Designed for Success: The 10 Commandments for Women in the Workplace | 
 enlarge | Author: Dondi Scumaci
Publisher: Excel Books
Category: Book
List Price: $21.99
Buy New: $14.10
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New (33) Used (7) from $12.57
Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 67336
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 244
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.5
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 1599792370
Dewey Decimal Number: 658.409
EAN: 9781599792378
ASIN: 1599792370
Publication Date: January 2, 2008
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Shipping: International shipping available
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Product Description
You are not imagining it. Women do face unique challenges at work. The playing field is not always even, the rules are often unspoken, and the path is rarely well marked. In Designed for Success, Dondi Scumaci gives you the tools you need to take charge of your future and achieve the success and satisfaction you deserve. Learn how to get ahead in today's workplace and make a difference to the organizations you serve and the lives you touch-without changing who you are.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
 Helpful to women in all walks of life December 13, 2008
Carol Kurtz
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
She isn't Moses and it's not Mt. Sinai, But "Designed for Success" clearly spells out the ten most important commandments for women in the workplace. But although Dondi Scumaci speaks to women, the tone of the book isn't anti-male. It's more about how to overcome the stereotypes women have been raised to accept, and how to become the best woman you can be. Fully female, but also business savvy and successful.
With a new commandment for each chapter, we reconsider mentoring and being a mentor as a powerful tool for women in the corporate world. We learn to "Lead From Your Current Position", probably the most positive of all the commandments. Each chapter explores anecdotal employees facing problems that relate to the commandment being discussed, a nice break from some of the drier subject matter. Questions for Reflection and Action Items also help to summarize each topic and to offer practical applications. The book is light on Scripture and spiritual reference.
Scumaci points out that as girls we're taught not to be pushy or to rock the boat, and we end up not being able to be assertive when necessary. We're taught to avoid making a mistake at all costs, so we play it safe and don't take risks. She argues that what we believe about ourselves is what we communicate to others, so changing how we see ourselves is vital to becoming a leader. She suggests making the mental shift from negotiation (something most woman avoid) to collaboration, and negotiating doesn't seem as daunting. Making the shift from "It's important for everyone to like you" to "It's important to make a difference" is a powerful mental adjustment that frees us to step out and move forward.
These tenets are geared toward employees and managers, not entrepreneurs, and the milieu is consistently an office with a boss/employee dynamic. With so many women running or starting their own small businesses, it would have been a nice angle to cover, although some of the wisdom in this book can certainly apply, like the idea of falling in love with your job again and ways to add value to what you do. Strategies for communicating more effectively certainly carry over. Effective tips include responding to negative comments or disagreeable suggestions with the simple statement "You may be right", thus disarming a potential conflict. Not thinking like a victim or carrying a chip on our shoulders will go a long way to leveling the playing field.
Is there really a glass ceiling? Most definitely, Scumaci believes. She argues, "When men are direct and straightforward at work, they are called leaders. When women are direct and straightforward at work, other words are used to describe them." Facing this reality head on helps us to debunk the stereotypes while still embracing our feminine strengths. It's not necessary to be angry or militant about breaking that barrier, but acknowledging its existence is vital to moving beyond it.
Possibly the biggest revelation in the book will be helpful to women in all walks of life, whether in business or not--that through our own self talk we're often much meaner to ourselves than we are to anyone else, holding us back from achieving our goals and dreams. What do we say to ourselves when we look in the mirror, or when we make a mistake? Scumaci makes the case that if we women can change the way we see and talk to ourselves, we'll open up the possibility of doing great things, as we've been designed by our Creator to do.
--Reviewed by Carol Kurtz for TitleTrakk
WOW September 26, 2008
R. Cherry (Lady Lake, Fl United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
WOW! Knock em dead advice for us girls! a must have in the business world
Excellent! This will truly change the rest of your life.... August 22, 2008
Jeanie from Dallas (Dallas, TX)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
OK, I didn't even know this book existed until my job was eliminated, I was sent home on severance and unemployment checks, and am trying to look for a new job.
Because I am home for now, I had the opportunity to watch John Hagee on TV, and saw the interview with Dondi. From the first moment, I KNEW I was hearing from an anointed, professional, and lovely person. I have been in the corporate world since 1985, starting out as a clerk, and now am at the executive assistant level.
I have applied for many wonderful-sounding opportunities, and have been interviewed, but the doors have not opened yet. I am 60 years old, look more like 45-ish, but I am facing something I have never had to face before: my competition is the age of my daughters and grand daughters!! I could tell I needed to learn something more before God would open that door to my new job.
I have read every review to date, and I totally concur with all of them (except the one negative response). Not only do some professionals (I guess I am referring to men) not take women seriously, but when they have to answer to a highly successful female, they consider her a [...] (pardon me) most of the time. And forget it, the rest of us females are either not taken seriously, or, if we are upwardly mobile, we realize that we have to play tough, really tough sometimes, just to be respected. A vicious cycle.
My hat is off to you, Dondi. Thank you for being so used of God, and for helping us to not only succeed professionally, but to bring glory to our Sweet Lord in the process.
I, too, look forward to hearing more from you.
Designed for Success July 10, 2008
Dr. Tami Brady (Calgary, Canada)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It's not just our imagination. Women do have unique challenges when it comes to the workplace. Women are often overlooked for promotions. They tend to make less money. Many find themselves delineated to den mother status.
With that said, much of what happens in the workplace is of our own making. We patiently wait for our boss to notice our efforts. We shy from conflict or any sort of negotiations. Then, when we are asked for input, we talk more about our problems than our successes.
Designed for Success looks at both the problems that women often experience in the workplace and the unique qualities that they possess. Given the right outlook, the appropriate skills, and understanding of workplace dynamics women can be a valuable asset to the office.
designed for success June 15, 2008
Ann-murine Moriah (Toronto Canada)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Designed for success is a must read
From cover to cover it covers all achievable goals
Practical step to gain success in the work place
The greatest point; it's Biblical base
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