Leadership Bookshelf: New Releases
Likeable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve, by Alison Fragale, is a guide for women navigating the complexities of workplace dynamics to achieve success while maintaining their authenticity. The book combines practical advice with empowering strategies tailored to help women balance the need to be both "likeable" and assertive— which is gender bias that many professional women face.
The author discusses the double standards and biases women often encounter and provides strategies to overcome them, including: developing a strong personal brand, negotiating effectively, building a robust network, and asserting oneself without sacrificing likeability. The book emphasizes the importance of confidence, resilience, and self-advocacy in breaking through barriers and achieving career goals.
Over Work: Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life, by Brigid Shulte, delves into the pervasive culture of overwork and its impacts on individuals' lives. Schulte explores the history and evolution of the work-life balance, particularly in the U.S., where long hours and an "always-on" mentality have become the norm.
The book highlights the detrimental effects of overwork on health, relationships, and overall well-being. Schulte discusses how the concept of time pressure—the feeling of never having enough time—has become a common stressor. She also examines how societal expectations and workplace cultures perpetuate this cycle of overwork. Schulte suggests that achieving a better work-life balance requires a cultural shift, both at the individual and organizational levels. She advocates for more flexible work arrangements, a reevaluation of societal values regarding work and success, and a stronger emphasis on leisure and family time. The book argues that transforming the daily grind is essential for a more fulfilling and balanced life. Schulte's insights are especially relevant in today's fast-paced, hyper-connected world, where the boundaries between work and personal life are increasingly blurred.