It’s been so long since I wrote a book review and why this is not particularly one of the books that’d make it to a review, I need to restart somewhere.

In September I accidentally read, ‘How Women Rise’. I say accidentally because I thought I had borrowed ‘Ask For It’, Book 2 of ‘Women Don’t Ask’, then one chapter in, I realised, I’m reading a different book. Anyways it was an educative read still.

SYNOPSIS:

How Women Rise is supposed to be the women-centric version of the book by Marshall Goldberg, ‘What Got You Here Won’t Get You There’. I haven’t read that, but the premise is, behaviours or habits that helped successful people earlier in that career, might be the same behaviours holding them from getting a higher position.

“But a few years ago, he realized that while some of the habits he outlined in What Got You Here apply to both men and women, women face specific, and different, challenges as they seek to advance in their careers.”

Hence the birth of this woman-centric version.

The main focus of the book is the 12 Habits that keep women stuck, and how to break them.

1. Reluctance to Claim Your Achievements

2. Expecting Others to Spontaneously Notice and Reward Your Hard Work

3. Overvaluing Expertise

4. Building Rather than Leveraging Relationships

5. Failing to Enlist Allies from Day One

6. Putting Your Job Before Your Career

7. The Disease to Please

8. The Perfection Trap

9. Minimising

10. Too Much

11. Ruminating

12. Letting Your Radar Distract You

RATING & REVIEW: ★★★

To be honest, while reading the book I kept shelving the tips in my brain for future use, but I also thought that it was built on the foundation of ‘if you can’t beat them join them’. Almost like saying, women, we know that you relate and view things differently than men, but as you climb higher, the spaces become predominantly male, so you have to leave some of your behaviours behind and conform to doing things the way men have done it for ages. Example, when you speak, make it short and straight to the point.

In this book, we don’t smash the patriarchy, we join it.

Cutting them some slack, I believe the book might have acknowledged at the start that it’s the system that needs to change not women; but sadly while we fight for that to happen it advises you on how to climb that patriarchal ladder and enact the change you hope to see.

Instead of more books telling women to be more like men, we need more books aimed at male leaders. Something that focuses on relearning new ways of working, recognising that women bring a different perspective or have a different approach in the work field and it should be acknowledged and reinforced too. Something on ways to cultivate a gender-neutral environment so women too can rise in the corporate hierarchy without needing to act like men.

Regardless, it’s a good book for breaking habits that keep you stuck, and relearning new habits.