Interview with Elaine Allison

Elaine Allison is a management consultant, professional speaker, a wife and mother. She has enthralled audiences from coast to coast in both Canada and the United States with her lively presentations and affable style. She is a particular favorite at women's conferences. Early in her career, Elaine began honing her insights into the differences between how men and women lead and manage. She was one of Canada's first female prison guards in an all "male" maximum security correctional facility at the age of nineteen. Dealing almost entirely with men, at a time when men made it clear that they did not want women in their domain. Elaine had a "crash course" in understanding how we interact with each other and manage people, as her life virtually depended on it! She began to truly observe how women dealt with conflict, leadership and power, themes she built on in each new position in her career.


98% of the leadership books have been written by men, often the tactics suggested don't work for a woman. Discover a myriad of Velvet Hammer techniques in this amazing "how to" book where you will find skills, ideas and tips to help you handle your leadership role eloquently and gracefully all while getting things done on your terms.

Elaine Allison
The Velvet Hammer
http://www.thevelvethammer.com

Elaine, what prompted you to write The Velvet Hammer?
So many reasons, this is a long one. (There was also just as many reasons not to write the book, so read on).

I knew first hand, men and women had to lead differently

I learned this early as I worked in an all-male maximum security prison at the age of 19 as one of Canada's first female prison guards, back in the seventies (part of affirmative action) I realized quickly, that women had to lead differently than men. My life depended on it. I shared these stories and examples for years, then put my experiences good or bad into a book to teach others.

Women kept telling me - that will work for me?

While speaking and training across North America, I had many women come up to me after the session and say "That technique will work perfectly for women - you should put it into a book". When I mentioned they were just leadership skills that both genders could use, many of them retorted by saying no, “That way you taught us - is just kind enough, or just forthright enough without going overboard or backing down”.

98% of the books on leadership, were written by men

When I went to the bookstore to find books written by women for women on the topic of leadership, 98% were written by men offering tactics that may not always work for women… or they were written in a tone that didn't always resonate with me (I wondered if other women reading the books felt the same way). I asked, was there something missing in the marketplace? Was there a need for a mentoring “skills based” book for women, written by a woman, so more women would be encouraged to step in to leadership, or step up into more prominent leadership roles? I believed this to be true.

There is still a huge gap

There is still a huge gap between female middle managers (50.3% according to www.catalystwomen.org) and female management at the top. In almost all industries including politics, sport, religion, corporate, law, medicine and government, I found this to be true. I studied the reasons why for almost two years, and came up with my own conclusions and opinions on the topic.

We get better results when we blend and celebrate how men and women lead.

It has been proven that when we blend and celebrate the differences in how men and women lead the majority of organizations can be more efficient and profitable. According to The Tyson Report, it notes "That in one American study that companies with the highest representation of women on their top management teams they performed much better financially than those without - a 35% higher return on equity and a 34% higher total return to shareholders". It just makes sense for more women to step in and make the contribution they can. So my book and my speaking mission is to help more women step into leadership. That is why the graphic of the woman stepping forward on the front cover was perfect.

TO READ THE FULL INTERVIEW, PLEASE LINK HERE.

Interview with Mary Carter

Mary Carter is a freelance writer and certified sign language interpreter. She’s a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (NYC) and Rochester Institute of Technology/NTID. Her first novel, SHE’LL TAKE IT, has been optioned by Paramount Pictures for a weekly television series, and will be re-published by Headline Books/Little Black Dress in the UK in November 2006. Her second novel, ACCIDENTALLY ENGAGED, a comedy about a tarot card reader who messes up the engagement of a very prominent bachelor.





Synopsis of ACCIDENTALLY ENGAGED:

Daily Horoscope for Pisces: Beware road-trips, handsome strangers, and mysterious, low-flying, unidentified flying objects . . . .

Psychic Clair Ivars has a flair for reading Tarot cards, yet a total blind spot when it comes to predicting her own future—especially matters of the heart (see previous three failed marriages). Which might explain why she’s surprised to find herself accidentally engaged to vodka magnate Jake Heron after knowing him only for a few hours.

What it doesn’t explain however is an increasingly strange series of events, from the car that off-roads of its own accord, the appearance of Jack’s fairy-tale castle hidden in the woods, the things that keep going bump in the night—and Clair’s potential mother-in-law, whose hiding one hell of a family secret.

And it definitely doesn’t explain the peculiar way Clair keeps thinking about Jack’s business partner—the tall, dark, mysterious, and infuriatingly sexy Mike. . .

Get ready for a quirky comedy at its very best—and a romantic road trip you’ll never forget.

Link here for an in-depth interview with Mary Carter.