[How She Does It]  ::  [The Naked Truth]

PRESS: HOW SHE DOES IT

The Globe and Mail

Copyright 2007 The Globe and Mail, a division of CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc.
All Rights Reserved
The Globe and Mail (Canada)
April 25, 2007 Wednesday

HEADLINE: The feminine (entrepreneurial) mystique
BYLINE: HARVEY SCHACHTER, harvey@harveyschachter.com
SECTION: REPORT ON BUSINESS: GLOBE CAREERS; IDEAS: MANAGING BOOKS; Pg. C3
How She Does It
By Margaret Heffernan
Viking, 274 pages, $32.50

The number of businesses started by women keeps surging, with profits for them growing faster than all companies, Margaret Heffernan states. Indeed, in the United States, women's companies are creating jobs at twice the rate of all firms and are now responsible for more payroll than all the Fortune 500 behemoths combined.

Ms. Heffernan, who has been the chief executive officer of five different businesses in the U.S. and Britain, set out to talk to some of these successful female entrepreneurs and, although they were a diverse lot, came away with some important lessons.

The first is what motivates female entrepreneurs: These women "were driven to look for a place where they could prove themselves on their terms. There is some evidence that women are willing to take bigger risks with their careers than men. This is not because they are stupid; it is because they are desperate. So often they can see no other way to find work, and a way of working, that suits them."

The businesses they build, therefore, are different from those that men create, notably for the attention they pay to others and the way they lead by orchestration rather than direction. That made Ms. Heffernan uncomfortable. "When I describe these women as nurturing, it makes me flinch. I did not grow up in an environment in which my female qualities were regarded as anything other than an obstacle in business. I spent a good deal of my career trying to ignore them. So it is a shock to see them as an asset, but it is a very important lesson for the business world as a whole. It is critical for both men and women to appreciate just how relevant, effective, and successful women's ways of working are, so that everyone will gain confidence in us just the way we are," she writes in How She Does It.

She also feels it's important for established, traditional corporations to recognize the achievements of these female entrepreneurs, and understand the talent they are losing. What is it about most corporate cultures that makes them intolerable to precisely the kind of entrepreneurial imagination and drive needed for success? In particular, since these women generally have found a balance between family and work - and have encouraged their staff to do the same - she feels their success should shatter forever the ossified belief that you can't have a family and be fully committed to a professional career.

The hundreds of entrepreneurs she studied include some reasonably well know figures, such as clothing designer Eileen Fisher, Oxygen Media founder Geraldine Laybourne, and Doris Christopher, founder of kitchen utensils seller The Pampered Chef. There are also many unheralded but astonishing success stories, such as Carol Latham, who, newly divorced and broke, built a tech business by hiring her inner-city neighbours, many of whom didn't speak English, and giving them the schooling and training that allowed the business to take off.

The book is built around themes that serve as lessons. It begins with the value of values: Ms. Heffernan found that when a woman talks about her company, she is more likely to talk about its philosophy - about the purpose underlying the business. That draws others to her. But, also, in a business world characterized by chaos and change, values provide continuity.

The cornerstone of their people management is a belief in fairness, the opportunity to achieve, and a sense of community. At a time when some major companies are looking to cut back on benefits, women's businesses have been loath to follow their example. "In fact, you are more likely to be offered a choice of insurers and pension plans if you work for a woman. What this says about the company is that it is serious when it talks about valuing people," Ms. Heffernan says.

Most of the women lead by orchestration, putting people in the right place and intervening only when necessary. Lauri Union, who revived her family's steel manufacturer, Union Corrugating Co., oversees nine plants with the headquarters attached to one of them in North Carolina - but she isn't located at that headquarters or any of the plants, living in Boston. "The fact that I was not there made the management team stronger because they weren't dependent on me. The company's growth was not held back by the limits of what I could do," she says.

That's a provocative notion - not being held back by the leader's limits - and this engaging book is filled with similarly thoughtful fodder for entrepreneurs and managers. Beyond that, of course, it will be inspirational for female entrepreneurs, as they hear the stories of women who have triumphed in business while not changing who they are.

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Bloomberg News

Do Female Tigers Have the Muscle to Shake Up Business Culture?
By Joan Oleck

March 7 (Bloomberg) -- Carol Vallone killed her own creation. The CEO of Universal Learning Technologies called a halt to the software her company had designed for putting university course material on line when she realized that her competitor, WebCT, had a product that already boasted the momentum and customer base hers lacked. So Vallone initiated a risky merger with WebCT.

In "How She Does It: How Women Entrepreneurs Are Changing the Rules of Business Success," Margaret Heffernan shows how Vallone -- woman that she was -- confronted the intense emotions that surround an M&A deal.

"It was a bereavement, and I felt that we had to acknowledge it just as in any death,'' Vallone told Heffernan. "So we had a memorial service. We literally stood around and had readings about the product, remembered it, had a eulogy!''

She went further. To ward off the usual M&A turf war, she sent technical teams back and forth between WebCT's offices in Vancouver and her own company's base in Boston. She installed Canadian flags in the Boston reception area and videoconferencing equipment to give face time between the two staffs real meaning.

Vallone made the merger a success, writes Heffernan (herself a former CEO of iCAST, Zinezone and other businesses and the author of "The Naked Truth: A Working Woman's Manifesto on Business and What Really Matters''), by facing rather than running away from the "maelstrom'' of M&A anxieties.

Female Norm

With privately held businesses owned by women growing at three times the rate of all such American firms over the past decade, Heffernan thinks it's time to toss out those old-school male qualities of aggression, single-mindedness and hard-edged analysis.

The "new norm'' welcomes such female qualities as a feel for the zeitgeist (as society's primary consumers, women are more likely to capture the spirit of the moment); improvisation; and adherence (not just lip service) to values. Wal-Mart may call people its most precious asset while it implements health insurance cuts, but the women Heffernan met stuck to their values through good times and bad.

In this engaging celebration of female business owners, Heffernan offers chapters on 10 "female'' qualities and interviews 27 businesswomen about how they put them into practice. Eileen Fisher, the designer, demonstrated her zeitgeist sensitivity by recognizing that women want more comfortable work clothes that transition to evening wear.

Unorthodox Forecast

Doris Christopher, of the kitchen-utensil maker the Pampered Chef, exemplifies improvisation. When she was starting out, her company's 400 percent growth rate was unmanageable -- and inventory was insufficient. So she took the unorthodox route of informing her sales consultants that she was putting the brakes on further recruiting: She presented a business plan that forecast a freeze -- not something most male entrepreneurs would even consider doing.

Mona Eliassen, CEO of Eliassen Group, software consultants, recognizes what Heffernan calls the "power of people'' and understands that morale matters. (In fact, analyses of publicly traded companies suggest a 20 percent earnings premium for high morale.) Despite economic downturns and unavoidable layoffs, Eliassen has refused to cut the massages, fresh fruit, dry- cleaning pickups and other perks that define her company culture.

All This, All That

Heffernan sees a "good cultural fit'' between the business cultures these women have built and society's expectation that women will be more caring, communicative and encouraging than men. But readers may wish she had interviewed these impressive CEOs and left it at that. Instead she promotes stereotypes -- all women are this, all men are that. C'mon: Surely there are a few good guys out there.

Still, she's on to something when she describes "the dominant cliche in the business world: the start-up run by emotionally stilted, 20-something boys who eat pizza, work through the night and change the world.'' What makes this cartoon picture of Bill Gates and Sergey Brin ring true is the unfunny fact behind it: Less than 9 percent of venture capital funding goes to women's businesses.

It's about time for some of those VC guys to get in touch with their feminine side.

"How She Does It'' is published by Viking (274 pages, $25.95).

(Joan Oleck is a critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are her own.)

To contact the writer on this story: Joan Oleck in New York at joanvalo@aol.com

Last Updated: March 7, 2007 00:24 EST

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Business Voice

Contradictions about the role of women in business remain but in the US female-run companies are doing better than ever.
How She Does It: How Women Entrepreneurs Are Changing the Rules of Business Success By Margaret Heffernan, Viking, $25.95

Reading How She Does It feels like attending a kaleidoscopic, high-energy drinks party, packed to the gunnels with brave, buzzy, imaginative businesswomen. I left energised – and convinced... [view PDF]

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Publishers Weekly

Women-run companies are more likely to stay in business than the average U.S. firm, to grow at three times the average rate, create jobs at twice the average rate and produce profits faster, according to former CEO and BBC producer Heffernan. To find out how and why, she interviewed hundreds of women business owners. Although the way her results confirmed stereotypes about gender differences made her queasy, it turned out that women business owners typically possess the characteristics experts think are needed in 21st-century businesses: combining "discipline, focus, detachment, and systematic thinking with playfulness, empathy, and design." She found that many women started their own businesses after working for corporations that didn't respect or listen to them. In charge of their own companies, their abilities to assert their values, nurture their employees and customers, "orchestrate" rather than "command and control," emphasize collaboration rather than competition, stay open to change, ask for help, learn from mistakes and make time for family became a formula for success. Heffernan's tone matches the frenetic pace and idealistic underpinnings of her interviewees' packed lives. (Jan. 22)

Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
All rights reserved

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Library Journal

A woman who has been the CEO of six companies, Heffernan is an unusual breed, but here she argues that she's not that unusual. Women represent the fastest-growing segment of the entrepreneurial population, starting and growing businesses of all kinds. As Heffernan gives facts and figures (e.g., more women attend college now than men) along with plenty of success stories, this book is as much a preview of the future of business as it is a pep talk for women. Most books on business entrepreneurship can be divided into two types: those directed toward anyone wanting to start a business (e.g., Wes Moss's Starting from Scratch or Guy Kawasaki's Art of the Start, a kind of handbook on bringing new ideas to life) and those that focus on women. In this context, Heffernan's is a solid work that adds another dimension to the business library. Most of what it presents we already know: women shop more often and are in tune with trends; they have fresh ideas, communicate more, and are willing to take more risks. But the book also argues compellingly that many women are driven to become entrepreneurs because those in power in corporate America-that is, men-shut them out. Consequently, this book could work in women's studies collections as well as business collections.

~ Stephen E. Turner, Turner & Assocs., San Francisco

Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

PRESS: ENDORSEMENTS FOR THE NAKED TRUTH:
A Working Woman's Manifesto on Business and What Really Matters.

Network of Executive Women Online - New Book Club
www.newnewsletter.org/books/books.php

For those women who think "you can have it all," comes this contrarian view from business journalist and former technology CEO Margaret Heffernan. Heffernan interviewed more than fifty mostly female executives for this book and it delivers, as the title promises, some hard truths about the work and lives of women executives.

Some women think even less of their own capabilities than their male counterparts do and often aim low from the very beginning. Many male executives continue to stereotype women ("geisha," "bitch") and try to hold them down. Toxic bosses and hostile work environments still abound. Sexual harassment, pay discrimination and hostility to the "mommy track" are not everywhere a thing of the past.

But Heffernan and her interview subjects (many identified only by pseudonyms) aren't just doom and gloom. They offer real solutions to the challenges women executives face on and off the job. How to increase confidence, build relationships and reputation, create alliances and networks, mentor and be mentored, and avoid the familiar trap, "I'll do it myself."

There are chapters on how and when to exit a dead-end job, how to become an entrepreneur, and how to balance work, family and an inner life. It's important stuff. Because one thing most women know that many men don't, is that your job is part of life - it's not your life.

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Author shares winning tactics - Leslie Whitaker
Los Angeles Daily News - Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Dear Readers,

Here are some inspiring words from Margaret Heffernan, author of "The Naked Truth: A Modern Woman's Manifesto on Business and What Really Matters" (Free Press, 2004).

An English woman who has done everything from secretarial work to trading gas futures, this 45-year-old mother of two offers tips on how to acquire power, navigate toxic environments and strike out on your own, among other challenges.

Q: You urge women to avoid male-oriented organizations where we have to blend in if we want to be accepted. Are there enough female-friendly employers to hire us all?

A: There are more good companies than people imagine. I'm struck by how many women make compromises before they do their research. Not every company requires women to bury their personalities. If they started with bolder assumptions, women would realize they are assets wherever they work. Keep your standards high.

Q: That is an example of negotiating with yourself, isn't it?

A: Yes, women shouldn't give up before they start because that becomes self-fulfilling. Don't make concessions too early.

Q: You moved to the U.S. for your husband's career. Wasn't that a huge concession on your part? A recent study found that far more women move to accommodate their husbands' careers than the reverse. Is there a way to even the playing field?

A: When we moved to Boston for my husband's job, I said the next move is mine. I was very explicit. We both believe in fairness, so it wasn't a problem. When I was ready to move back to England, I knew the timing might not be perfect for everybody else, but the moment was mine.

Q: You say it's essential to have a career plan, yet many women don't. Why?

A: Women often don't make career plans because they think having a plan will cut them off from opportunities. But I think a plan illuminates opportunities that they wouldn't have seen before. I learned this the hard way. Whenever I've made a plan, I'm staggered at what it achieves.

Q: What do you mean by "portable power"?

A: Sometimes we are looking for dependency at work. When we agonize over things like face-time (with superiors), those are symbols of dependency. The only power is "portable power," which is inside of you. You are safe because you are capable. That's the only safety there is.

Q: Many women who have stayed home to raise their families have trouble getting back into the workplace once their children are grown. Can you offer any advice for them?

A: Sometimes women don't see how their skills map onto business. Women negotiate all the time, for instance. We figure out who is going to pick up the kids, we handle Thanksgiving. If you can negotiate with your kids, you can negotiate world peace. My daughter is a great example. I bought her a pair of boots when I was travelling. They didn't fit, and she said I owed her a pair of boots, so I bought her a new pair. Then she realized that the original pair fit, but she wanted to keep both pairs. I was a little peeved because of the money, but I was dazzled. I said, "I take my hat off to you. I'd like to have you working for me because you know how to negotiate for resources." And she's only 6. I regard it as part of my job to make sure that's something she never loses.

Leslie Whitaker is co-author of "The Good Girl's Guide to Negotiating."

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Paul Tulenko's Small Business E-News - Friday November 19, 2004
"The Naked Truth" A Working Woman's Manifesto on Business and What Really Matters by: Margaret Heffernan , Publisher: Jossey Bass, ISBN: # 0-7879-7143-X, $24.95

Well, I don't know what to tell you...this book has a lot of 'thought material' for men in high places along with some 'valid complaints with possible solutions' for women. There's also a bunch of surprises included. Let's start with the men's side of things:

I like the way Chapter 5 begins. "Power is the ability to do things. With power we can achieve goals. With power we can make choices. WIth power, we can do things for ourselves, we can do things for other people. With power we can change the game." Men understand that, act on it, and do everything in their power to make it happen. The acquisition of power and the resultant perks are facts that men know, work to acquire, and understand.

I also like the way Chapter 2 outlines the typical way women try to 'fit-in'. "In my experience, there are four main stereotypes women tend to fall into: geisha, invisible woman, bitch, and guy."...All over the world are women who've fought their way through this nonsense and emerged whole. It can be done." This chapter is empowering for women and enlightning for men. Read it with that thought in mind.

Chapter 11 ends this way. "When I started thinking about the lives of women in business, I used to think in terms of catching up with men. But now I see that that is irrelevant, because it is women who are the trailblazers. Our career patterns, which companies see as so eccentric and challenging, are the shape of things to come"

Women, pay attention! Throughout the book are vignettes of women, some you will hate, some you will love, some you will awe; but overall you will end up digesting their experiences, contemplating their journeys, and making decisions on your own life.

Men, pay attention! The world of business is changing, and unless we decide to actively participate in those changes, we stand the absolutely unthinkable and seemingly unbelievable chance of being marginalized. Think of that while you are putting on the 10th.

The 'between' chapters tell the story of Margaret's learnings from her point of view, and if enough women buy-into, read, and act-on what she writes, we may be in for a major change in the way business in America is conducted. For you men out there, you need to read this book. Whether you decide to go along with Margaret's ideas or not is irrelevant, the changes are coming. What we (men) need to decide is whether we will participate and possibly help guide and benefit from participating in the changes.

I give this book 4 1/2 stars. (Only the Bible and the Constitution receive 6 stars.)

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The Guardian - Monday, November 8, 2004

I do the work of five women.

However much working women are categorised as 'bitches' or 'guys', the truth is we are all these and more...

Click here to read on a guardian.co.uk

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From The Times, 2nd November 2004

"Even in these supposedly emancipated times, women in the office are frequently stereotyped. But it can be avoided. Margaret Heffernan, a former CEO, knows how..."

Click here to read on at timesonline.co.uk.

"The Naked Truth" was reviewed in the Daily Telegraph on 12th August 2004:

"A provocative new business book says women at work fall into four distinct categories. Judith Woods asks if it's best to make friends or influence people - and whether you can do both in the corporate world..."

Click here to read on at telegraph.co.uk.

Other online reviews/comments:

www.timesonline.co.uk

www.guardian.co.uk

www.telegraphindia.com

globeandmail.workopolis.com

zenblog.splinder.com (in Italian)

www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour (Audio)

www.800ceoread.com

www.worthwhilemag.com

www.mothersandmore.org

evelynrodriguez.typepad.com

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From Tom Peters

"Margaret Heffernan has provided us with that rarest comodity of all--a wise book. It's 'well written.' It's got 'great stories.' But mostly it's wise; it deserves to be read carefuly digested. I, frankly, was mezmerized by virtually every page and every vignette. Bravo!"

From Shoshana Zuboff, Charles Edward Wilson Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and author of The Support Economy:

"They say the truth will set you free. It can also make you hopping mad! At a time when so many have given up telling the truth about women and men in the traditional corporation,along comes Margaret Heffernan prepared to take on the truth with a clear eye and a wry smile. Get free! Get mad! Let it stir you into action. Let it inspire you to roll up your sleeves and build a new kind of workplace -- one that honors the complex realities of our 21st Century lives."

From Alan Webber, Founder and Editor of Fast Company magazine:

"What I like about Margaret is the no-nonsense approach she brings to the topic of women in business. It's not just that she sounds like the mentor you wish you had, it also that she doesn't shy away from any topic, refuses to sugar-coat her own experience or her advice, and recognizes that the issues of women in business won't get serious discussion until it ceases to be a them-against-us mindless posture. She's real. She's smart. She's experienced. She speaks truth. What more could you want?" - Alan Webber, Founding Editor, Fast Company magazine

From Allison Pearson, author of I Don't Know How She Does It"

I had come across your work, found it an inspiration and quoted you in several articles and speeches! I know that Kate Reddy would want me to back you all the way. Poor Kate could have done with your wise words on many occasions!

From Joyce K. Fletcher, Professor of Management, Simmons School of Management, Boston, MA:

Finally! A book that exposes the masculine myths about what it takes to be effective in business and helps women reclaim the relational intelligence we have been taught to ignore. A "must read" for all women who want to increase their power and influence in the workplace -- especially those who are thinking of leaving because they are tired of the corporate gamesmanship that requires splitting themselves into a work "me" and a home "me."

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