More women needed in management, book says

Dianne Gubin Although major strides have been made in recent decades, women employees still constitute a minority in the nation's executive ranks.

Dianne Gubin of Calabasas and co-author/partner JoAnn Ashman recently published a book that offers strategies on how to create a personal network—the fundamental building block to career success— and how women can succeed in climbing the management ranks.

Gubin is an executive recruiter and president of Woodland Hillsbased TechExec Partners, Inc. Ashman, a Pasadena resident and executive director of Kellwood Company, is a women's apparel marketer in Los Angeles.

The book is titled "PowerLadder, Network Your Way to Career Success—The Fast Track Guide," and looks into the give and take of mentor relationships, how to take advantage of the first 10 seconds count in making a good first impression, and why mending difficult workplace relationships can save an employee from having a "backdoor reference" come back to haunt them.

For more than five years, the authors met hundreds of women who felt trapped along the corporate ladder.

"These women were looking for help, howto books and guidance," Gubin said. "They needed to learn the basics like the importance of tying personal interests and working together, establishing a complementary support team to accelerate professional success, and maintaining continuity."

Gubin, who has been an executive recruiter for more than 15 years, was the founder and director of Women in Technology International/L.A. and served as chair of the Digital Coast Round Table's Industry Relations Committee. Gubin's Woodland Hills firm regularly sponsors executive-level networking events.