“Women in High Gear” – Book Review

Women in High Gear

Women in High Gear: A Guide for Entrepreneurs, On-Rampers, and Aspiring Executives

WOMEN IN HIGH GEAR:
A Guide for Entrepreneurs, On-Rampers, and Aspiring Executives
by Anne Deeter Gallaher and Amy D. Howell
112 pages. $15.00

 

What do you get when you mix pearls from Pennsylvania and cowboy boots from Tennessee with a healthy dose of Twitter?  Well, it’s a power-packed recipe for success in the form of Women in High Gear: A Guide for Entrepreneurs, On-Rampers, and Aspiring Executives by Anne Deeter Gallaher (@AnneDGallaher) and Amy D. Howell (@HowellMarketing) .  These two highly accomplished marketing and public relations professionals have co-authored an inspirational and useful guide that transcends gender.

What is High Gear? Anne and Amy recognize that the answer will be different for each person.  However, they provide a guideline of qualities that includes confidence, resilience, intuition and vision.  Following their example, High Gear also means taking charge of your direction and connecting the dots on the road to your success.

I enjoyed the two-voice format of the book with Anne and Amy each bringing their experience and perspective to the subjects addressed. It is a book chock full of advice, examples and tips on areas that include decisiveness, personal branding, emotional resilience and much more.  For me, the most compelling part was learning about the journeys followed by Anne and Amy. Their backstories are the foundation for their accomplishments. Each took a different path to achievement.  The obstacles they overcame and choices they made are similar to those women face every day.

 

Amy D. Howell and Anne Deeter Gallaher

Amy D. Howell and Anne Deeter Gallaher

Women in High Gear resonates with the reader because Anne and Amy are very High Gear!  I have known and admired Anne for several years.  She is a respected and active leader in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania business community and is involved in many philanthropic activities.  I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know her better through the Harrisburg Social Media Club, which she founded.  Through my involvement with the Club, I’ve made many amazing connections, including Amy Howell.  Amy’s another well-respected leader in her community of Memphis, Tennessee, and like me, an ardent user of smiley faces and exclamation points in her postings!  Seeing Anne and Amy together and in action, you would think they had been friends for decades.  Not so, they met on Twitter.

This brings up another excellent and important theme in the book, the power of social media.  Anne and Amy explain how their digital connections have lead to some remarkable opportunities.  They provide solid and applicable advice on developing an online circle of support and influence.

Recently, there have been a slew of books dedicated to advising women on how to succeed.  Women in High Gear deserves to be at the top of any list of these books.  Although it may be targeted to women, its main message of personal accountability and the wealth of information provided, makes this book a must-read for anyone (including men!) aspiring to High Gear.

 

For more information and upcoming events, visit The Women in High Gear website.