How Women Rise: Summary Review
This is a summary review of How Women Rise containing key details about the book.
What is How Women Rise About?
"How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job" by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith provides a comprehensive guide to the most common habits and behaviors that hold women back in their careers and provides actionable steps and strategies for women to break through these barriers and reach their full potential.
How Women Rise is a great read for any woman who wants to identify self-defeating behaviors that are holding her back, gain insight into why she engages in those behaviors, and develop skills to confidently achieve her goals. The most powerful thing you can do for your career is to change what's in your control.
Summary Points & Takeaways from How Women Rise
Some key summary points and takeaways from the book include:
* Stop Playing Small: Women need to identify and overcome the self-limiting beliefs and habits that hold them back.
* Partner with Others: Women should seek out sponsors and allies who can help them navigate workplace challenges and advance their careers.
* Lead with Insight: Women should be strategic and use their intuition and emotional intelligence to navigate workplace dynamics and make decisions.
* Take Risks: Women should be willing to take on challenging assignments and stretch themselves, even if it means stepping outside of their comfort zone.
* Keep Learning: Women should continually seek new opportunities to learn and grow, both professionally and personally.
* Speak Up: Women should communicate their thoughts, opinions, and ideas effectively and assertively.
* Get Visible: Women should actively seek out opportunities to showcase their skills and achievements to others.
* Celebrate Success: Women should take time to acknowledge and celebrate their accomplishments, as well as the successes of others.
* These are some of the key points from "How Women Rise". The book provides practical advice and actionable steps for women to overcome the common barriers that can hold them back in the workplace.
Who is the author of How Women Rise?
Sally Helgesen is an American author, speaker and leadership coach.
Marshall Goldsmith is an American executive leadership coach and author.
How Women Rise Summary Notes
Overcoming Self-Deprecation: Women and Self-Promotion in the Workplace
Despite their skills and accomplishments, professional women often struggle to take credit for their successes. They tend to downplay their roles in team achievements and prefer to spread credit around rather than draw attention to their own hard work. This behavior, while seen as polite, can be harmful to a woman's career. Being overly modest is more likely to harm a woman's career than advance it. Men tend to distrust women who are self-deprecating about their achievements, considering them inauthentic. Additionally, a woman's reluctance to take credit for team accomplishments can diminish the team's overall achievements and harm morale. It's important for women to overcome self-deprecation and learn to take credit for their accomplishments in order to advance in their careers. This is a common problem observed in nearly every industry at every level in the workplace hierarchy. By acknowledging their accomplishments and claiming credit where it is due, women can gain the recognition they deserve and achieve greater success in their careers.
Overcoming the "Nice Girl" Syndrome: How Women Can Advance in Their Careers
Many women have been raised to be polite and accommodating, and as a result, they often prioritize pleasing others over themselves. However, this tendency to put others first can be detrimental to their careers. In her book "How Women Rise," co-author Sally Helgesen describes this phenomenon as the "Nice Girl" syndrome.
The "Nice Girl" syndrome is characterized by behaviors such as avoiding conflict, seeking approval, and downplaying achievements. While these behaviors may be seen as positive attributes in personal relationships, they can hinder women's professional development. For example, women may avoid expressing their opinions or ideas in meetings for fear of offending others, or they may take on tasks that are not within their job description in order to be seen as helpful.
One of the main reasons why the "Nice Girl" syndrome is harmful to women's careers is that it can lead to a lack of assertiveness. In order to succeed in the workplace, women need to be able to speak up for themselves, ask for what they want, and negotiate effectively. This requires a certain level of confidence and self-assuredness that can be difficult to cultivate if one is constantly worried about pleasing others.
Another consequence of the "Nice Girl" syndrome is that it can lead to women being overlooked for opportunities and promotions. When women downplay their achievements or are reluctant to promote their own ideas, they may be seen as less competent or less ambitious than their male counterparts. This can result in missed opportunities for career advancement.
To overcome the "Nice Girl" syndrome, women need to learn to be more assertive and confident in the workplace. This may involve taking risks, speaking up more in meetings, and advocating for oneself. It also means recognizing that it is okay to prioritize one's own needs and goals, even if it means saying "no" to others or pushing back against expectations.
By breaking free from the "Nice Girl" syndrome, women can advance in their careers and achieve their full potential. It is important for women to recognize that being assertive and confident does not mean being aggressive or confrontational, but rather being authentic and true to oneself.
Women's excessive expertise can hinder their chances of promotion.
Many women feel the need to prove their competence in traditionally male-dominated industries, leading them to focus excessively on developing expertise within their current role. While this approach can make them stand out as reliable hard-grafters, it can also harm their chances of promotion. Spending too much time on small details leaves less time to nurture workplace relationships, a crucial factor in climbing the career ladder. Additionally, being viewed as an expert in your current role may cause your boss to see you as indispensable, making it difficult for you to move up. Instead, professional women should focus on developing the skills necessary for the role they aspire to, not just the one they currently occupy. This includes forging meaningful connections with clients and colleagues and demonstrating the ability to take on a leadership role. By broadening their skill set and cultivating workplace relationships, women can position themselves for advancement and break through the glass ceiling.
Women and the Dangers of Rumination
Do you find yourself struggling to move on from past mistakes? Are you prone to overthinking and stressing over minor errors? If so, you might be a woman who engages in excessive rumination. Research has shown that women are more likely than men to blame themselves for mistakes and to dwell on past regrets, leading to rumination.
While both men and women experience negative thoughts and regrets, men tend to externalize blame and express regret as anger, while women direct blame inward and engage in rumination. Unfortunately, excessive rumination can lead to depression and hinder progress in both personal and professional life.
The tendency to ruminate can be especially harmful in the workplace, where it can drain mental energy and prevent effective problem-solving. It's important for women to recognize this pattern of behavior and take steps to break the cycle, letting go of past mistakes and focusing on solutions for the future.
By shifting the focus away from blaming oneself for past mistakes and toward positive action, women can avoid the pitfalls of rumination and move forward with greater confidence and success.
The Perfectionism Trap for Women in the Workplace
In the quest for success, many women try to attain perfectionism, believing it to be a positive attribute. However, according to the book “How Women Rise,” striving for perfection can have negative consequences. The habit of perfectionism is ingrained in women from a young age, where they are taught to follow rules, avoid making mistakes, and be diligent. This societal expectation continues into adulthood, where women are rewarded for precision and accuracy, rather than taking risks.
This obsession with perfection can be damaging to women's careers, as it creates a fear of making mistakes, which holds them back from taking risks, an essential quality required to reach the top positions. Women create their own glass ceiling by striving for perfection. The fear of failure leads to inaction and procrastination, which can hinder their success.
To overcome the perfectionism trap, women must realize that perfection is an unrealistic goal, and failure is an essential part of the learning process. Instead of dwelling on mistakes, they should focus on learning from them and taking calculated risks. Embracing imperfection can lead to increased confidence and creativity, enabling them to achieve greater success in their careers.
Book Details
- Print length: 256 pages
- Genre: Nonfiction, Business, Self Help
What is a good quote from How Women Rise?
Top Quote: “women are most likely to be evaluated based on their contributions, while men are most likely to be evaluated based on their potential" (Meaning) - How Women Rise Quotes, Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
* The editor of this summary review made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any published quotes, chapters, or takeaways. If you're interested in furthering your personal growth, you may want to explore my list of favorite self-improvement books. These books, which have had a significant impact on my life, are carefully curated and come with summaries and key lessons.
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
