At my house, I know the rules. Trash has to be out on Monday night. Front porch light stays on all the time. Laundry is done when you run out of clothes. Shoes don’t have to be put away until the pile in the living room exceeds the one in the bedroom. I know the rules because I make them.

But I spend a huge part of my life at work, where I don’t make the rules. And at times, it feels like I don’t even know the rules!

Fact: The business world is dominated by men.

Fact: I am in the business world.

Fact: I am not a man.

Hmmm, if A = B and B = C, therefore…ok, I won’t make you do equations. But to any woman in the business realm, it should be pretty clear that some areas are more difficult for us.

Shaunti Feldhahn did extensive research for “The Male Factor” to help show women how men think in the workplace (and one of the points is that men think differently at home and at work). Basically, she has written down all those unspoken rules to give women a playbook to use in the business arena.

The book is enlightening and frustrating at the same time. Enlightening because it made me realize some of the ways I sabotage myself every day when I deal with my male colleagues (and most in my industry are male). Frustrating because I have gone years without knowing some of this. And because some of the unwritten rules are downright aggravating. She doesn’t say that women have to follow these rules, but she does want us to be aware of how they affect us.

If you work with men, I recommend this book. It won’t be a fun, entertaining read; but it will be educational. You can purchase the book from the publisher.

I received a review copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.