The Male Factor

by Shaunti Feldhahn

Millions of women gained eye-opening insights about the inner lives of men through Shaunti Feldhahn's best-selling book For Women Only. Now with The Male Factor, Feldhahn brings her innovative research approach to the workplace to help women understand their male collegues. Based on a nationwide survey and confidential interviews with thousands of men whose anonymity was guaranteed, her book reveals the private thoughts and attitudes that men rarely disclose but every woman needs to know.

Never before has an author gotten inside the hearts and minds of men in the workplace--from CEOs to non-profit managers, from lawyers to factory workers--to discover what they commonly think about women on the job, what their expected "rules" of the workplace are, what "managing emotion" means and what factors improve or harm a man's respect for the female co-worker.

Among the little-known but critical insights The Male Factor reveals are:

how men, with rare exception, view almost any emotional display as a sign that the person can no longer think clearly (as well as what men perceive as emotion in the first place)

why certain types of trendy attire may actually sabotage a woman's career

which little-known signals ensure that a man's perception of a strong female colleague is positive ("asssertive and competent") instead of negative ("difficult")

Even women who have navigated male-dominated work environments for years have expressed surprise as these and other revelations in the book. Some readers may find them challenging. Yet The Male Factor delivers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for women to understand how male bosses, colleagues, subordinates, and customers privately think, and why they react the way they do. These vital insights enable each woman to make informed decisions in her unique workplace situation.

Pammer here: I found the truths in the is book to be exceptional! Shaunti has again delivered and led us right into the minds of men. I found myself shaking my head as I realized several mistakes I made in business. (There are also a few things I did right. :D)

I consider this book a MUST READ for any woman in business, or anyone who is in any kind of business where you will have to deal with men. Unless you don't plan to suceed. I might even go so far to say that every woman could benefit from reading it. Especially if their husbands are in business, because as the book explains this may explain why he reacts the way he does while he is at work.

Also written in an interesting and interactive manner. So it's not a hard read.