Connie Glaser - Swim with the Dolphins: How Women Can Succeed in Corporate America on Their Own Terms

Grateful acknowledgment is given to Molly Ivins to quote from her book Molly Ivins Cant Say That, Can She?

Warner Books Edition

Copyright 1995 by Connie Glaser and Barbara Steinberg Smalley

All rights reserved.

Warner Books, Inc.

Hachette Book Group

237 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com

First eBook Edition: December 2009

ISBN: 978-0-7595-2555-9

A TIDE OF ACCLAIM FOR

SWIM WITH THE DOLPHINS provides a well-researched case for the strengths and talents of women managers and is an inspiration for all striving to break through the glass ceiling.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

A new navigational map to guide you through the new corporate waters. A mustread for any woman intent on succeeding in business today on her own terms.

Lucille Luongo, president, American Women in Radio & Television

Glaser and Smalley offer enlightened advice from the proven achievers they interviewed. Achieving success on ones own terms, not by emulating men is a powerful message.

Columbus Dispatch

If you have ever been in deep water in business, youll want to know how Glaser and Smalleys dolphins swim. Must reading for women in business!

Debra Benton, author of Lions Dont Need to Roar

Briskly written and worthy of being broadcast. Any manager could profit from this book.

USA Today

Now Connie Glaser and Barbara Smalley show how women can break through the glass ceiling, based on techniques and strategies they have collected in interviews with successful female managers throughout corporate America.

Richard M. Ferry, chairman, Korn/Ferry International

A brilliant metaphor for the new businesswoman. Not emulating men, but achieving success on her own terms.

Patricia Aburdene, author of Megatrends for Women

SWIM WITH THE DOLPHINS signals a welcome trend in the advice for career women genrea book that urges women to follow their own paths rather than emulate a model that doesnt suit them.

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Enlightening. Connie and Barbara have made a good case for an approaching turnaround in corporate attitudes and management styles. And this new direction is one that bodes well for the careers of women man agers.

Executive Female

ALSO BY CONNIE GLASER
AND BARBARA STEINBERG SMALLEY

More Power to You!

Writing a book is never a solo project. Nor, as in our case, is it limited to the efforts of these two co-authors and soul mates.

We are grateful to the many women in management who graciously shared their stories and tips with us and made this book possible.

We are indebted to our editor, Joann Davis, for her keen insights and her firm belief in womens ability to succeed on their own terms. Heide Lange, our agent, played a key role in the development of this book. Her support and enthusiasm far exceeded her job description. And special thanks to Larry Kirsh-baum, who clearly demonstrates that dolphins have no gender.

On a personal level, there were many who lent us support and friendship during the course of writing this book: Carol Deutsch, Bogie Ethridge, Avra Hawkins, Judy and Dan Hees, Marty Johnston, Krys Keller, Sharon Loef, Sue Rains, Ann Smith, Gail and Kim Stearman, and Dale Steinberg.

We are especially grateful to our families who encouraged and helped us to maintain a sense of balance in our lives throughout this project. Our heartfelt thanks to our husbands, Tom and Tim, and our children, Rusty and Max, Logan and Benjamin. And to our parents, Dolly and Bernie Brown and Zelda and M. K. Steinberg, for their unconditional love and guidance.

AT&T Business Communication Services

Aegir

Aldus Corporation

Avis

Christine Anderson & Associates

Anheuser-Busch

American Express Personal Financial Planning

Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games

Atlanta Gelatin (General Foods)

Bank of America

Baptist Hospital of Miami

The Barter Corporation

Ben & Jerrys Homemade

Borden

W.H. Brady Company

Browning Management

Butterick/Vogue

CBT Training Systems

Cape Cod Community Newspapers

The Carlson Group

Center for Creative Leadership

Central Fidelity Mortgage Corporation

Century Publishing

Chrysler Corporation

The Coca-Cola Company

Communication Seminars

Compaq Computer Corporation

Adolph Coors

Coors Ceramicon Designs

Corning Incorporated

Detroit Receiving Hospital

Dow Corning

Dorsey Trailers

Eastman Kodak Company

A.G. Edwards

EDS (Electronic Data Systems)

ESPN Endymion Company

Epstein, Becker & Green

Ewing and Thomas

Federal Express

Fel-Pro Incorporated

First of America BankNortheast Illinois

First Republic Bancorp

The Fontayne Group

Ford Motor Co.

Gartner & Young

General Electric

Gerber Plumbing Fixtures

Great Plains Software

Hallmark Cards

Heinz U.S.A.

Hewitt Associates

Hewlett-Packard*

Hi-Fi Buys

Hoechst Celanese Corporation

Holiday Inn Worldwide

Honda Motor Co.

Intel

Jimmy Dean Foods

Johnson Wax

Kenetech Windpower, Inc.

Eastman Kodak Company

Land OLakes

Levi Strauss

Lotus Development Corporation

MECCO

MTV Networks

Mazda Motor of America

Meredith Corporation

Meridian Travel

Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority

I. Miller Shoes

Monsanto Company

Mrs. Fields Cookies

Nordstrom

Odetics

Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide

Phelps County Bank

Alain Pinel Realtors

Playfair

Preston Trucking

Procter & Gamble

The Prudential Referential Financial Services

Quad/Graphics

The Quarasan Group

Rosenbluth International

The St. Paul Companies

Schering-Plough

Scios Nova

Shadco Advertising Specialties

Silicon Graphics

SmithKline Beecham

Southwest Airlines

Super Wash

Systems Service Enterprises

Tellabs

Tennant Company Tenneco Minerals Texaco

Texas Instruments Incorporated

3M (Minnesota Mining and Mfg.)

Toyota Motor Corp.

Turner Broadcasting System

USAir

U.S. Committee for UNICEF

U.S. West Communications

Viking Freight System

Wal-Mart

Walt Disney Imagineering

Warnaco, Inc.

Westin Hotels and Resorts

Westin William Penn

Westinghouse Electric

Xerox

YWCA of the USA

Zep Mfg. Co.

In 1982, Sharon gave herself an ultimatum. Twenty-nine at the time, she had worked her way up to director of human resources within a midsized corporation in three years time. But I wanted more, she says. Sharons ultimate goal was to become a senior vice president of the company by the time she reached thirty-five. No woman had ever risen higher than associate vice president in Sharons company. Never mind that, she recalls thinking. Ill be the first to crack that glass ceiling.

And so she wasat age thirty-seven. But she paid a hefty price. I knocked myself out getting there, she admits. The pressures to adopt a masculine style of management were constant and inescapable. And every step up the career ladder, they got worse. Nevertheless, if learning how to play hardball meant becoming a contortionist of sorts, I was game. I took all the projects that no one else wanted and rarely got credit for my achievements. I put in twice as many hours as my male counterparts, taking only two vacations in five years. And with my hard-nosed attitude, I alienated subordinates and colleagues alike.