WonderBranding is pleased to welcome Robin Wolaner, author of, "Naked in the Boardroom." the book that is already garnering fantastic reviews.
MM: Robin, thanks for joining us today here at WonderBranding. Your new book, "Naked in the Boardroom," is refreshingly candid, using examples from your real life. I'm sure I am just one of the many people who will read your book and say to themselves, "Hey! That happened to me, too!" I could definitely relate. Was there one defining "moment" for you, when you knew you just had to write this book? How did you know what you had to say was special and needed to be said?
RW: Actually there was, although the book ultimately was different from my original idea. I had come home from a day at CNET, the internet company where I worked from 1997 through 2002. I had, as usual, spoken with many of our twenty-something-year-old employees that week, and they mainly wanted to hear my stories about my career and the lessons I'd learned. I started thinking that when my four-year-old daughter Bonnie is their age and thinking about their career, I will be so old (having had her at 44) that I might not remember all the stories and lessons. So I bought "Bird by Bird," by Anne Lamott, one of my favorite nonfiction writers, and read her concept of the "shitty first draft." It was very liberating - I started writing everyday. I knew, from the reaction of audiences over the years when I did a lot of public speaking, that my experiences are somewhat unusual but universal lessons. But since conveying those lessons depends on finding an audience, I listened to the advice of my agent, and publishers we talked with, and completely re-shaped the original manuscript into its current state, which is an advice book illustrated with stories (my own and two dozen women CEOs and c-level executives I interviewed).
MM: I found it amusing that Chapter One of your book is titled, "Hey Carly, It's Different Being a Woman," in light of the fact that she's just been let go by Hewlett Packard. Looks like she should have paid attention to you a little more. Do you think this fact played into her demise at HP?
RW: I think Carly's statement, upon becoming HP's CEO, that her gender played no role in her business story was either insincere or deluded. She was under a much brighter light, so her style of leadership became more of an issue than it might have been otherwise. That said, perhaps we are reaching equality when a woman can be summarily fired for bad corporate performance.
MM: Sprinkled throughout the book are 80 "Naked Truths," or tips on becoming a better businesswoman. One of my favorites is #37, "When one of your core values is challenged, you need to speak out. Loudly. Save polite demeanor for less important issues." Why do you think it is that when a woman does speak up, it's often interpreted differently than when a man speaks up for his values?
RW: I think women may be more hesitant to speak up for fear of the dreaded "she's aggressive" reaction. But the whistle-blower at one of the biggest corporate frauds - Enron - was a woman, and I think our track record is certainly at least good in that regard.
MM: I honor the way you opened your world to readers, offering very personal (and sometimes painful) examples from your life to show how you learned the lessons of your "Naked Truths." What knocked me over was your decision to "name names" - you didn't hold much back when it came to putting the very people on the spot that had put you on the spot originally. Given that at the end of Chapter 8, you write about "never knowing when your paths will cross again professionally" and creating goodwill, did you have qualms about naming the people you did?
RW: I did. But as a reader of business books, I knew the stories would be more powerful with names attached. And none of the people whom I portray in an unflattering light do I expect to meet again professionally; I am no longer in the magazine business. My friend David Martin, who is the CEO of Young Presidents Organization, warned me that I would be burning a lot of bridges with this book. I was actually relieved to get that feedback, because my editor had taken out so many stories that I was afraid that was was left was pablum. His reaction, which has now been repeated by you and other readers of the book, gratified me. It meant that my book isn't the plain-vanilla kind of business book that bores me to tears.
MM: What would the "dream interview" of this book be for you -- the one point you'd want critics to understand and convey to potential readers for inspiration?
RW: "Robin Wolaner has written a brave book that looks unflinchingly at her own business record to help readers avoid her mistakes and achieve greater success than they could without reading the book. Even better, she does it in a quick, accessible read that is filled with laughs as well as delicious stories. Most business books are like medicine, this one is nutritious candy."
Thanks again, Robin. "Naked in the Boardroom" is a wealth of information and inspiration to readers. I think you're going to be surprised at the number of male readers you get, in the long run. This book will help them understand what businesswomen today are up against. We're looking forward to your next book!
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