Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire: Business Sense & Sensibility
Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire: Business Sense & Sensibility
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of French Women Don’t Get Fat comes every woman’s guide to navigating the world of work, living the good life, and savoring every minute of it.
When Mireille Guiliano became a senior executive and spokesperson for Veuve Clicquot, she took the Champagne to the top of the luxury market, using her distinctive French woman’s philosophy and style. Now she uses those same talents and savoir faire to help readers pop their own corks and get the mostout of life. Drawing on her experiences at the front lines and highest echelons of the business world, she gives women (and a few men, peut-être) the practical advice they need to make the most of work without skimping on all the other good things in life.
With lively lessons, stories, and helpful hints, Mireille teaches every reader how to identify her own passions and talents, improve her communication skills, balance work and life, cope with everyday stress, turn herself into a winning brand, and so much more. From acing a job interview or performance review to hosting a simple but elegant dinner party, Mireille tells it like it is as she shares her secrets for achieving happiness and success at any stage in business and life.
Stylish, witty, and wise, Mireille segues easily from the small details to the big picture, never losing sight of what is most important: feeling good, facing challenges, getting ahead, and maximizing pleasure at every opportunity.
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars I’ll unwillingly call it useful.
I learned several important things from this book. I remembered several other important things from this book. I give these compliments reluctantly because I disliked Guiliano enough as a narrative voice that I don’t want to have learned anything from her. Still, she has some good points to make. I would think that parts of this could be really valuable for women who are starting off in business or who find themselves a little bit stuck.
Probably the single most valuable line in the whole book for me was “if you’re not a brand, then you’re a commodity.” She was talking about champagne, but I think it works for your career as well.
Now I’m going to stop saying nice things.
Boy, did I find Giuliano obnoxious. There was a moment where she describes herself and another woman in a business meeting eye rolling at another unfortunate woman who… Presented wrong information? (no) Said something stupid? (no) Was rude to other people? (no) Wore the wrong earrings? (yes).
Apparently the poor dear chose something too bling bling for her suit. And, I mean, who can respect the presentation of someone who can’t accessorize? How old is she? 14? Have we suddenly found ourselves in the movie Clueless? She makes business sound like some kind of high school mean girl’s club.
And after examples like her open mockery of someone’s earrings, Giuliano *dares* to go on and wonder why women don’t mentor each other. Case in point much?
Anyhow. I learned stuff. The recipes look tasty. But she made me so glad I’m building my career in IT and not luxury beverages.
2 Stars Light and frothy; Great for recent grads but much too top line for anyone older
I had high hopes for this book since I am in the process of re-entering the work force after an 11 year absence from a management position to raise my family. Given the success of Madam Guiliano’s previous books, and her international experience as CEO of Veuve Clicquot, I expected a great deal of unique insight and even a few “ah ha” moments as I read. I was left unsatisfied. Reading this book is similar to enjoying a frothy cappucino and flaky croissant. You enjoy it as you eat them, but you really aren’t satisfied afterwards and you need to eat again soon after. I am still in search of a book that will help me get ahead in today’s job market, since my skills are admittedly a little stale after 10+ years at home. This may be an excellent book for a recent college grad to learn the top line basics of job searching, interviewing, attire, corporate etiquette, etc., but it definitely isn’t for any women who has had five or more successful years in the business world.
4 Stars Uncommon common sense
This book is full of basic business common sense. Everything in it is perfectly clear and obvious to me.
Now.
I knew none of it when I started. I really wish this book had been around back then, so someone could hit me in the head with it.
I’m not really sure why this book is directed at women. The advice, I think, would work for anyone. There are a very few words that wouldn’t apply to men–the occasional paragraph about not dressing in see-through blouses or overdoing the makeup–but those make up a fraction of a percent of this book.
Maybe men have a better network, and more experienced men mentor the younger guys as they enter the world of business. No one ever gave this advice to me, but I’d probably been working for ten years before I heard the word “mentor”.
Guiliano is the former CEO of Clicquot, Inc., and writes about her experiences and the things she learned as she rose in rank. Many times it seems as though she learned from watching the men around her: “Another strategy I eventually adopted was to stop flying the red-eye to wherever. For years I did it and was exhausted for days afterward when I returned, yet did not miss a moment of work. On the contrary, I seem to have squeezed two workdays into one. Then I started to notice all of my male colleagues flying business or even first class during the day, not during the middle of the night, even flying ahead by a day or two ‘to adjust to the time zone changes.’ What an idiot I had been. That’s a good example of when I could have used a bit of mentoring . . . someone to coach me on how to slow down, not speed up.”
This is the book to turn to in order to understand basic business survival, and how to live your life well while being an asset to your employer and watching out for your own self-interest. It won’t tell you how to do an interactive video resume or how to leverage the newest social networking technology. It will guide you in planning your career path, becoming a good conversationalist, balancing your life, hiring well, and feeling bien dans sa peau (comfortable in one’s own skin.) It even includes menus appropriate for business dinners you might host, including Tout au Chocolat, a chocolate-laced appetizer, dinner, and dessert.
The last chapter summarizes some of the major topics in the book, and if you are pressed for time or uncertain if this is the book for you, you might want to start with this chapter and see if it resonates for you. But it is only a summary, and all of the most useful details are found in the body of the book, not in the last chapter.
The self-promotion in this book is a bit thick and began to annoy me after a while. I had to put the book down frequently to avoid overdosing on it. However, it’s probably an excellent example to anyone who thinks that the quality of their work should speak for itself and self-promotion is not necessary. (That was one of the mistakes I made when I started out.) That’s a minor complaint about an otherwise excellent book.
3 Stars Things your mother should have taught you.
I have mixed feelings about this book. There are a few useful concepts, such as the power of developing a signature style and the importance of sending hand-written thank you notes. However, much of the book is just good common sense that every woman should know–IF they were raised properly, that is. I agree with many other reviewers that this book would be great for younger women just starting out in the careers. Ms. Mireille can serve as a kind of wise French stepmother.
It’s important to remember that Ms. Mireille’s rise to the top of a Champagne house is an extremely unusual situation. The world she lives in is a rarefied one most of us will never know. Her methods worked well for her but I think the fact she never had kids also fit into the equation. She has never had to divide her time between children and work. I’m not sure how relevant the book is for working American mothers.
I must admit feeling a bit grumpy when I read this book. The whole notion of “French women are superior to us in every way,” is starting to grate on me. American women’s inferiority complex is making authors like this even wealthier.
I would not recommend buying this book, but rather, checking it out from the library instead.
4 Stars Excellent Book for a Young Woman!
I am a huge fan of Mireille Guiliano’s work and was very excited to read her book on business sense and sensibility. My biggest disappointment is that I didn’t read this book 15 years ago. This book would be great for a young woman fresh out of college or just starting a new career. I did soak up many of her theories on taking risks and balancing life that does apply to me as I enter a new work phase in my life. I was ecstatic to see more of her menus and recipes in the book. I always get lost in the imagery of her writing and it keeps me turning the pages.
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