Worth a Read Yes
Length 208
Quick Review Work Wife by Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur explores the unique relationship between female duos as company founders and how these duos are changing the workplace.
Women and men are different. Whether that’s due to nature, nurture, or a combination is up for debate – and not likely to be figured out any time soon. There is one very evident thing, we work and lead differently. Where men tend to compete and fly solo, women tend to support and congregate. Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur are cofounders of the company Of a Kind and cowriters of Work Wife inspired by their own work wife relationship.
Cerulo and Mazur were college friends long before they began their Work Wife journey. After moving to NYC and having individual careers, they decided to mesh their passions into one company: Of a Kind. Their friendship was the foundation of their company, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t face all the hurdles every startup faces. Instead of going it alone, they were able to lean on one another and still do to this day. Work Wife chronicles their journey as cofounders, but it also looks to other iconic female duos leading companies of all sorts. They wanted to highlight there is more than one way of being a duo or even a trio in a leadership position. There is no set way of being successful as a female leader but many.
Work Wife talks about several high profile duos and trios. These women are uber successful in their spheres. If you do any reading about women owned businesses or leadership or friendship, these women will inevitably crop up. I am familiar with all of their names because of this. I think it’s fabulous. Also a little sad that there are so few women in leadership roles, and we have to keep using the same women on repeat. It just proves we can do it, and there is a need for more of us. Obviously.
Cerulo and Mazur approach Work Wife with humor and friendship. There is a ton of great information, but you can sense their relationship and sense of fun coming through in their words. There is a great amount of admiration for each other. I love the sense of collaboration. There is very little ego; though, they do tackle some of the issue that come with the money and percentage side of things – not so cheery and rainbows. One of the biggest takeaways from Work Wife, which transcends business relationships: How partners talk in meetings is an indicator of their relationship and the health of the business. Are they competing? Or are they supporting, listening, and building off one another. This is such an important thing to take into life and other relationships. You can even see this in how they write the book. They speak in the third person “Claire…” or “Erica…” and then switches back to “we,” which is the guiding force behind the book. They are a united force. Other important topics they touch on for women: how men and women deal with money differently, motherhood, communication, regular meetings with a coach, how things tend to come out in the wash.
The writing seems very them. I don’t know them, but it would be hard to make up that playfulness. They write using the acronyms they undoubtedly use in day to day life. In partnership, it’s important to have a short hand. One thing I found a little redundant was the constant reminder of who each woman was. The other duos and trios of female partnerships are mentioned so consistently, it is hard to forget who they are. I do love that they included a profile and portrait of the duos at the very beginning of the book. I like having faces to go with names.
I want to end on this quote: “Female hysteria may no longer be recognized as a medical condition, but the stereotype – and the reliance on it as a tool to silence and discredit women – persists. Having someone to validate perceptions help eradicate the self-doubt that can ratte even the most confident among us.” It’s a central theme in Work Wife and life. As a woman there is always the fight against centuries and milleniums of oppression and stereotype. It’s been a long battle, but I think we’re starting to make some head way, in great part to the work and openness of women like Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur.
Memorable Quotes
“At its core, our friendship was built for two.”
“Following your gut is the one hard-and-fast rule of forging a work-wife partnership.”
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Title: Work Wife; The Power of Female Friendship to Drive Successful Businesses
Authors: Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9781524796778
