As you may have guessed, this blog is named “financial gal” because it is written by a woman.  Notwithstanding the name, the financial issues I blog about are not gender-specific.  However, I found one article in the March 2008 edition of Entrepreneur magazine, ”Women: the Alpha Advantage,” to be particularly interesting.  Aliza Sherman, who penned the article, writes about the advice of Christopher Flett, the author of What Men Don’t Tell Women About Business: Opening Up the Heavily Guarded Alpha Male Playbook.   Flett says that women need to do the following in the workplace:

• Stop trying to fit in with the guys’ team.  The only team in business, according to Flett, is profitability. 
• Stop speaking negatively of others at work.
• Stop giving up power to alpha males colleagues and clients.

Flett points out that women inadvertently cede power by including everybody in the decision-making process and making concessions to reach consensus.  Sherman also quotes Maria Bailey, a marketing entrepreneur, who says that women become too emotional about business and often take things personally.  By contrast, men get to the point and do not internalize issues. 

Being more “alpha” in the workplace can help you claim more opportunities, work in a more focused manner, and appear more credible to colleagues.  This advice is especially valuable in the hair-raising world of entrepreneurship.  Where decisions may make or break a business, Bailey observes that women often view their own companies as their “babies” and are not prepared with an exit strategy when things go south.  Having tangled with business colleagues at work and as an entrepreneur, I can appreciate this advice.  Next time I am confronted with a difficult work situation, I will consult my alter “alpha” ego.