Jane Miller, CEO and founder of JaneKnows, has spent three decades in the corporate world. For the past 20 years, she's become the highest ranking woman in every company she's worked in including Pepsi Co, Heinz and others. Now, she's written a how-to for millennials wanting to make it to the top - Sleep Your Way to the Top (and Other Myths About Business Success).
Maybe the only woman to ever launch a book with a lingerie line (boy shorts and black nighties with Swarovski crystal lettering), Jane's story of a small town Illinois girl who made it to the top is a sassy, substantial read, headlined with myths (Size Doesn't Matter/You Can Sleep Your Way to the Top); punctuated by devilish text boxes ("let's walk out now and get drunk on morning martinis"); and containing end of chapter Mirror Mirrors to help twenty-somethings on their way to their individual tops.
Sleep Your Way to the Top is the go-to guide for grads, pre-grads and new execs, showing us where it's easy to get tripped up, who might trick us and how to make it past the pitfalls on our way to the corner office.
Enjoy these SYWT Excerpts
Drinking at the Office Party
That first drink went down a little too fast. You are not quite sure what it was, but it was fruity and packed a punch. You start on that second concoction and suddenly remember you kind of forgot to eat lunch. No biggie. The buffet looks fabulous.
Fun to be dressed up in heels and a slinky LBD. The ballroom looks straight out of Great Gatsby. So glad the company had a good year. Decadent cocktails, a food spread to die for (sushi! crab claws!) and a DJ who actually plays great stuff, not something your grandma would listen to!
You watch the crowd loosening up. The head of marketing is already outpacing everyone in the fun department. She’s dragged the guy from accounting onto the dance floor and has some moves that actually make you blush! Maybe the business world is more like college than you were led to believe!
Barbie vs. The Bitch
It sometimes seem like we have no choice who we are at work because women in business have been pigeonholed. At one extreme, we are Barbie. At the other end, we are a Bitch. This dichotomy is rarely the case. There’s a spectrum, and most of us land somewhere in the middle.
But in the workplace, we run into people who play both roles: Barbies. Bitches. And sometimes it looks like Barbies have all the fun and Bitches always get their way. What to do? And should we play those roles, too?
Barbie. What better symbol of bland perfection? Perfect hair. Perfect make-up, perky boobs, great fashion. If she could talk, she would always say exactly the right thing. Barbie’s house: Neat, clean, well-appointed. Barbie’s car: Sporty, a convertible.
The Bitch is the woman who bulldozes by and through everyone. You can’t stand her, but she gets shit done. Being called “A” Bitch just means you are having a bad day, and you rubbed someone the wrong way. “The” Bitch is the woman who does everything in her power to be called The Bitch. Not a good look for any woman (or man for that matter). I think you know The Bitch when you see her.
Praise for Sleep Your Way to the Top
I wish someone would have told me...
I share Jane Miller's philosophy that, "I wish someone would have told me..." and so I've always mentored and supported recent college graduates and young professionals in the hopes they could learn the from my (many!) mistakes and not repeat them. Sleep your way to the top covers so much ground for early stage career advice that it is now my go-to college graduate gift. I bought three copies for family and friends who recently entered the workforce. But it's for more than just for the young professionals. With 15 years of work experience, I was reminded of a lot of important lessons, had a perspective shift on many matters, and most of all was thoroughly entertained by the author's wit & style.
Real, Open, Honest Advice - Both Personal & Professional
What a fun book to read! The conversational tone is one of my favorite things about this book. It feels like you're sitting right there with Jane, sipping coffee at a fabulous cafe, and just listening to her talk about life. And what's better than having a coffee with an old friend? The questions that she poses at the end of each chapter are great for wrapping your mind around the funny anecdote she just told and then immediately translating that to your life and your specific situation right at this very moment. You really feel that not only does Jane want you to succeed, grow, and chase after your dreams; but she's also going to be that accountable friend who is pushing you to get off your ass and go do it! She has a great way of taking every day life situations that you secretly fret over (but would never tell your friends or coworkers), and turning them into insights. It's kind of like getting the inside scoop. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to any guy or gal whose tired of the usual business success stories and wants to hear real life (and sometimes embarrassing, vulnerable stories) from a successful person looking to help others. Oh and this book is definitely for someone who likes to laugh too! -Lynsay
Sheryl Sandberg + Chelsea Handler = Awesome!
I've read so many 'how to succeed in business' books and most are really hard to get through. Jane Miller's book is funny and interesting and filled with great advice. I particularly loved the Myth: Size Doesn't Matter and not just because it makes me laugh. It's about playing 100% full out, no matter what your title is, giving it all. It's the business equivalent of Annie Dillard's wonderful quote about writing: "One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time...give it, give it all, give it now.” Jane's book will inspire you to play your biggest game yet. She takes your hand and leads you down the path of exactly how to begin doing that. - Sandy