giving rising leaders a look at what really makes women leaders shine.

Back Jacket

Praise for Real Women, Real Leaders

"Hurley and Shumway have put together an excellent and important work. Montana was built by hardworking and fearless mothers, wives and daughters, Indian and immigrant both and Real Women, Real Leaders profiles those who carry on the tradition and continue to blaze new trails."
--Brian Schweitzer, Governor of Montana from 2005-2013

"It all comes down to leadership. The principles of leadership exemplified in this book are our roadmap. Let us not forget that we will never fulfill our 21st century potential if we don't have leaders capable of taking us there!"
--Ken Kay, CEO, EdLeader21 and Founding Chair, P21

"This book is critical to every girl and woman aspiring to be a leader and every boy and man committed to supporting a sister, a spouse, a partner, or a mom. All readers can discover remarkable role models, new insight, and new knowledge."
--John I. Wilson, Former Executive Director, National Education Association

"Hurley and Shumway have produced a vital analysis of the essential skills, talents, and competencies of a fascinating group of female leaders. Not only an inspiring read, but also a practical guide to adopting some of these leaders' very best approaches in your own professional and personal life."
--Deborah Quazzo, Founder and Managing Partner, GSV Advisors

"Leading large-scale impact is challenging for anyone, but historically, women have had to overcome added academic and professional obstacles. Real Women, Real Leaders captures the powerful stories of women who overcame these hurdles and not only found success but led others to success in the process."
--Tom Vander Ark, CEO, Getting Smart, an education advocacy firm

"This book is for every woman who has faced challenges in the workplace because of her gender. These stories of women leaders will inspire and help those wishing to not only survive but also thrive because of the unique gifts women bring to the workplace."
--Holly Jobe, Past President, International Society for Technology in Education

"Real Women, Real Leaders wonderfully knits together stories of women in leadership and begins to build a bridge that can help future generations of girls and women cross to the leadership positions they so richly deserve and need to fill."
--Wendy La Duke, Group Publisher, eSchool Media

Author Biography

KATHY HURLEY is a veteran of more than forty years in the education industry, where she has served in senior executive positions at Pearson, IBM, and The Learning Company among others. She recently attended Harvard University's Advanced Leadership Initiative and upon completion co-founded a global non-profit called Girls Thinking Global. She has received many industry awards, including induction into the AAP Hall of Fame.

PRISCILLA SHUMWAY is president and principal of New Learning Presentation Systems, a consultancy specializing in learning and development. She is an award-winning presenter who has presented nationally and internationally, observing the challenges and opportunities facing women in business.