FOREWORD

T
his book is not for everyone. Any woman professor satisfied with a
successful career should not bother; nor should anyone satisfied with
a well-balanced life. This book is a guide for those who aspire to the
very difficult combination of the two.
To paraphrase Thoreau's (1854) Walden, go confidently in the direction
of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined. As you simplify your life, the
laws of the universe will appear less complex.
It sounds like wonderful advice, but I have never figured out exactly
what it means. Being a professor is the life of my dreams, but, as far as I can
see, it is anything but simple. We have scholarship to launch, students to
teach, colleagues to engage, and administrators to satisfy, not to mention our
families and private lives to manage—all against the backdrop of subtle and
not-so-subtle forms of gender bias. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful life when
things go smoothly.
Even Thoreau eventually tired of Walden Pond and reimmersed himself
in the stimulation of human society. The question that Rena Seltzer addresses
in this book is not how to retreat into spiritual contemplation, but how to
keep a very complicated and demanding life on track. We all know the feel-
ing of muddling through, making a hash of things, and picking up the pieces
Copyright © 2015. Stylus Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

to keep going. We all could have used expert advice from someone who has
encountered similar situations. We all probably could have made better deci-
sions with input from a life coach.
Seltzer’s book is the next best thing to a personal life coach. The book is
partly a how-to manual with advice on just about every aspect of the academic
career: what to do about time management, how to motivate and assess stu-
dents, strategies for getting work published, and so on. Seltzer (although you
may find yourself referring to her by her first name, because this book will
feel like a comforting friend) distills usable techniques from the enormous
bodies of literature on writing and teaching effectiveness. I already have plans
to hand out “exit tickets” in my next class (see chapter 3).
As we all know, however, a successful career is not just a matter of mas-
tering writing skills and communication techniques. The greatest wisdom
of this book is in the recognition of the deep psychological and sociological

ix
Seltzer, Rena. The Coach's Guide for Women Professors : Who Want a Successful Career and a Well-Balanced Life, Stylus
Publishing, LLC, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/harvard-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4438566.
Created from harvard-ebooks on 2022-03-25 07:06:10.
 x foreword

issues that lie at the base of our challenges. With insight and empathy, Rena
Seltzer picks through the detritus of embarrassing episodes and horrendous
faux pas to distill lessons for the next round. Using examples from real peo-
ple she has helped through a variety of struggles, she has constructed labels
through the labyrinth.
Seltzer recognizes the fragile psychology of a stressed-out person: writer’s
block, addiction to web surfing, venting to family and friends, inability to let
go of unpublished work—the list goes on. She not only proposes strategies to
stay on task at the office—what she calls “work strategies”—but also suggests
ways to restore health, revitalize emotions, and nourish friendships using
“keystone habits.” I was not surprised to learn that she has a black belt in
karate because under her gentle exterior is a tough person who celebrates the
connection between mind and body and who understands the importance of
appropriate outlets for frustration and energetic expression.
Beyond individual psychology, the book also provides guidance for how
to navigate endemic structures of sexism and racism that we have only begun
to recognize and tackle as a society. We ask, “What should I do about sexist
and/or racist colleagues or students? How do I manage unfair coauthors or
colleagues? How can my partner and I manage our dual-career household?
How can I get my work done when I have so little time with my family as it
is? How do I break into male-dominated networks?” But this is not a book
about society’s problems; it is a helpful guide for how to cope in constructive,
life-affirming ways. Speaking with authority requires recognizing society’s
double standards that make it hard for a woman to be liked and respected at
the same time. Seltzer provides an array of suggestions for how women can
be more powerful without alienating their biased audiences.
Copyright © 2015. Stylus Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

Seltzer has written a gem of a book. I have watched her present parts of it
at faculty development sessions at Yale University, where I was deputy prov-
ost for faculty and development. The women professors who attended these
workshops could not get enough of Seltzer because she provides wisdom for
what matters most: career success on terms that make us happier people. I
am delighted she has written this book, and you will be a richer person for
having read it.

Frances Rosenbluth
Damon Wells Professor of Political Science
Yale University
New Haven, CT
March 2015

Seltzer, Rena. The Coach's Guide for Women Professors : Who Want a Successful Career and a Well-Balanced Life, Stylus
Publishing, LLC, 2015. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/harvard-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4438566.
Created from harvard-ebooks on 2022-03-25 07:06:10.