I actually hesitated to read Off-Ramps and On-Ramps, as it looked like a boring textbook at first glance. But, as I got into it, I found it to be quite a provocative read that brought up some interesting points that applied to both men and women. Here are a few highlights that struck my fancy:
Chapter 1 – Why Mess with the Male Competitive Model. Good way to start a book. I think we’ll be hearing more about this as generation y gets further into the workplace. While a hardcore minority will stick to the traditional Gordon Gecko “greed is good” model, we’ll see countless others rebel against the values of the generations before them (as all generations before rebelled against their parents values).
Chapter 2 – Looks at how large a factor elder-care already plays in women’s lives. In fact, it’s larger than child-care as this affects all women. This is only going to increase as Boomers start being the ones needing care.
Chapter 3 – Extreme Jobs, Extreme Demands. Thought this chapter could make a whole book. It’s a great overview of how corporate America has changed. I have a friend whose parents were both big executives at major companies, yet all the time growing up, she swears that both made it home for dinner almost every single night. This is practically unheard of even for middle management these days.
The latter half of the book gives examples of companies who are launching innovative programs to resolve the situation.
The Bottom Line: Why include this in a blog for entrepreneurs? Well, many of us made the choice to become entrepreneurs because of some of the very same reasons listed above. And, here’s hoping that we’ll soon be leading the large companies of tomorrow and providing as many on-ramps as possible. Personally, on-ramps are a large part of my own growth plans.
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