By: Cathie Black 4/5
Not so much a how to book, but a self reflection on the
subtleties of the work place. Cathie Black is President and CEO of Hearst
Magazines, which include Oprah, Cosmo, Cosmo Girl, and a ton of others. She
talks about her work life throughout the years… from graduating college and
expectations in the work place to her life now and how she got there.
One of my favorite stories includes her roommate and the
difference of being told what to do specifically and knowing yourself what is
expected of you. While your job and your boss can explain things, there is a
point that you should know as a grown adult and the position you have what is
expected of the job without being micro managed. (This particular part came at
a time in my work place where I felt like I had to micro manage).
I also think that I have learned a lot, especially the
importance of having a mentor in your workplace that can help guide you. At the
same time, I do believe that there are many things that I already do in my work
life, this being common sense to me, but not a lot of other people. This of
course brings me to my next point, are there different expectations in the
workplace now with my generation such as; graduating college and expecting at
80K plus job right out of school? I think times have changed, especially with
technology and the easy of working from home. I also think that we have moved
from a society of social work interaction to barely speaking on the phone. The
ease of email and texting has moved us to place where you don’t have to ever
see anyone; meetings are done via teleconference and even beyond that
gotomeeting where you don’t even have to speak with anyone, just type in your
screen and see what they are doing 10,000 miles away with the same screen.
What is the same, the expectations of respect, being at work
on time, and proper channels of communication. Cathie Black puts all this into
prospective, speaking of taking risks and challenging yourself while
understanding your self worth. I think every woman in the work place that
strives to achieve higher standards should be reading this book.
Way to go Cathie!
