'Nice girls' finish last in the workplace, according to American corporate coach and author Dr Lois Frankel. Speaking to the Australian Medical Association, the Australian Institute of Management and other groups, Frankel said too many women carried expectations about "being a good girl" into adulthood, the Herald Sun reported. She said women's focus on being 'nice' rendered them less effective at work as well as in their private lives. "Women also often let people cross their boundaries inappropriately," she said. "They tolerate inappropriate behaviour and don't walk away when they should." Frankel said Australian culture encouraged women to become "nice girls" rather than women who sought success in their careers and private lives. "While American women are starting to get the fact they need to take better care of themselves and be more verbal and ask for what they want, Australian women are still hesitant to do that," she said.

She said that while women were good at building relationships, she said they didn't leverage themselves properly, for fear of being viewed as 'pushy.' "The culture doesn't encourage it - the upbringing, the corporate culture and the organisational culture all serve to marginalise women in many ways. "The number of women on boards actually went down last year in Australia. Part of that is a backlash, but it means Australian women are taking two steps forwards and one step back." In her latest book, Nice Girls Just Don't Get It, Frankel sets out seven key strategies for turning nice girls into "winning women". Frankel said many women lost touch with their own values, living instead by those of their friends or families.