Not in the Club

An Executive Woman's Journey Through the Biased World of Business

Non-Fiction - Business/Finance
175 Pages
Reviewed on 02/16/2013
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Author Biography

As a highly experienced Information Technology (IT) executive, Janet Pucino held senior level CTO and VP positions throughout her career. She has worked within some of the most recognized companies in the media and entertainment, financial services, and technology industries, including Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Discover Card, The Kemper Group, and the International Networks Division of Motorola.

Running every facet of IT during her executive career, Ms. Pucino developed management expertise in critical business areas including strategic planning, capital planning, application development and service delivery, information security, IT governance, enterprise architecture, quality assurance, process improvement, program and project management, change management, strategic labor sourcing, network infrastructure and application outsourcing. With every role, she drew on her passion for IT while mentoring and developing her staff along the way.

Janet Pucino received her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and received her undergraduate degree from Northern Illinois University.

She serves on the Chicago Booth Advisory Council, is a university lecturer, and featured speaker at industry and academic conferences.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite

Author Janet Pucino has been there and done well in the world of business. Now she writes "Not in the Club: An Executive Woman's Journey through the Biased World of Business" for the enlightenment of the person who is entering or is considering a possible entry into a corporate organization. The author admits in her introduction that she would not change any of the choices she made in positions, roles, and on-the-job challenges for they helped her develop strength and management acumen (p.13). She defines 'The Club' as a group of people in a company that values its members' contributions and surrounds them with a social network of power that leads them to opportunities and financial success(p.9). Nicely put, but the author also writes that 'The Club' won't be on any organizational chart. It is a group of people who may have power over others and require conformity to a set of rules or a code of conduct which might include golfing together or sharing a pitcher of beer at lunchtime. But as women ascend the ranks of management, they are often not admitted into 'The Club' or if they are, "their ideas and solutions are routinely dismissed or devalued by Club members" (p.31). Janet Pucino writes so that the reader will know how to survive. On p.80, she writes: "Although aggressive behavior from men is accepted, when it comes from a woman, it's perceived as irrational or out of control."

"Not in the Club" is a well-written, authoritative book with a good bibliography that should be read and absorbed by women thinking of entering corporate life. Its pages are filled with practical advice from the author. She recommends checking what percentage of the senior management team of a company are women, and tells the reader to "learn from others, leverage the critical elements of success, demand resources and support, be aware of your contributions and make informed choices that are right for you and your organization." Pucino writes clearly and potential corporate members should take her advice to heart.