Suzanne Doyle-Morris, PhD. has written a book for women in fields steeped in testosterone (IT, Consulting, Science) but all career women will benefit from her practical tips.

After framing the issues to answer the question of why women should pay attention to career strategies, she addresses self-promotion (or “bragging” as some call it), risk-taking, communication, image creation, building a personal brand and mentoring.  While the topics aren’t new, Doyle-Morris’ experience as an executive coach affords her the opportunity to provide many interesting stories about how women can effectively and authentically deal with them.

Her writing style is clear, concise and accessible, making the book a quick read.  Because Doyle-Morris is an American who spent time in Australia but settled in the U.K. ,  the book is focused on women “across the pond”.  That makes it even more interesting for American women because we can compare the issues our British sisters face with the ones we confront in Corporate America.  Yes, indeed, we  have a lot in common.

The underlying theme of Beyond The Boys’ Club is that women must proactively manage their own careers – it’s unrealistic to expect that an employer will do so.  I couldn’t agree more.  In fact, we describe women who don’t recognize that reality as suffering from” The Tiara Syndrome” – symptoms include keeping one’s head down, delivering excellent work and hoping that someone will notice and place a tiara on your head!   I highly recommend reading Beyond the Boys’ Club for prescriptive advice about how to avoid this potentially fatal career condition.

TAGS: Beyond The Boys' Club, career issues, Doyle-Morrris, LinkedIn