Deborah M. Kolb & Judith Williams 
Her Place at the Table 
A Woman’s Guide to Negotiating Five Key Challenges to Leadership Success, Completely Updated

Thoroughly revised and updated and with a new Introduction by the
authors, this paperback edition of Her Place at the Table draws on
extensive interviews with women leaders to help all women negotiate
their path to leadership success.

A Woman’s Guide to Taking Her Place at the Leadership
Table

‘It’s time for women to take their places at the leadership
tables alongside men. Why? Because the skills we developed at the
foot of the table–bringing people together, building bridges
across differences, and thinking outside the box–are in great
demand. But to use this time and these skills to the greatest
advantage, read this book. The authors have set a great meal for
you…just devour it.’

–Marie C. Wilson, president and founder, The White
House Project

‘Does she have the right stuff? That question follows women
whenever they are promoted to visible leadership positions. Her
Place at the Table lays out the pragmatic moves that can help
any woman in business show she has the right stuff. I encourage all
women with leadership aspirations to use this book as a
guide.’

–Patricia Fili-Krushel, executive vice president, Time
Warner

‘Women roar–they are the leaders we need in corporations
today, but there are still some barriers. This book will help
individual women negotiate what they need to succeed as leaders and
help their firms support them in their efforts. That way we all
win!’

–Tom Peters, management consultant and author,
Reimagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age

For more information about Her Place at the Table or a
group discussion guide, visit
http://www.herplaceatthetable.com.

Completely Updated with a New Introduction by the Authors

Table of Content

Introduction: Taking Your Place at the Leadership Table–Questions Will Be Asked 1

1 Drill Deep 19

Negotiating the Intelligence for Informed Decisions

2 Mobilize Backers 55

Negotiating for Critical Support

3 Garner Resources 97

Negotiating Key Allocations

4 Bring People On Board 127

Negotiating Buy-In

5 Make A Difference 169

The Big Challenge

Appendix A 201

A Road Map to Negotiating the Five Challenges

Appendix B 206

What Organizations Can Learn from How Women Leaders Negotiate the Five Challenges

Notes 209

Bibliography 219

Acknowledgments 229

About the Authors 231

Index 235

About the author

DEBORAH M. KOLB is executive director of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and professor of management at the Simmons College Graduate School of Management.