Countdown to the launch of A Groundhog Career - 118 days and counting

Drs Schuster & Oxley

November 1, 2024

10 min

Shey Deficiency Syndrome (SDS)

We know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “there is something missing in my life.” And when you reflect back you also realize… “the last time I was really happy, inspired, content… well, that was October 13, 2023.”

We sympathize, empathize, and we know what will help.

This phenomenon is called SDS—Shey Deficiency Syndrome.

It’s similar but not the same as SAD. Although the symptoms are similar, the remedy and treatment are (thank goodness) much easier. Unlike SAD, you don’t have to wait until summer… just March. March 18th specifically.

In the meantime, we do suggest three things to provide at least temporary relief:

Re-read A Career Carol. Perhaps you haven’t read it for a while? Perhaps you missed the John Lennon joke, the cultural riffs like Dr. Who’s Tardis Rolls Royce, or the ingenious GPS trashcan invention. There are a total of 73 easter eggs buried in the book. Perhaps you haven’t found them all?
Read our seasonally appropriate articles. While they don’t specifically feature Shey Sinope, they are written largely using his voice. Consider for example:
- Just Sing Carols in Minute Hack
- Mistletoe and Whine: Why Letting Off Steam Has Its Risks
(Interesting story on that second link incidentally. We wrote that for a prestigious UK magazine last Christmas, and they “forgot” to publish it. Anyhow, we put that right by posting it on our website.)
Look out for our upcoming promotional work. We are about to start doing some more promotional work ahead of the Christmas period and focusing on A Groundhog Career—the second in the Shey Sinope saga.

We have our kickoff meeting with Rhian Pearson and Natalie Connors at The Book Publicist this Wednesday. The idea is to create some attention in the lead-up to Christmas 2024. Spotlight the new book and see if we can help people solve the following thorny problems:

What should we buy Dad for Christmas?
What should we buy Mum for Christmas?
What should we buy Grandma for Christmas?
What should we buy Grandpa for Christmas?
What should we buy our brother for Christmas?
What should we buy our sister for Christmas?
What should we buy our daughter for Christmas?
What should we buy our son for Christmas?
What should we buy our nephew for Christmas?
What should we buy our niece for Christmas?
And so on...

These are important questions. Ones we know we have a solution for. Ones that all of you who already have experienced life with and without Shey Sinope can attest to. Life is better with a little Shey Sinope in our lives.

Special thanks to Jaron, Ian, and Trisha for their amazing quotes and recommendations. We are very excited to share A Groundhog Career with you all.

Not long now… we can do it people… 118 days…

More Female CEOs

The Dr. Schuster Column

Do We Need More Female CEOs—and Should We Use Quotas?

As we work on the third book in the Shey Sinope Saga, our research has touched on diversity in business: female entrepreneurs, women in leadership, ethnic and LGBTQ+ representation in both startups and corporations. While much has been written about gender diversity, significantly less attention is paid to other forms of diversity.

One article in The Guardian (February 14, 2024) caught my eye. Its headline read:

“Women hold 42% of board seats at big UK firms (wow, progress!), but just 10 are FTSE 100 bosses”

(ouch, not great).

By contrast, ethnic minorities make up 19% of boards, and 7% of CEOs. Perhaps reinforcing the relative focus, there is very little data on LGBTQ+ representation, with only a third reporting employee representation and no board data.

There is also the subject of generational diversity, something David and I have worked on extensively. Only 5% of FTSE boards have a representative under the age of 50.

Curious about how well diverse talent has fared, I looked at the performance of the female-led companies over the past five years compared to the FTSE 100. Some outperformed the index; others didn’t. As a shareholder in one of these companies and familiar with a few of these CEOs, I find some more impressive than others—just as with male CEOs. No surprise.

Interestingly, McKinsey have tried to track the relative performance of diverse CEOs, concluding gender-diverse executive teams are 21% more likely to outperform, where ethnic diversity results in 36% greater likelihood of better performance. Of the available data, a multi-generational perspective was the greatest positive impact on performance.

Why Focus on Gender Diversity?

So, this does beg the question: why the focus on gender diversity?

Bonnie Chiu addresses this in her article in Forbes. Gender has proven the eternal battleground for equality. Our consciousness about gender disparity has the longest history. The distinctions are clearer and generally we all agree any barriers are completely arbitrary.

So, do we need more female CEOs, and, perhaps more to the point, how should we think about making that happen?

Maria Eitel (Nike Foundation), Jessica Matthews (Uncharted Power), Whitney Wolfe (Bumble), Martha Hoover (Patachou), Melanie Perkins (Canva), Judy Vredenburgh (Girls Inc.), Katherine Ryder (Maven), Sallie Krawcheck (Ellevest), Rhonesha Byng (Her Agenda).

As a shareholder, my main concern is performance. I don’t care if a CEO is male or female, gay or straight, brown or white, 25 or 65—only if they deliver results.

Initiatives like 25x25, which advocate for more women CEOs, are well-meaning, but are they necessary? If there’s sufficient diversity at board and executive levels, shouldn’t CEO selection come down to merit, experience, and performance?

And I suppose this is the crux of the problem. Existing systems have resulted in an under-representation, a deficiency in the top-line numbers. We are behind where we should be with female CEO candidates and we have greater challenges in other areas.

I believe the root cause is these systems—the barriers and glass ceilings that stop diverse talent from realizing its true potential. For example, if we rethought career longevity and embraced less ageist corporate cultures, more women might pause their careers for family reasons and re-enter leadership roles later. After all, women in the UK live four years longer on average than men, yet late-career male CEO appointments vastly outnumber female ones.

In conclusion, a simple quota approach for female CEOs mustn’t change a primary focus on performance… on getting results. That is the ultimate and arguably only scorecard that matters. But perhaps boards need to rethink what constitutes “merit” and how they assess leadership potential.

What do you think? As authors, we thrive on your feedback!

November Update

Guess what?

Go on, guess… you’ll never believe what we did in the last month.

No… not that. Really? That’s a strange guess. No… try again.

OK… we’ll tell you.

We signed a publishing contract for the Shey Sinope Book 3!

Our excitement is off the chart. However, we recognise that book 2 hasn’t yet come out. March feels both just around the corner but also still 118 days away.

But we thought we should share the news.

Yes, you are responsible for this. It’s your fault. Without your support the world would not have to endure more of this.

…forcing ourselves to be more self-praising… it’s a delight to know that there is a demand for our version of career and professional life advice.

We’ll share more in the coming months. You will be the first to hear about title, content, cover, etc.

A Career Carol Reviews

We had some great book reviews this month.

The book blogger Sassy did a review which is available here:

“Packed with actionable exercises, the book empowers readers to regain control, transform their ambitions into achievable goals, and avoid the pitfalls of a stalled professional life.”

Readers Choice also gave us a great review:

“What sets this book apart is its ability to be both engaging and enlightening. I particularly appreciated the real-life case studies, which added depth and relatability.”

And also, Kia’s Reviews wrote the following:

“It’s an inspiring and introspective read, designed to guide readers toward becoming their best selves. I deeply appreciate the authors’ insightful guidance and the tools they provide to support personal growth.”