Women and Leadership
The Velvet Hammer: PowHERful Leadership Lessons for Women Who Don’t Golf
I recently had the fortune of getting to know Elaine Allison and read her book. Your first question may be why I did it, since it is a leadership book for women. The answer is that I have all daughters and I am trying to raise them to be leaders, so it was a very important book for me to digest. In addition to that, when is it ever a bad think to learn about how other people think?
The book is easy to read and thoughtful. Creating buzz is about confidence, passion and relationships. Leadership has some of those same elements.
I asked Elaine some questions so that you could get an understanding of how the book came about:
Ron: Why did you write the Velvet Hammer?Elaine: I saw a need in the marketplace. As I spoke at many workshops, seminars and conferences, women would come up to me and say “That would work amazing for me”, you have to write a book just for women. (I was also diagnosed with MS in 2004, thought if I couldn’t get on an airplane anymore to keep teaching and speaking – I needed another vehicle (way), to keep to doing it.
Ron: What kinds of things are you doing to promote your book? What has worked best so far?
Elaine: Speaking, media, internet, carrying a copy of my book in my purse wherever I go.
Ron: What needs to happen for gender to be a non-issue for leadership in the North America?
Elaine: We have to stop coding each other’s behaviours as wrong.
Ron: Your book focuses on Leadership for Women. Have you done anything differently to market this book than you would have a general leadership book?
Elaine: Focused on the women’s market in corporations, politics, sport and business and anyone who wants to market to women where there is a fit.
Ron: When we first met, we discussed that we both have children interested in Entrepreneurship. Do you see crossover between the challenges for women in leadership and the challenges for young people in a more mature setting?
Elaine: Sometimes not being taken serious. I used to get “pats” on the head – literally!
I’m sure young children get some of the same response some days. (but I believe once they show people – they can get results… the pats on the head diminish).
Ron: What are the most important take aways you hope readers get from your book?
Elaine: Step in to leadership, if you are in leadership, step up into key roles and be the leader they stay for.
Leadership will expose your every weakness, get the education to fill your skill gaps.
Women are making fabulous contributions across the globe. In fact according to the Tyson Report, those organizations with women on their boards are found to be 34% more profitable on equity – I think it is because they double the market base (reaching out to a demographic that had not been considered), that men may have missed things in some of the decision making process.
Thanks Elaine. If you are interested in leadership, especially for women, get this book.
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