Tina Fey is everywhere – TV, magazine covers, and now a broadway musical is rumored. Her book, Bossypants came out last year and soon became a number one best seller. First of all, the cover of Bossypants is genius. When I first picked up this book I thought the cover was merely for humor. However, upon reading the book, I realized that Tina Fey’s face on a man’s body is symbolic – depicting women who have made it to a top position, one that often belongs to a man. But her book is more than women’s empowerment or chick lit.
Bossypants is part memoir, part management self-help book and part sketch comedy. The book takes you through the different stages of Tina Fey’s life beginning with her childhood, not far from NJ, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania where she spent her awkward teenage years trying to find herself. As most know she spent her early years of improvisation in Chicago, then, building on her success as comedian and first-ever female head writer at Saturday Night Live, left to produce, write and star in her show 30 Rock – all while finding joy and inspiration in her marriage and family. As a young female CPA, I had been hesitant to consider a future where I am a firm partner and a leader in the accounting profession because men are usually seen in these roles. However, Fey’s experiences really inspired me put aside my fears and have an ambition that goes beyond the stereotype.
Many people think this book should only be read by women. I completely disagree. This book is humorous with many life lessons that can come in handy to both men and women. I am not going to lie; this book is geared towards how women can succeed because of how many think women cannot. It also addresses other women’s topics – things that men think about but never ask. Tina Fey made many great points in her book, including a few that I thought were very important for young CPAs to know.
Let people see what you wrote. Fey tells us that sometimes you have to bring your talents to the attention of others. “You have to let people see what you wrote,” she says. “It will never be perfect, but perfect is overrated.” This point is extremely important for young CPAs to realize and overcome. What I have learned is that if you don’t let people see what you wrote or share your opinions then no one will know your ideas. People are always worried that others will disagree with them. Fey reminds us that the world isn’t perfect and people are always going to disagree. The important thing is that you speak up and defend what you want or believe in. Partners in firms may not appear to be open to being challenged, but when you do challenge them in a professional way and provide a solution they will respect you.
Make sure people understand what you’re saying. As a new writer at SNL, Fey (along with other female writers) proposed ideas about women’s issues. They were continually turned down by the male higher ups. The men didn’t get it – the ideas were out of their frame of reference and comfort zone. Fey and the others continued to suggest those ideas in ways that made sense. They were finally heard and classic sketches and characters came to life. While the book focused on men not understanding women, the message is applicable to any audience. You don’t have to stop asking; but, you may need to rephrase how you are asking it because sometimes people just don’t understand.
Keep moving towards success. The following excerpt from Bossy Pants was the most influential professional piece of advice I got from this book.
“My unsolicited advice to women in the workplace is this. When faced with sexism or ageism or lookism or even really aggressive Buddhism, ask yourself the following question: “is this person in between me and what I want to do?” If the answer is no, ignore it and move on. Your energy is better used doing your work and outpacing people that way. Then, when you’re in charge, don’t hire the people who were jerky to you. If the answer is yes, you have a more difficult road ahead of you. I suggest you model your strategy after the old Sesame Street film piece “Over! Under! Through!” If your boss is a jerk, try to find someone above or around your boss who is a jerk. If you’re lucky, your workplace will have a neutral proving ground. Again, don’t waste your energy trying to educate or change opinions. Go “Over! Under! Through!” and opinions will change organically when you’re the boss. Or they won’t. Who cares? Do your thing and don’t care if they like it,”
The excerpt above was very powerful. It is important for young CPAs to understand that no matter where you work, there will always be people that you can relate to and people you cannot. That just means that you need to work hard, fight for what you believe in (professionally of course) and know when it is the right time to walk away from the opportunities that are not leading you to the success you wish to achieve. Lastly, always remember, no one is going to hear you if you don’t speak up and no one is going to fight for your career but you.
While Bossypants was extremely motivating for me as a young CPA and a woman, I would highly recommend this book to any person at any stage in their life.
Megan Cicchetti, CPA/ABV, is a Senior Accountant at Sax Macy Fromm & Co., PC specializing in their Litigation Support and Business Valuation industry group. She became a CPA in 2010 and joined the NJSCPA in 2009. She reviewed “Bossy Pants” because she loves learning about powerful women in leadership roles and the trials and tribulations they have been through to achieve their success. She can be reached at mcicchetti@smf-cpa.com