In Women Leaders at Work, skilled interviewer Elizabeth Ghaffari speaks to women at or near the top of their professions in a wide array of fields. In part, the book focuses on how they did it: how they prepared, how they overcame obstacles, how they achieved major milestones, and how they took the unconventional turn in the career path that made all the difference. Each chapter is also a gem that contains invaluable insights into gaining and using power responsibly. Every interview shows how female leaders make a difference on a day-to-day basis: charting strategy, managing senior managers and key partners, allocating resources, influencing stakeholders and the public, handling internal problems and competitive challenges, launching initiatives, or pouncing on opportunities the rest of us can't see. This book, like the others in the bestselling Apress At Work series, provides readers with a range of examples and experiences they can use to achieve their own goals. It details key actions or decisions that will help women reach the C-level, win public office, or achieve professional recognition and status. By tapping the wisdom and astute advice of contemporary women in leadership, Women Leaders at Work provides an up-to-date guide for ambitious women seeking professional success. This book: * Showcases successful women in leadership positions in the modern millennium * Explains how they prepared to take on the challenges leadership imposes * Provides advice for those who would follow in their footsteps * Demystifies career success for women What you'll learn * Identify personal strategies for meeting challenges on the way to your career goal * Learn valuable techniques for dealing with obstacles to career progress * Find mentors to guide and inspire you * Fine-tune your awareness of the subtle factors that open doors * Develop a mind-set that attracts successful experiences * Gather evidence that enables you to counter the negative messages that confront career women * Understand when bullheaded action works - and when it doesn't * Develop career-propelling social intelligence Who this book is for Women Leaders at Work is a book for career-oriented professionals - women and men alike - who want to understand what it takes to make it to the top and what to do once there. It is also for those who are ready to move beyond the traditional negative media and cultural hype that “women can't." (They can, and in the most unusual places.) It is an inspirational choice for young women who want to understand how successful women become leaders, and how they define and pursue success for themselves. It is also an excellent choice for women nearing the top who need motivation and the encouragement of peers as they chart their own leadership course.