Carol Vallone Mitchell, Ph.D.
Author & Leadership Development Advisor
Carol is the author of Breaking Through “Bitch”: How Women Can Shatter Stereotypes and Lead Fearlessly and COLLABORATION CODE: How Men Lead Culture Change and Nurture Tomorrow’s Leaders.
Cofounder of Talent Strategy Partners in 2001, she works with companies to identify and develop leaders who will build and nurture the right workplace culture and drive results. Please visit our website http://www.tsphr.com/.
She is an accomplished researcher in gender differences in leadership and has developed over 50 competency models used to assess and develop men and women in all industries. Notably, she developed the Women’s Leadership BlueprintTM, described in Breaking Through “Bitch” and Men’s New Leadership BlueprintTM, defined in COLLABORATION CODE.
Carol received her doctorate in Organizational Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a frequent speaker, podcast and radio show guest, and writer on leadership and culture.
Carol is based in the Philadelphia area.
Collaboration Code & Breaking Through "Bitch"
Men and women both face leadership challenges.
Carol's first book, Breaking Through "Bitch," defines a set of behavioral skills that successful women leaders have in common. Her research and that of others shows that women who lead successfully demonstrate characteristics such as empathy, nurturing, and inclusion — collaborative traits we expect women to exhibit. Women "round off the sharp edges" of male-associated characteristics into their brand of leadership.
She's now written the book for men, Collaboration Code. But why? Collaborative leadership is collaborative leadership, right? Unfortunately, it's not that simple. We expect men to be independent achievers, dominant, and ambitious. It used to be that what was expected of a man was the same as that expected of a leader. Indeed, when leadership was more top-down, men didn't have a disconnect between being a leader and being a man. But in today's business world, we require collaborative leaders, which carries a new set of expectations. And just as successful women have developed a blend of male and female characteristics that balance gender and leadership expectations, men need to develop a unique blend of those attributes for their own balancing act.
These books provide men and women leaders with behavioral blueprints for getting the right balance to lead effectively and authentically.
What people say about Collaboration Code
"Carol Mitchell has conducted outstanding research on both women's and men's leadership. In Collaboration Code, she explodes stereotypes that men have lived with for far too long—particularly those that suggest that men do not or should not lead with empathy and compassion. Through compelling stories, she shows how the best male leaders have developed the emotional intelligence so fundamental to inclusive, collaborative leadership, the kind of leadership that creates and sustains the productive workplaces and healthy cultures we need so badly in today's world."
Annie McKee, Senior Fellow and Director, PennCLO Executive Doctoral Program University of Pennsylvania; New York Times bestselling author of Resonant Leadership and Primal Leadership
"There are many books about how women can lead in a world dominated by men, but Carol Mitchell is one of the few to explore how men can be confident without getting cocky, show empathy without becoming weak, and elevate others without undermining themselves."
Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and Give and Take, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife
"Collaboration Code is a powerful book that shows how men are demonstrating principles of Athena leadership. Carol Mitchell's research puts a fine point on the skills and approaches of executive men that blend masculine and feminine traits. This is how men can join women to rule the future."
John Gerzema, CEO of the Harris Poll; New York Times bestselling author of The Athena Doctrine
"Collaboration Code is a welcomed clarion call for change in the business-as-usual leadership paradigm among men. Through lucid prose, engaging interviews, and savvy cultural observations, Carol Mitchell makes a strong case for empathy and collaboration as the new skillset men need if they are going to lead successfully in the 21st century."
Andrew Reiner, author of Better Boys, Better Men, masculinity researcher, and frequent contributor to the New York Times
"Leaders instill in their people a hope for success and a belief in themselves. Positive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals."
– Unknown
