Pushback: How Smart Women Ask--and Stand Up--for What They Want

“[Pushback] is a powerful account, highly recommended for any business or women’s issues holding.”
―Midwest Book Review

“Pushback is a must-read for women in or seeking to enter the workforce. Selena Rezvani shows that you can use your assets as a woman and ask for what you want―whether a promotion, a new challenge, or a raise.”
―Katharine Weymouth, CEO, The Washington Post

“Leveraging sophisticated strategy and pragmatic action, Selena Rezvani equips women with the tools to negotiate for more than money. Better work assignments, job flexibility, and even the ability to hold your own in a debate await in Pushback―a required text for all professional women.”
―Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Ph.D., president, Center for Work-Life Policy

“Pushback is a brilliantly written book. Chock-full of bad habit breakers, Pushback teaches women how to become resilient negotiators. If women take Selena’s advice to heart, I know they will be thrilled with the outcome. The lessons in Pushback will allow every woman’s career to leap forward!”
―Janet Hanson, founder and CEO, 85 Broads

“Power is about 20 percent conferred and 80 percent taken. Good things don’t come to those who wait; they come to those who ask, negotiate, and push. For women―or men―to get what they deserve, they must get over the platitudes and attitudes that hold them back. Reading and implementing the wisdom of Pushback is a great way to start.”
―Jeffrey Pfeffer, professor, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University; author, Power: Why Some People Have It―and Others Don’t

“‘Can you do any better?’ Not only is this a key question during a negotiation, it’s one that women first need to ask themselves. Through in-depth research and candid interviews with top female executives, Pushback delves into why many women view negotiation as intimidating and empowers them with the roadmap they need to find success―and the money, status, and esteem that come with it―by turning any negotiation into ‘a conversation that ends in agreement.’”
―Jim Hopkinson, author, Salary Tutor: Learn the Salary Negotiation Secrets No One Ever Taught You

“Pushback performs the service of arming women with the single most compelling career advancement strategy at their disposal: negotiating skills. Rezvani’s day-to-day bargaining tactics are simple to apply, yet intensely effective and stunningly powerful.”
―Linda C. Babcock, Ph.D., James Mellon Walton Professor of Economics, Carnegie Mellon University; coauthor,Women Don’t Ask

“Any woman who has ever swallowed hard and accepted less than she should at work will benefit from this book. Selena provides a template for negotiating gracefully and powerfully for what you want, need, and deserve.”
―Sally Helgesen, author, The Female Vision and The Female Advantage

“You must read Selena’s new book, Pushback. In an age of intellectual capital where value added is so often subjective, it is absolutely vital for women leaders to highlight their contributions and ask for what they want, and this dynamite book will teach you how to find your own voice and style for effectively self-advocating.”
―Manisha Thakor, coauthor, On My Own Two Feet: A Modern Girl’s Guide to Personal Finance

“Pushback is a compelling playbook for taking charge. Selena Rezvani nails the personal tools―from negotiating persuasively to thinking strategically―for the leadership of which all managers are capable and on which all firms depend.”
―Michael Useem, professor of management, director of the Leadership Center, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Selena Rezvani—popular Washington Post columnist and noted leadership consultant—argues that self-advocacy is critical for success. And yet, she explains, women initiate negotiations four times less often than men, resulting in them getting less of what they want and deserve: promotion opportunities, plum assignments, and higher pay. It doesn’t have to be this way, and in Pushback, Rezvani shines a light on the rules of holding your own and “pushing back” to secure what is rightfully yours.

Pushback provides a reliable and methodical approach for taking a firm position on the issues that matter most to you. Focusing on how women can hone their negotiation skills and techniques, Rezvani addresses the most pressing questions that professional women face as they prepare to make a stand on tough topics:

• What are the best strategies forconfronting an issue head-on—without damaging a relationship?

• If I want to advocate fervently for anissue, how far do I push?

• What’s the best way to take a firmposition when my needs aren’t being metor if I disagree?

• How can I negotiate my own careeradvancement?

To illustrate her points, Rezvani draws from compelling interviews with top business leaders including Marie Chandoha, CEO of Charles Schwab Investment Management; Cindi Bigelow, president of Bigelow Tea Company; Fizzah Jafri, COO at Morgan Stanley; Rosemary Turner, president at UPS; and Irene Chang Britt, chief strategy officer at Campbell’s Soup. She reveals the unedited truth about how these leaders and other successful women have asked their way to the top and triumphed—and she shows how you can too.

Insightful and accessible, Pushback is a timely resource for women who want to leverage their skills, promote themselves effectively, and fast track their careers.