NICE GIRLS STILL DONT GET THE CORNER OFFICE BY LOIS P. FRANKEL

Key Concepts
Frankel details how childhood conditioning often conflicts with adult professional requirements, categorizing mistakes into four areas: How You Play the Game, How You Look and Sound, How You Behave, and How You Respond:

• Mistake: Playing by "Girl" Rules in a "Man's" Game: The core concept is that many women play the game of work using rules learned as girls (cooperation, being liked), while the corporate world often rewards behaviors traditionally associated with men (competition, self-promotion).
• Avoid "Minimizing" Behavior: This includes physically minimizing oneself (crossing arms tightly, taking up less space) and minimizing accomplishments (downplaying success, deflecting compliments). Assertiveness requires owning your space and your achievements.
• Negotiate Like a Pro: A crucial mistake is failing to negotiate salaries, raises, and promotions effectively or at all. The book emphasizes the necessity of asking for what you want and being prepared to justify your value, rather than waiting to be noticed.
• Speak with Authority: Women often use "uptalk" (raising voice pitch at the end of a sentence to sound like a question), apologize excessively, or hedge their statements ("I just think that..."). Frankel advises using confident, direct language.
• Stop Doing Others' Work (Delegation): "Nice girls" often take on extra tasks that are not their responsibility (like organizing office parties or taking notes in every meeting) because they want to be helpful and liked. This siphons energy away from high-impact, promotable work.
• Mastering Self-Promotion (Bragging Right): Women often struggle with promoting their own work, fearing they will appear arrogant. The book teaches how to advocate for achievements gracefully and ensure visibility for important contributions.