The Lost Leaders : How Corporate America Loses Women Leaders

The Lost Leaders presents the personal stories of women who achieved success in corporate leadership, but have chosen to abandon their careers, providing a fascinating glimpse of the culture that exists in the contemporary corporation. Business leaders are being lost - in a business world that so desperately needs leadership today. Although women now represent half of all managers, they hold less than 10 percent of the top positions in U.S. corporations. Somehow, women are being lost on their way up. Much has been written about women leaders; rarely do we hear them speak. The Lost Leaders presents, in their own voices, the personal stories of women who achieved success in corporate leadership but have chosen to abandon their corporate careers. Readers will hear their own triumphs and struggles in the stories these women tell. When taken together, these stories provide a fascinating glimpse of the culture that exists in the contemporary corporation. The Lost Leaders examines what happened - and what is still happening - to women who could be leaders but have chosen instead to leave corporate environments. Heppner shows us that, though there have been tremendous changes since the careers depicted here began, the environment that led these women to leave is still prevalent. Grounded firmly in academic research, Heppner writes in an accessible style that is of interest to business professionals, students, and researchers alike, capturing a unique time in our cultural history and illuminating today's workplace Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-5 Front Matter....Pages 7-9 Colleen Roberts....Pages 11-16 Judy Samuels....Pages 17-20 Joyce Williams....Pages 21-24 Nancy Michaels....Pages 25-29 Other Lost Leaders....Pages 31-35 Front Matter....Pages 37-39 The Old Boys’ Network....Pages 41-55 The Acceptable Band....Pages 57-73 The Ideal Worker....Pages 75-91 Against the Law....Pages 93-105 The Toxic Workplace....Pages 107-115 Front Matter....Pages 117-118 Joy in Work....Pages 119-123 Free Agency....Pages 125-129 The Balancing Act....Pages 131-135 A Paradox of Diversity....Pages 137-143 A Woman President of the United States....Pages 145-146 Conclusion....Pages 147-149 Back Matter....Pages 151-165