Recommended Reading: Bringing Your Best Badass Self to Work
I know I am struggling to bring my *best* badass self to work these days. Maybe some of you are, too? In addition to what we might be personally feeling, we can’t ignore the reports we’re seeing – and stories we’re hearing from family and friends - about the unequal impact of the pandemic on the careers of women.
Below I’ve pulled together a handful of new books that speak to the broad range of work situations facing women. I’ve also got a podcast cast listen and some TED talks to mix up your content diet and help you find success in this new work year.
Claire Wasserman has one goal for women: Rise up and get paid. As the founder of Ladies Get Paid, Claire has worked her entire adult life to promote gender equality in the workplace. If you’re looking to navigate a promotion or break the glass ceiling, Ladies Get Paid is your essential toolkit for achieving success. Filled with straightforward advice and inspiring stories, Ladies Get Paid encourages self-advocacy and activism as a way to advance your career and make more money. Covering topics as crucial and varied as how to find the perfect mentor, how to negotiate a raise, and how to become a leader, Ladies Get Paid is a reminder that you are valuable—both as an individual woman and as part of the female community. And ultimately, it’s about more than your wallet—it’s about your worth.
Also, I interviewed Claire as part of my Books to Badass IGTV series. She shared a great “wow, I am a feminist” moment that was part of her journey to her business and, ultimately, this book. You can watch here.
Millions of mid- and late-career professionals are wondering why our careers are dying. We've been fired, downsized, job-eliminated, or we've left work voluntarily to raise children, care for loved ones, or go to school. Our unemployment rate is more than three times the national average. It takes twice as long to get hired, usually for far less money than we were making. So many of us have lagged on skills and technology, shrugged off social media, or ignored the rate of change and let younger people become the face of our profession’s future. Our "track record" really doesn't matter. We want to come back, but we aren't ready. Coming Back shows how you can save a career if still employed or get one back if cast out.
The recent coronavirus outbreak has proven what Annie Auerbach has long championed: working 9-5 in an office doesn’t work for most us. It’s time to change the rules. We can be efficient and productive when we’re allowed the freedom of flexibility—to meet deadlines working during the hours and in the places we choose. But before the coronavirus pandemic, only 47 percent of American workers had access to flexible working options.
Annie Auerbach advises major corporations, including Nike, Google, Unilever, and Pepsico. She understands work culture and the needs of employees. The world is changing for working women, but until the recent pandemic, companies turned a blind eye. Now, it’s time to make this change routine.
How do you do great work while sitting near the same spot where you watch Netflix? How can you be responsive without losing the focus necessary for getting things done? How can you maintain and grow your network when you spend less time face to face? Drawing on her 18 years of experience working remotely, plus original interviews with managers, employees, and free agents who've perfected their remote routines, Laura Vanderkam shares strategies for productivity, creativity, and health in the new corner office.
Laura also has a great podcast by the same name as the book. You can check it out here.
Eve Rodsky’s “Fair Play” took the women’s work world by storm when it was released waaaaay back in 2019. Tired of being the "shefault" parent, Rodsky counted up all the unpaid, invisible work she was doing for her family. She called it the Sh*t I Do List and sent that list to her husband, asking for things to change. His response was...underwhelming. Rodsky realized that simply identifying the issue of unequal labor on the home front wasn't enough: She needed a solution to this universal problem. The result is Fair Play: a time- and anxiety-saving system that offers couples a completely new way to divvy up domestic responsibilities. Rodsky interviewed more than five hundred men and women from all walks of life to figure out what the invisible work in a family actually entails and how to get it all done efficiently. The book just came out in paperback.
Check out our January Badass Women’s Book Club author, Meredith Fineman, on The Femails Podcast. She’s talking about the 4 brags every woman should try to boost their career. You can listen here.
Sometimes it’s not about your motivation – it’s just time to make a change. And that can happen by choice, chance or circumstance. Check out my blog about the best books for career changes here. You can also check out these TED Talks about making powerful career moves.
Looking for books and gifts for you and the badass women in your life? Visit our Badass Women’s Book Club Online Store! I do earn a small commission from sales made from this site (and the links above!) – so thank you in advance for your support!