Book recommendations: women and leadership
In honour of World Book Day and International Women’s Day back in March, I did a series of posts on my personal social media platforms highlighting books written by women and/or about women that have inspired me, and I thought I’d share the more work-related ones here too. These books focus on work and leadership, but they are also about life and being human.
A good time to be a girl: don’t lean in, change the system
by Helena Morrissey
For anyone who is interested in true representation and inclusion in the workplace. It’s not just about gender balance at the top, but having diversity in age, race, sexual orientation, religion, social background and disability across all roles and levels (what does ‘the top’ mean anyway?). Helena Morrissey, a former city CEO and mum of nine, talks about why difference is a good thing and sets the scene for change.
There are some hard truths in here about why we are where we are with diversity and a great chapter on what CEOs can do to help, but it’s a call to action for all of us. After hearing some pretty shocking stories about inequality and discrimination recently, this book gave me hope for the future.
Radical candor
by Kim Scott
This one is about leadership in the workplace, though the focus is not just on women. Kim Scott charts her own experiences of working in executive roles Silicon Valley and provides insightful guidance on how building relationships is at the heart of successful leadership. There is so much complexity and stress in our everyday lives that there’s a tendency to forget about the people – the human cost – in amongst the processes and the finances that are black and white and measurable, but this is a clear reminder of why people are an organization’s most valuable asset, and why they should be invested in.
It is honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read. I came to it at a time when I was feeling a bit lost with who I was at work but it actually helped me work out who I was in my personal life too - and guess what? They weren’t two different people as I had thought – a surprising revelation. I finally realised that I didn’t have to be a certain type of person with certain character traits in order to be a good leader. My value was in my existing strengths – I just had to understand them and use them to my advantage.
Playing big
by Tara Mohr
When I originally wrote about this book, I was only half-way through but now I’ve finished and the rest didn’t disappoint. Essentially, it’s about listening to what you really want for yourself and having the courage to make your dreams a reality. With chapters on dealing with fear (and the fascinating different types of fear) communicating with power and hiding strategies, I think there’s something in here for everyone. Do you suffer from imposter syndrome? Definitely read this book.
I’ve just read the afterword (I nearly missed it for some reason) which is titled ‘New motherhood and playing big’ and it made me feel quite emotional because it’s everything I’ve been trying to say about my motherhood experience so far but couldn’t find the words. Here’s a tiny snippet:
“It’s socially acceptable for women to talk about feeling as if we never measure up in either domain [work/parenting] of our lives, as one constantly pulls us away from the other. But I’m not sure it’s socially acceptable yet for a woman to talk about not feeling overwhelmed.”
This struck a chord with me. Do you ever want to say how well things are going but hold back for fear of what others might think? Or feel scared of contributing to a culture of unrealistic expectations and making others feel bad? It’s brilliant that we’re so much better these days about being honest with our struggles but we should be honest about feeling great too, and not downplaying. It’s not authentic if we don’t, and we’re not helping ourselves or anyone else.
When I celebrate something going well, I feel much better and can be more productive. When I tell myself that I’m overwhelmed, or expect to feel overwhelmed, I do end up feeling that way.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this extract – does it resonate? Do you downplay successes? What happens when you celebrate something going well?