Background and accomplishments of the author
Lauren Neal is an award-winning chartered engineer, consultant, and author who, in her recent book, provides strategies than may help companies create and maintain a culture where anyone, regardless of background, can develop and grow, demonstrate their skills and talents, and can be engaged. Neal was one of the United Kingdom’s foremost female computing students at just 18. She obtained a master’s degree in electronic and electrical engineering, and from 2005 and on has worked with both men and women on multimillion-dollar projects in the UK, Angola, Trinidad, and more.
Neal is chartered through the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the Association of Project Management (APM), which has led to her becoming a certified IC Agile team facilitator and coach intending on bettering team dynamics for the best project delivery.
About Lauren Neal’s book Valued at Work
The full title of Lauren Neal’s book is Valued at Work: Shining a Light on Bias to Engage, Enable, and Retain Women in STEM. In the book Neal utilizes her personal experiences, research and a multitude of real-world examples to “provide what she calls tried-and-tested approaches to help male-dominated organizations create and maintain more inclusive workplace cultures”.
In a recent interview Neal remarked, “There are potentially many, many competent people who have so much more to give than they can because of workplace cultures or bias or any number of things that are just getting in the way. I strive to spread the message that people should be able to show the world what they’ve got to offer and to be given the opportunity to do that.”
Neal intriguingly gets her message across in the book. She does this by showing readers a conversation between two male managers who are attempting to retain the women in their organizations. The two men utilize concrete examples to discuss the issues that women endure within the patriarchal system. It shows the characters trying to understand these challenges and find methods to course correct their respective companies’ inclusion efforts.
In the book, it shows the reality of the men getting it right and getting it wrong.
Regarding the book Neal stated, “This fictional approach to a real business problem allows readers to empathize with these male organizational leaders in their own struggles, as well as with the women in theirs, with less judgement than is typical when discussing this topic.”
As it is inspired by real-life stories, Valued at Work gives “top tips” for organizations to tap into women’s potential while showcasing the struggles women in STEM face. Women in STEM may find relatability to their experiences and be a “fly on the wall” to the mentalities of men. The book aims to provide all readers with strategies for driving real change.
Valued at Work: Shining a Light on Bias to Engage, Enable, and Retain Women in STEM recently became an Amazon No. 1 Best Seller in High-Tech Business & Finance.