How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job Kindle Edition

While I think the specific 12 habits can easily apply to all women in all professions, I found the book largely inaccessible because it frames everything in the context of high powered corporate executives. If you work in a trade or do hands on work in a STEM field, you're going to have to do a lot of mental gymnastics to apply the 12 habits to your situation. While the habits themselves are fairly straightforward like using minimizing language or failure to promote yourself, the solutions aren't all that kosher. Almost all of the counter-behaviors amount to "it's a man's world, so you need to act more like the obnoxious male coworker you can't stand" and I don't find that satisfactory.For example, the counter-behavior for habit #3 "overvaluing expertise" is to be that guy who half-a**es his job while constantly tooting his own horn. It's repeated several times throughout the book that if you're too good at your job, nobody will ever want to promote you, therefore you shouldn't try too hard. While that may work for people trying to rise within a corporation where it doesn't actually matter if you know what you're doing as long as you're a good talker, it's downright awful advice for, say, a pilot or a surgeon. I'm a little stunned that a guide to navigate a sphere largely controlled by men totally failed to provide support for women whose career goals don't involve being chained to a desk in a stupid skirt suit.

OK. I am a guy who bought the book, How Women Rise. Let me share some background, before I attempt to share the immense value of this resource.Sally Helgesen’s book, The Female Advantage, was read in 1996, my first year as an entrepreneurial organizational development specialist. I had not read many, if any leadership books penned by women in the ten years that preceded Sally’s book, and the title intrigued me. I read Marshall’s book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, in 2007; it was so good that I purchased Triggers shortly after it was published. That book helped me significantly with changing a number of interpersonal behaviors, which I still have to monitor.Leadership, the development of individuals and teams toward their perpetual effectiveness and performance potentials, is obviously not a one-gender issue. Most large organizations in the 1960s through 1980s thought so, as the management teams were predominantly male-oriented. As a soft-skills, content developer and classroom facilitator/trainer, I wanted to utilize every possible concept, resource, and idea that would resonate with learners and empower them to help their direct reports become confident, self-motivated, task-effective performers.I would say that How Women Rise is a solidly reliable resource for helping others, not just women, identify, then deal with the habits/default behaviors that might currently be holding them back. The book is VERY interesting!! While I chose to read the book sequentially, another reader might choose to review the twelve habits that block effectiveness, then investigate the few habit-chapters that seem to be most like them.The case study examples given in the book are specific, concise, and illustrate how the individuals are initially and negatively impacted by their then current blind spots. The individuals share how their less-than-effective performances impacted their relationships with their bosses and show how they eventually chose to respond more effectively to overcome those situations and significantly improve those relationships, gaining confidence and performance-momentum in the process.Before I typed this line, I went back into the book and read habit 11, Ruminating. Ruminators live in the past, and they are the predominant Kierseyian temperament (SJ) in organizations. They dwell on the past, trying to mentally improve what (or who) went wrong. The authors do an noteworthy job of explaining how rumination is a waste of time and energy, and they offer solid suggestions for helping move beyond it! The same holds true for each of the other eleven habit-chapters.This book would seem appropriate for use in undergraduate programs of all types. Why not identify and address habits that are probably already at work, as one approaches his or her studies, life, etc.?Finally, personality type theory suggests that Thinkers make their decisions objectively, based upon logic, facts, and truth, while Feelers make their decisions subjectively, based upon values and impact upon people. Two-thirds of the men are Thinkers, and one-third are Feelers. Two-thirds of the women are Feelers, and one-third are Thinkers. I am one of those men who makes feelings-base decisions.So, we have women who think like a man, and we have men who feel/make decisions like a woman. This may at least one reason why How Women Rise resonated with me. Kudos to Sally and Marshall for their most productive effort; it certainly fills a void that has been sorely needed!Bill Parker

Fluidly written and easy to read, it’s also easy to find oneself in the pages of How Women Rise. I was hooked from the title of Part I—On Being Stuck. I want to avoid being stuck about as much as anything I can think of, and it’s my goal in coaching others—to learn how to avoid being stuck and to move from stuck to un-stuck if necessary. Much of the leadership literature is still aimed at improving the behaviors and increasing the success of a largely male audience; Helgesen and Goldsmith have synthesized years of leadership coaching experience to write a primer for women, identifying the forms of self-sabotage that women are particularly prone to engage in and offering practical advice, easily implemented, on how to overcome our success-inhibiting habits. How Women Rise helped me identify some hindering baggage that may be holding me back, and offered strategies for substituting more constructive behaviors instead. Straight forward and valuable.

I read a fair few books like this looking for tips to help me lead better and that I can use with my team to bring them on the journey with me.This is hands down one of the best. Relatable, you can choose what's for you and what isn't or what you might use to help with coaching someone else. Inspiring and honest and brilliant takeaways.On the lookout for my peer mentor now.

A well written and well researched book. Easy to read and understand the key issues. I think this book is useful for men and women to read and to reflect on how they might change their behaviours and work on changing habits that hold them back. A very useful read.

This is one of yet best books I have read. I saw myself in each ‘habit’ and it gave realistic and useful advice on how to make progress. Took on board the advice and got promotion within a year and now have my dream job! It just made sense. Have recommended it to a wide range of friends and have bought it for others. All of them have made progress in their various careers. A must buy!

I loved all aspects of this book.I’m newly appointed in a senior position and it’s been difficult. This book has able me to look at the bigger picture and not be overly sensitive when it comes to male counterparts. I now understand what they are doing such as positioning to be seen and leverage.It’s helped me to understand my inner self and there are definite habits that I can relate to and points of view relating to male colleagues.It’s a definite work in progress.

Really engaging and thought provoking content. Some obvious suggestions, but other things we hadn't considered (like belittling own suggestions in conversation).Product arrived on time and in great condition. Thank you.