Discussion Guide
One Red Shoe begins in 1973 with the story about Peg giving a speech to several hundred men introducing Affirmative Action to The Procter & Gamble Company. She was nine months pregnant. Why do you think she begins with this story?
What role do you think various family members played in Peg’s development – her grandfather, the Attorney General of Ohio, whom she never met; Judge Hogan, her father; and Eve Hogan, the mother who was the most independent in the family constellation. What members of your family have been most influential? Why?
Again and again Peg starts before she is ready. What do you think is the value of that? And the risks?
Managing the boardroom and playroom is a difficult juggling act. In your mind what are the keys to success? What skills are required in each arena and are they transferable?
As the lone woman, Peg brought her unique brand of diversity to everything she did. What benefits does diversity bring to an organization?
Deciding to leave The Procter & Gamble Company was extremely difficult. Why did she leave? Do you think it was the right decision? Have you faced a similar dilemma?
There was nothing subtle about the obstacles Peg faced. Women need not apply. Rank and file men didn’t invite her to lunch. There were no laws against harassment. Today, the obstacles are often invisible. What are they and does that make progress more elusive?
What are the tools needed by the young women growing up today who want to enter the working world? How should we prepare young men to work alongside their female counterparts?
Peg’s experience crossed many fields: big business, consulting, venture capital, real estate and entrepreneurship. Where are women most and least likely to succeed and why?
The book talks about highly principled politicians. People who said, “let’s start with the truth” and were not afraid to speak their mind, refusing to keep a job at the risk of losing their integrity. Where did that kind of character go? And how do we get our children to bring it back?
Early in her career Peg didn’t claim to be a feminist. Today only 1 out of 6 women call themselves a feminist but Peg is definitely in that group. How do you define the word? And should more women admit to being one?
Regarding work and family, marriage and success, what is utopia? Can women have it all? If not, why? If yes, how and when?
“Steeped in Wisdom” are lessons her long term assistant learned from Peg. The list is a ‘how to’ manual on achieving goals. Which are relevant to you?
Red is the color of One Red Shoe as well as the suit she wore to the first district sales meeting. Why red? What does it symbolize? What was she communicating to the power brokers around her?