Women face unique challenges in the workplace. Amongst them are the gender pay gap, sexual harassment, discrimination, and a lack of representation of female leaders at the top of the corporate ladder. Although some progress has been made, these issues still persist. Women, still today, are asked if they are having a career or family; or if they are being more emotional since it is that time of the month.
- ‘A Woman’s Guide to Successful Negotiating’ by Lee E. Miller and Jessica Miller
Negotiations are something that many women struggle with in their lives. The authors, a father-daughter duo, wrote this book to help women negotiate better in every aspect of their lives. Whether at work or home, the key to problem-solving, success, and relationships are negotiations. The authors remind women of the three keys to success throughout the novel: be confident, be prepared, and be willing to walk away. However, unlike other negotiating books, the authors keep things realistic in terms of what the average person can accomplish. Instead of telling you how to negotiate an advertising deal, they show you how to get a better price on a car. Check it out here!
- ‘Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead’ by Tara Mohr
Mohr wrote this book after seeing talented women holding themselves back in the workplace. Meant to help assuage fear and doubt and build confidence, it includes journaling prompts and other short exercises to help you reach your goals. Broken into two halves, learning the ideas behind behaviors and then actions to change them, women can learn how to take a leap of faith on themselves. Mohr also takes time to remind readers that even their goals are their own, they are not alone. Learning how to listen to what you want and navigate fear will provide unforeseeable opportunities. It boils down to teaching women how to communicate their desires to themselves and the world around them, and why their voice is so important. Check it out here!
- How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back From Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
Helgesen and Goldsmith, experts in leadership, talk about the distinct problems that women face on their path to success. The twelve habits discussed in the book help the reader understand just how to combat these obstacles. These habits then become tools for success for women to use throughout their career journeys. The authors also explain why habits need to change over time to keep being effective because something that worked when you were an intern will not get you a promotion fifteen years later. They explain all this through their experiences as leadership coaches by telling stories and sharing the psychology and sociology behind it. Check it out here!
- Brave, Not Perfect: Fear Less, Fail More, and Live Bolder by Reshma Saujani
As the title implies, Saujani, the CEO of Girls Who Code, asks women to stop trying to be perfect but brave. Instead of being polite and afraid to fail, women should stand up for themselves and what they want to achieve. Telling women to speak their minds, celebrate their achievements, and follow their dreams instead of accommodating to society and their communities. Learn to think critically about gender and socialization and how it impacts your everyday life and start trying to be brave. Saujani discusses all this and how it came to be, and most importantly, how to step out of the traditional narrative and into the one you want to be. Check it out here!
- Machiavelli for Women: Defend Your Worth, Grow Your Ambition, and Win the Workplace by Stacey Vanek Smith
Smith, who you may know from NPR, offers women modern-day solutions present in their corporate lives from Machiavelli’s The Prince. She tackles hard issues like parenting, confidence, and respect and provides practical solutions on how to break through the glass ceiling. She has top women leaders share their personal, career stories and interweaves Machiavelli’s ideas to them to demonstrate the reasons for their success. Smith’s awareness of what it is like in male-dominated spaces helps her write a playbook for women to utilize. She states the issues and gives examples on how to address them. Machiavelli’s ideas of power are used here to empower and inspire women to become confident and effective leaders. It is also the book that inspired me to write this article. Check it out here!
There are so many other great books that you can read to help you in the workplace. What most of these books echo, is to stand up for yourself. Because you can then inspire those around you to do the same, and that can bring us closer to equality.