The main idea of her book is for women to do more than just to follow the rules and to expect their bosses to notice and promote them. Through anecdotes of experience and practical advice, the author shows women how to act in their own personal way but differently from their male counterparts to obtain the desired results.

Some of the advice is practical and with common sense, such as: staying away from office gossip; how not to take things personally; dressing and acting in a sophisticated way, etc. Others are: how to keep mum about certain things; how to pick battles and deal with emotions; how to network with the right people; how to ask for promotion, raise, and benefits; how to make and stick to decisions; and how to do various important things a young woman in her first few years in business should consider doing.

After discussing each issue, Henry has a small paragraph, “what it takes:” in bold letters. The gist of her advice is in those “what it takes” sections; however, to digest that advice, reading the entire section is a must. My favorite “what it takes” advice is: Speak up with substance. It is true that, in any business environment, no one needs to waste his time with the arguments of petty issues.

Henry’s style of writing is direct, chatty, and with enough colloquialisms any young woman can relate to. An example: Now, I am not a passion smasher. Personally, I am passionate about achieving results in whatever I do. But I do believe women can be too emotional in the workplace and use passion as an excuse for an inability to control outbursts.

success in the workplace especially for young women in their first or second jobs.

the author's style of explaining what she means through experience stories and down to earth advice.

Amy Henry, the author, has her roots in Texas where she was born and raised. She has also received her MBA there. After several years of working in senior-level positions in a multitude of places in the USA, she achieved fame as a finalist in the T.V. show, The Apprentice. She now lives and works in Austin Texas as an independent consultant and motivational speaker. Although What It Takes is her first book, the author--according to the conclusion at the end of the book--first attempted to become published when she was eleven years old.

Any young woman at the threshold of her career could learn a great deal from Amy Henry’s experiences.

Contrary to some assumptions, this book is not filled with a celebrity’s amateurish tips. Quite the opposite, it gives common sense advice, and its message empowers women throughout the business world.

Interested in buying this? Support Writing.Com by making your purchase of What It Takes: Speak Up, Step Up, Move Up: A Modern Woman's Guide to Success in Business   from Amazon.Com!

Created Oct 30, 2007 at 4:50pm • Submit your own review...