Pushback : How Smart Women Ask--and Stand Up--for What They Want

"Pushback"--the art of making a firm request-and then holding one's own in a contentious conversation--is a leadership necessity. And yet, women initiate negotiations four times less often than their male counterparts, resulting in getting less of what they want, more notably missed advancement opportunities, fewer plum assignments, and lower pay. In Pushback, top leadership consultant Selena Rezvani argues that self-advocacy is critical to success and teaches women the essential art of asking for what they want and of pushing back to get it. Rezvani believes that successful women who have made it to top echelons serve as the single most important resource for women coming up the leadership ranks. Since many useful pushback strategies go unspoken and unshared, Pushback shines a light on the real rules of holding your own and asking for what you want, straight from the women executives who have successfully implemented them. Through actionable tips from interviews with top business leaders such as Margaret Loesch, CEO of Hasbro/Discovery Communications; Karen Katz, CEO of Neiman Marcus Group; Cynthia Egan, President of T. Rowe Price; and Laura Alber, CEO of Williams Sonoma; among many others, readers will learn the unedited truth about how women have asked their way to the top and triumphed. The book will answer professional women's most pressing questions: What strategies exist for confronting an issue head-on--without decimating the relationship? If I want to advocate fervently about an issue, how far do I push? What's the best way to take a firm position when my needs aren't being met or if I disagree? How can I negotiate my own career advancement? Young women are eager for resources that will help them leverage their skills, promote themselves effectively, and move up professionally. Pushback will fill this void. Written in a "from-me-to-you" style similar to that of a mentor giving candid advice and filled with poignant personal anecdotes from successful female executives, Pushback will be buttressed by compelling facts and research from the world of psychology and leadership.