Book Review

Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman: What Men Know About Success that Women Need to Learn by Gail Evans
By Marjory E. Anderson, CSP

Having worked in industry for a number of years, I developed certain attitudes toward “the job.” Most notable is a lesson I learned very early on and still ascribe to today. It is not what you might call popular, and in fact, it would dismay many women. Be that as it may, I find it apropos and quite useful as a periodic reminder that we, as women, are playing in a man’s game.

My mantra is if you want to play in a man’s game, you have to play by a man’s rules. Believing this to be a rather unpopular belief, imagine my surprise when I read a book that essentially echoes the same sentiment: Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman: What Men Know About Success that Women Need to Learn by Gail Evans.

Gail Evans has worked on Capitol Hill, has taught business courses and currently works for CNN. She acknowledges that the career world, industry if you will, has been run by men for centuries—having a career and conducting business is nothing new to them. Women, on the other hand, essentially became a noticeable force in business little more than 30 years ago. We are new to the game. As such, women are not yet a strong force in the upper echelons of business, but we are getting there.

Evans gives some advice on knowing, understanding and playing by the rules of the game.
As most women know, in business, 1) men can do things women cannot, 2) men do not define words the same way women define them and 3) these things can present obstacles in climbing the corporate ladder. However, if you understand the differences, if you play by the rules, advancing is no less possible for women than it is for men.

The author expands upon these and other topics in an effort to guide women in the advancement of their careers. Basically, she tells her readers not to be afraid to be aggressive, to stand on your own two feet and to toot your own horn, as these are characteristics of men who get ahead. That is my take on the book.

I also asked a male colleague to read this book and to give me his impression. He agrees that men and women see and hear things differently, view success differently and that either can get ahead. He also agrees that women need to be more aggressive in their careers and to learn not to take comments or defeats personally. “No” only means “no” for now, not forever. My colleague added, however, that he believed the author tooted her own horn too much, while I did not get that impression at all. (Just one example of how men and women interpret things differently.)

All in all, I find this to be a very good book. It is in paperback and is not overly lengthy. I recommend this book for all women as a guide to tempering their speech, emotions and interpretations to meet those typical of business and industry today. If you believe there is a glass
ceiling, it will be much harder to get ahead. Rid yourself of the obstacles in your way, and you will become CEO someday. Take what the author has to say and apply it to your own career, be aggressive, but above all, be what you are—a woman.