annrajaram
As part of my leadership experiments, I am going through the strategies mentioned in books that provide the best career/leadership guidance for women. This post is a roundup of 7 books that I love and recommend. Many of these titles had been suggested by mentors or senior leaders in the Fortune 500 companies I’ve worked for, so the list is vetted by others too!
I’ve read all the books in the list below, but their content is so evergreen that I always find it useful to refresh my memory. As I rose up the career ladder, it was helpful to revisit methods that were perhaps not so relevant earlier. In fact, recently I bought physical copies of 3 of these books to keep handy in my home library.
Without further ado, here is the list of the Top 7 books on leadership and career skills for women:
#1] Ask for It.
Authors – Linda Babcock and Barbara Stanny.
Synopsis – Practical strategies to negotiate for things you want, be it higher pay, more help with household chores, more resources, and anything else. In some ways, it reminds me of the book ‘Crucial Conversations’ customized for women. If you can, please read both! Negotiation is a critical life skill.
#2] Secrets of 6-figure Women.
Authors – Barbara Stanny.
Synopsis – Boost your paycheck irrespective of your domain, career stage, whether you work for a non-profit or as a solopreneur. A perfect blend of mindset shifts and practical tips.
#3] Leadership for Women.
Author – Ann Rajaram.
Synopsis – Practical advice to accelerate your career, customized for the modern workplace. Styled in blog-style chapters for the ambitious gals who don’t want to wait decades to break the glass ceiling. Honest disclaimer – I wrote this book. These are nuggets of wisdom passed on from my mentors and some learned from the school of Hard Knocks! It is the book I wished somebody had written and shared with me when I was starting my career.
#4] Expect to Win.
Author – Carla Harris.
Synopsis – Tips to thrive and rise in any workplace without being Machiavellian from a Wall Street leader and woman of color. She recently released another book, which must be amazing if it is half as good as this one!
#5] Playing Big.
Author – Tara Mohr.
Synopsis – Practical tips to overcome your inner critic and achieve all your audacious goals. Not giving away spoilers, but the concepts of ‘pachad’ and ‘yirah’ just blew my mind!
#6] Roar.
Author – Cecilia Ahern.
Synopsis – The only fiction book on this list. A modern-day version of Aesop’s Fables (or Indian Jataka Tales) that will remind you how women subtly sabotage themselves. Each story will tug at your heart and remind you of someone you know closely.
#7] How Women Rise.
Authors – Marshall Goldsmith and Sally Helgesen.
Synopsis – 12 habits that keep women stuck in their careers and how to overcome them.
Bonus:
Unspoken Truths for Career Success. I received an early reviewer copy via my NetGalley account but I loved it, esp the chart about skills that make you “promotable” at various stages of your career!
Thoughts? Have you read one or all of these books? What’s your favorite? Any other book I did not cover in this list that you highly recommend or perhaps even buy for the women in your life?
