Nice Girls Don’t Get The Corner Office, Says Citi

          Corporate feminists all across the country are up in arms over a recent leak of a Citi pamphlet given to female employees that highlights the common mistakes women make in the business world. While Citi denies giving out the materials, a commenter who works for Citi claimed that the handout was on her desk when she arrived at the firm. The tips were copied from the bestseller “Nice Girls Don’t Get The Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers”, written by a female with a Ph.D in Psychology. While I do agree that it is extremely inappropriate for Citi to impose such paraphernalia on its employees, I read the “common mistakes that women make” and couldn’t help but agree with them. For example, one tip said:

“Women ask permission-children are taught to ask permission. Men don’t ask permission, they inform.”

Since I consider myself a female in the business world (I was an intern for a public accounting firm this past summer), I definitely understood where the advice stemmed from. I hate to go against my own kind, but women (including myself) are not taught to be strong competitors in the business world. Women have fought for years to decrease the salary gap between men and women in the workplace, but we do little to act as an equal in business practice. Whereas women force themselves to be micro-managed because of the need for “permission” from others, men are confident in their skills and abilities and do not seek constant affirmation.

            I am not saying that women are the only people who make mistakes like the ones mentioned in the book, but I think the tips highlighted in the Citi handout should be taken seriously. Women need to stop getting angry about inequality in the workplace; change has to start from within.