See Jane Lead

In a break from her earlier books, Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office and Nice Girls Don't Get Rich, Lois P. Frankel focuses her new book, See Jane Lead on strategies to take charge.

Between the two earlier books, Dr. Frankel outlined 176 mistakes women make in pursuing their professional and financial goals. The coaching tips in both these books are quite informative, and no doubt that Dr. Frankel's clients have greatly benefited from her coaching and books. Yet a focus on mistakes is counter to the latest understanding of how change occurs. A focus on what is wrong tends to reinforce the wiring in our brain (the neural connections) that is established around that habitual behavior.

The new book, See Jane Lead, begins each section with a reinforcement of where the skill area is already being used. Dr. Frankel goes on to point out the similarities among these behaviors that demonstrate an established and useful skill set. The bulk of the chapter looks at how to build on the existing skill sets through examples of theory and practice. Each chapter ends with detailed coaching tips. As with all her books, Dr. Frankel provides plenty of anecdotes demonstrating how women have made successful changes.

The book is focused around the following skill areas:

• Balancing strategy and tactics
• Taking calculated risks
• Influencing with and without authority
• Coaching others to achieve their best
• Leading teams
• Developing Emotional Intelligence and Likability
• Leading your own Enterprise

Dr. Frankel ends the book with a chapter aimed at both men and women on raising daughters to lead. Some of the areas she cites are honoring your daughter's unique gifts, instilling a competitive spirit, encouraging financial independence, and model the way.

Understanding where you currently stand on a behavior, how you will benefit from modifying the behavior, and the consequences of not doing so, are key steps to bringing about successful change. See Jane Lead starts with a self-assessment to establish both strengths and the most significant area for improvement. The book would be strengthened with a chapter, or section at the end of each chapter, which led the reader through an action planning process around change.

All of us can benefit from enhancing our skills in the seven areas listed above. Whether you are a professional woman, or a father seeking ways to support his wife or daughter, this book contains excellent coaching tips on taking charge at work.

Likable Bosses

Survey suggests bosses not as likable as they think they are

A recent survey by 51job.com in China found that almost 60% of employees identified their supervisors as "order-issuing lovers" and another 18% referred to their bosses as "critics". In contrast, more than 82% of leaders considered themselves good leaders and friendly to their subordinates.

The article suggests these contrasting perspectives are most pronounced in China with its traditional authoritarian culture and lack of flexibility in leadership styles. While that may be true, perhaps the statement "It's not easy for people to find problems with themselves" is universal.

Do bosses need to be liked? People respond to authority, particularly in a place like China; that is, until the next opportunity presents itself. Western conventional wisdom suggests that it is important to build trust, credibility and respect; there is no need to be liked. When those characteristics are combined with strong leadership, people will follow...as long as they are realizing benefits for themselves. The question then becomes if we can combine trust, credibility, respect, leadership and likability, can we drive even greater results?

Tim Sanders in The Likeability Factor defines likeability as your capacity to produce positive attitudes in other people about you. This usually create positive emotions in others. He argues that people are constantly making choices - whether to listen to you, whether to believe you and whether to value what you offer. Likeability affects all of these.

He breaks down likeability into four elements.

1. Friendliness
2. Relevance
3. Empathy
4. Realness or authenticity

If you are curious about your likeability factor, take the self-assessment, and give some thought to the one change you could make in your behavior that will increase your likeability.

Give us your thoughts on the importance of likability of your boss, and of you!