Her Corner Office: A Guide To Help Women Find A Place And A Voice In Corporate America (Second Edition)

Trudy Bourgeois
Brown Books (2007)
ISBN 9781933285979
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (6/08) 


Corporate world is tough, but even tougher if you happen to be a woman. If you’ve ever had any doubt about that, I bet you are male. As Trudy Bourgeois illustrates very well in the Introduction, even as recently as 2007, women were earning only 76 cents for every dollar that a man earns for the same job; and although women represent fifty-percent of the total workforce, they only hold less than 15.6 percent of all corporate officer positions in corporate America. After reading those stats, women basically have two choices. One is to shrug their shoulders and be defeated, since “things have always been done this way and will never change” -- the other of course is to read Trudy Bourgeois’ book and act decisively.

The advice offered in this book is sensible, practical and well-organized. Guiding the reader through a process of self-discovery, definition and branding, the book helps any woman to be more successful in her career path, regardless of how high – or low – she is on the corporate ladder at the moment. Stressing the importance of knowing who you are, what you stand for, and what matters to you sets firm and strong foundations for personal and professional development. This process is greatly facilitated by a series of well-thought-out questions, numerous examples and handy “Points worth remembering,” found at the end of every chapter. Those points are definitely my favorite part of the book. I found them to be both concise and impactful, as it can be seen from this example, taken from Chapter #3, the one on self-confidence:

1. Knowing yourself and what you want is the cornerstone of self-confidence.
2. Recognizing that events in your past have shaped your self-esteem and self-confidence. If you are blocked by a hurtful experience, get help to get past it.
3. A lack of confidence is often tied to a lack of preparation.
4. Confidence breeds confidence as you are willing to take on bigger challenges and make a bigger impact.
5. Believe in yourself; have faith that everything will work out no matter what.
6. Build a confidence vault. Keep a file of all the great things you have achieved in your life and from time to time revisit the file.

Another very powerful part of the book is the author’s interview with her husband Mike, who spoke very candidly about his life with a successful businesswoman such as his wife; what it did to their family and his career for a while, and how they ultimately balanced and strengthened their relationship. It is actually those personal insights and first-hand stories that made this book particularly appealing to me.

While written primarily with women in mind, “Her Corner Office” by Trudy Bourgeois is a sound guide to anybody wanting to achieve success in the corporate world. I also believe that high-ranking men in the corporate world would benefit greatly from it, if they desire to help women on their career paths.

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