This is a book review I had to do for graduate school. Enjoy!

Book Review for “The girl’s guide to being a boss (without being a bxxxx)


“The girl’s guide to being a boss (without being a bxxxx) written by Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio is a very informative book loaded with very practical information that can be implemented easily. These phenomenal women wrote this book to empower women to become better leaders than their male counterparts. Women do not have good female role models and continue to make the same mistakes of being overbearing, brassy, or possessive. This book has several stories from female bosses that provide some great role models. Any woman who finds herself promoted to boss would benefit from this book. It also gives some great examples of the pitfalls of being the boss and how to avoid those pitfalls. One example of a pitfall given in the book is the trap of bad behavior.

This book was written out of thought and research. Kim and Caitlin run their own small business and have made some of the same bad behavior choices that make being a female and the boss a potent combination. They give viable information that is sure to assist any woman climbing the cooperate ladder. It gives the good, the bad, and the ugly of becoming the boss. It is very realistic in the expectations placed on the female in the role of boss.

This book covers many aspects of being the boss. It shares the reality of loneliness at the top. This book does not recommend being friends with, drink with, and socialize with your employees. I think this is very sound advice because it can cause employees to become self-conscious about not being the “favorite”. It also gives very practical tips on balancing family and job responsibilities. It discusses how delegation can be key for any successful boss. Delegation is not a dirty word but a way to ensure that employees know their value. It gives the boss opportunities to teach each employee, and to help each employee grow. It also helps the boss to prevent limiting their own professional success by doing everything on their own. One piece of usable advice that was given was to be on time when calling a meeting. It is rude and inconsiderate to make the employees wait when the boss has called a meeting and then doesn’t show up. It is important to be respectful of their time. It is necessary to find the strengths of the team and encourage each person to fulfill their potential. According to the authors of this book it takes more than encouragement to help employees to be successful. It takes training so the smart, hard worker has the skills to do their job effectively.

One of the best chapters in the book is about the evaluation process. If the boss is regularly checking in on the employees then nothing in the evaluation should come as a surprise to the employee. Day to day contact with their work will help the boss to give feedback through out the year so if they do have an area of concern it won’t surprise them. As much as reviews are dreaded they are necessary and recommended to do reviews four times a year. Only one of the four evaluations would be for a raise. The other three are to assist in the coaching process of mentoring your employees. It also gives plenty of opportunity to bring up concerns so if the employee is in jeopardy of being fired then there is no surprise. It gives them a fair opportunity and time frame to correct any shortcomings they are experiencing. The book even gives a sample review. This could be very helpful to a boss who is running a small business and needs a review process. While discussing the review process the five most common evaluation mistakes were incorporated. This information is so valuable to the new boss who may be doing the very first evaluations of their career. The other part of being the boss that I am sure is hated is the discipline of employees to include firing an employee. The book outlines what a drag this part of the job is but also how necessary this part of the job is. It is so thorough that it even gives some legal advice to consider along the way to firing an employee.

I enjoyed reading this book because it is well written in easy language. I think the authors provided the information they intended to provide. This book gave very practical information about taking care of oneself ‘s own needs first. If the boss isn’t healthy, rested, and cared for, then they cannot possibly care for the needs of their employees. The other practical information was about communication. Communication is the key! Set goals and then communicate them to the employees. It was noted that even with good communication an employee must be paid a worthy salary. If another employer offers a significant amount of money and half as much communication and employee is likely to take it. The ten practical steps to communicating your appreciation is very sensible information that will help to gain trust and good will from your employees. Everyone likes to feel appreciated and this information can help the boss to inexpensively show appreciation.

I would recommend this book to any woman who is focused on becoming the boss. It gives practical information on how to be a great boss but not and emotional boss. While at the same time, it gives a realistic view of expectations when a woman becomes the boss. I liked the examples it gave throughout the book to head off any of the issues that may arise. I am sure they were not able to cover all the scenarios in a little over 200 pages, but they did cover several that one may see in the time they are the boss. It is an easy read while it continues to hold your attention.