Alpha advice

Auch in seinen frühen Jahren als Jungunternehmer hat Christopher Flett oft mit harten Bandagen gekämpft. Jetzt hat er einen Ratgeber für Frauen geschrieben, in dem er kein Blatt vor den Mund nimmt. Margaret Davis hat ihn zu seinem Buch befragt.

"Want to move ahead, but the boss won't seem to let me/I swear sometimes, that man is out to get me." For many women, Dolly Parton's popular song "Nine to Five" still rings true, 30 years after it was written. Male bosses continue to stand in the way of women who are trying to get ahead in business. And even if your boss isn't "out to get you", don't you sometimes feel he doesn't understand you — and vice versa?

Now imagine that you have a brash but caring big brother who is willing to tell you what men are saying when you're not around. That brother figure could be Christopher Flett , the author of What Men Don't Tell Women About Business, a controversial new book of advice for career women.

Just 34, the Canadian-born entrepreneur started his first company when he was only 15. Since then, he has founded seven businesses, each of them with annual profits of over $1 million.

Flett describes himself as a "reformed alpha male", and this is where the trouble starts. There are lots of career books telling women how to deal with men in business, but most of these are written by women. Flett decided it was time for a man to tell women what alpha- male bosses are really thinking.

Not surprisingly, the book has alienated some men, who feel Flett has betrayed them. It has also infuriated some women, who dislike the sometimes crude language he uses in the book. Business Week journalist Jena McGregor described Flett in her blog as a "management shock jock" and said she couldn't finish the book. Flett defends himself by pointing out that women need to know not just what men say, but how they say it, no matter how unpleasant. Married, with a young son, Flett says he is the son and husband of powerful women. Despite his abrasive writing style, Flett is a quietly spoken, amusing interview partner. He spoke to Business Spotlight from Miami, where he is working on his next book.