Women Business Leadership

Imposter. Liar. Wannabe. Those were the thoughts that hammered what speck of confidence I had left every morning as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Often, I’d watch the woman staring back at me transform into a little girl.

This book doesn’t care about your job title. (It doesn’t really care if you call yourself a leader.) It does care that we move on from talking about grit, resilience, gravitas, confidence, and commerciality as if that’s the way we create the world we’re longing for. It cares that we stop walking ourselves into burnout or choosing to die in a ditch over things that don’t matter much at all. It cares that we stop treating work as a daily battle. It deeply cares that we learn how to apply more heart and wisdom to what we do.

So you have a great idea...but you’re not an entrepreneur, right? Wrong! Every entrepreneur started with the same fears, doubts, and anxieties that you have right now. The difference between them and you? Nothing more than the next choice you make.

Lean in. Rise and grind. Work smarter, not harder. Many books for women promise tips and tricks to achieve wealth and success in a business world made by men. But on the way to the top, most women leaders (and many men, too!) struggle with anxiety, stress, guilt, and burnout. Playing by the rules in a male-dominated game isn’t working—for anyone. This Isn’t Working inspires women to reexamine how we do business and shows there are much healthier, more fulfilling ways to succeed in the business world that don’t require sacrificing ourselves.

Yes Please! is a leadership development tool that is grounded in positive psychology and neuroscience. It supports high- performing women leaders of color in finding happiness in the midst of the uniques challenges they face as they aim for senior executive ranks. Author, L. Michelle Smith surveyed 100 high-performing black women leaders and uncovered that 90% of them did not describe themselves as happy in their corporate careers, and as research in positive psychology has found, happy people are successful people.

The founder of Better Life Bags, Rebecca Smith, teaches us how to take little steps, say yes when God calls, and follow the passion he has given us. Let love stretch you. As the founder of one of the most popular custom handbag companies in the country, Rebecca Smith knows a thing or two about business. A highly successful entrepreneur in a world where the focus is on scalability, brand strategy, and global marketing, Rebecca Smith also knows the truth.

Take the Brand Boss personality test to reveal your specific archetype and how this acumen applies to your life, your relationships, your career and your company. Are you a catalyst, coach, or crusader? Optimist or a woo-er? Maven or mastermind? Poet or a prodigy? Just like there are 12 astrological signs, we’ll share the 12 personality archetypes and then help you drill down to unlock yours.

Learn how to become confident, ambitious, and undeterred on your leadership journey as a woman in masculine environments. In Determined to Lead, award-winning leader and entrepreneur Nada Ahmed offers women an inspiring guide to break free and create their dream careers today. Through her stories, she provides actionable advice on how women can become successful leaders in today's digital age. By fearlessly sharing her own journey, she reminds us that when women believe in themselves, they become unstoppable game-changers; true pioneers who can achieve anything they put their minds to.

In Seizing Success: A Woman's Guide to Transformational Leadership, Dr. Mary Key serves as your personal executive coach as she identifies the essential core competencies and support you need to excel as a woman in leadership. She offers strategies, tools and action steps that can make all the difference in having a successful, fulfilling career and life. The stories and examples will not only engage you but inspire you to be your personal best.

From the president of EMILY's List, a playbook for women changing the world in politics, business, or any arena, with a foreword from Vice Presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris. Run to Win is for all women who are looking to lead. Organized around the steps that EMILY's List coaches its candidates through (from deciding to run through celebrating victory), this book is full of essential lessons for any woman trying to succeed in a male-dominated field. Their arena is politics but their message is universal.

Renowned as a diversity and inclusion strategist, Michelle Gadsden-Williams held C-Suite positions at major organizations for many years and then took the off-ramp to probe a different career path, launching Ceiling Breakers LLC, with the primary goal to help women and professionals of color reach their full potential. As a woman of color and corporate executive who has worked and traveled the world for several Fortune 500 companies - all while managing a chronic illness - she provides insight into overcoming the barriers facing professionals in today's workplace.

In her groundbreaking, deeply reported work, Julia Boorstin reveals the odds-defying leadership approaches of women running the world's most innovative and successful companies—and what we can learn from them. Now, in When Women Lead, Boorstin brings together the stories of over sixty of those female CEOs and leaders, and dozens of new studies. Her combination of narrative and research reveals how once-underestimated characteristics, from vulnerability and gratitude to divergent thinking, can be vital superpowers—and that anyone can work these approaches to their advantage.

It’s a pivotal time for women leaders. On one hand, studies show women are woefully underrepresented in the highest echelons of corporate leadership. On the other, we’ve made huge strides in the political arena, while the global business world increasingly values the “soft skills” we’re naturally good at. So, what does all of this mean for women who aspire to the C-suite? Deb Boelkes has a simple message: Go for it. Conditions have never been more favorable. Boelkes lays out a blueprint for getting out of your own way so you can make real progress.

Nora Castro was invited to meet with the senior executive team at her new company. In a boardroom where Castro was the only female in attendance, the president asked for big ideas to save the firm from their shrinking footprint in the industry. Castro’s hand shot up. “I have the answer!” When she was ignored, she responded in a loud voice, “What percentage of executives in our firm are women?” Without acknowledging her, the president called an end to the meeting and the men walked out, leaving Castro sitting alone.

Thoughts, advice, and stories from 40 successful women across a variety of careers—from authors to actresses, CEOs and professors—encouraging women to support each other in the workplace and in life—along with action plans on how all women can work together to break free from the binds of gender inequality and overcome gender bias.

Life can be challenging at times. I pray for clarity on situations, so I’m not in limbo. At some point in our life, we will reach crossroads and don’t know which way to go. When that happens, we want that cool big sister that’s going look out and keep it real. Sometimes, we need that rawness and accountability with love.

With women leading only twenty-four Fortune 500 companies, female founders receiving only 2.2 percent of US venture capital, and the continued presence of sexual harassment and double standards, the gender gap continues to hinder the advancement of women in the professional world. In Digital Goddess, Montgomery-Brown - founder of Big Think, a collection of experts across all fields and disciplines that are either at the top of their field or disrupting it - shares her story in an entertaining and educational light.

Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women is the modern career guide every creative woman needs, whether you're just starting out or already have years of experience. Packed with fresh ideas and no-nonsense practical advice, this career handbook is guaranteed to become your go-to resource when it comes to building the career you want.

Do you ever feel like your heels are stuck in the career ladder and you are not achieving your full potential in your career? In My Heels Got Stuck in the Career Ladder, Carla Mashinski correlates the career ladder with those tough questions we ask ourselves throughout our career. She uses real life examples and stories with practical advice to inspire woman to succeed in their career and move up their career ladder. Unlike other professional development books, My Heels Got Stuck in the Career Ladder enables the reader to visualize a roadmap that shows how to navigate the ups and downs of ...

When kindness becomes your primary goal, everything changes: how you look at life, what you get from it, and how others interact with and relate to you. The Profit of Kindness will help you master the art of building trusting, long-lasting relationships through open, nonadversarial interchanges that result in mutually beneficial outcomes.