Earning It: Hard-Won Lessons from Trailblazing Women at the Top of the Business World

Description

More than fifty trailblazing executive women who broke the corporate glass ceiling offer inspiring and surprising insights and lessons in this essential, in-the-trenches career guide from Joann S. Lublin, a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and management news editor for The Wall Street Journal. Among the first female reporters at The Wall Street Journal, Joann S. Lublin faced a number of uphill battles in her career. She became deputy bureau chief of the Journal's important London bureau, its first run by women. Now, she and dozens of other women who successfully navigated the corporate battlefield share their valuable leadership lessons. Lublin combines her fascinating story with insightful tales from more than fifty women who reached the highest rungs of the corporate ladder-most of whom became chief executives of public companies -in industries as diverse as retailing, manufacturing, finance, high technology, publishing, advertising, automobiles, and pharmaceuticals. Leaders like Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, as well as Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, and Brenda Barnes, former CEO of Sara Lee, were the first women to run their huge employers. Earning It reveals obstacles such women faced as they fought to make their mark, choices they made, and battles they won-and lost. Lublin chronicles the major milestones and dilemmas of the work world unique to women, providing candid advice and practical inspiration for women of all ages and at every stage of their careers. The extraordinary women we meet in the pages of Earning It and the hard-won lessons they share provide a compelling career compass that will help all women reach their highest potential without losing a meaningful personal life.

Joann S. Lublin is management news editor for The Wall Street Journal and works with reporters in the U.S. and abroad. She frequently appears at conferences to discuss leadership, executive pay and corporate governance. She created The Journal's first career advice column in 1993. She shared its Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for stories about corporate scandals. She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism with honors from Northwestern University and a master's degree in communications from Stanford University. She lives in Ridgewood, N.J.

Lublin and the women she spoke to are insightful about their good choices and frank about their mistakes, which makes this essential reading for anyone who has a job, with illuminating stories and practical advice on every page. -- Nell Minow, Vice Chair, ValueEdge Advisors Lublin provides important insights from more than 50 successful women executives, providing practical advise for future executives. I will make sure all three of my daughters read it. -- Harry M. Jansen Kraemer, Jr., professor, Northwestern Kellogg School of Management; former chair and CEO, Baxter International; and best-selling author, From Values To Action and Becoming the Best Every woman can rise. Reflect on down to earth advice from those who have blazed the trail. -- Ram Charan, coauthor of the bestselling book Execution the Discipline of Getting Things Done, and author of The Attackers Advantage Deeply personal stories of top female CEOs and advice make Earning It a must read for women at all stages-and for men who want to help women succeed. Lengthy and loud applause for Lublin and these CEOs for sharing so much to help others. -- Dr. Dee Soder, Founder,CEO Perspective Group In breadth and depth, nothing can match Joann's work on what it takes for women to climb to corporate heights in America. Her learnings from these 52 remarkable leaders are stories of defiance, resilience and courage. Joann's own life experiences enrich these stories. Very inspiring for all! -- Fred Hassan: Managing Director, Warburg Pincus. Former Chairman and CEO, Schering-Plough Corp., (2003-2009), Former Chairman and CEO, Pharmacia (2000-2003), Former CEO, Pharmacia and Upjohn (1997-2000) The women interviewed here, many of whom report similar obstacles, come across as trailblazers who have showed great courage in the face of great odds... readers looking for stories from women who have succeeded in spite of sexism will find a plethora here. -- Publishers Weekly Funny and informative for any aspiring executive -- Fortune Taken one chapter at a time, this is a very engaging work of journalism, rich with anecdotes that will enjoy many repeat appearances on the lecture circuit. In its totality, though, the book is something bigger. It's a work of history, reminding us how far we've come in the past 40 years, and how much more work is left to be done. -- Forbes Like being at the ultimate career conference. -- Cosmopolitan Prepare to be inspired--and impressed. -- Working Mother [Earning It] offers fresh insights into women in the workforce -- Booklist Lessons are to be learned, but Lublin, a first-rate writer, makes the stories of this "unique elite" a pleasure to read. -- Success "What makes this book different is the many personal stories about work challenges that she has uncovered from senior women. It is helpful to hear that you are not alone in struggling and that problems may be blips rather than catastrophes." -- Financial Times