REVIEW: 10 Habits of Highly Successful Women

Title: The 10 Habits of Highly Successful Women
Editors: Glynnis MacNicol & Rachel Sklar, co-founders of TheLi.st
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Release Date: August 26th, 2014 (paperback)

Originally published as an Amazon Kindle Serial.

198 pages


Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

* I received this paperback copy through a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

Summary: {Goodreads}

The 10 Habits of Highly Successful Women is a collection of essays revealing the secret career habits and hard-won wisdom of a diverse group of accomplished women, selected by Rachel Sklar and Glynnis MacNicol, co-founder of TheLi.st, the well-known network to elevating professional women. 

Perhaps no group has experienced more upheaveal in the last few decades than working women. In this series, each woman explores the one key habit or lesson that has made the difference in forging her career and attaining professional success. 

Short version? You should probably read it. If you're in a rut and looking for professional inspiration, if you're interested in media careers, or if you simply like stories of successful professional women, you're bound to like something here.

First off, this book couldn't have arrived at a better time. I was going to hold off posting the review until closer to the publishing date, but it resonated with me enough to warrant an early review. I'm currently in the middle of a disappointing and stressful job search after leaving a dead-end job. After a couple months of searching and searching, going on endless interviews, and working on take-home assignments (I mean, who does that?) only to never be contacted again... I was hitting a major low.

Then, last week, I got this in the mail!

Now, I'm not going to lie, this isn't a step-by-step book for success, but you'll find a few good tidbits of advice. The ten contributors, including MacNicol and Sklar, have all worked in some form of media, but they are diverse in their ages and individual experiences. So, no matter your background, you're bound to relate to some of these women.

Personally, I would say four out of the ten stories really hit home for me. In particular, I want to talk about the first two: Sally Kohn's "Emotional Correctness" and Nisha Chittal's "Why I Never Tell Anyone My Age." The first because I studied politics in college, I've worked on political campaigns before, and, as a staunch liberal, I've gotten caught up in all the partisan vitriol. So, reading the story of someone who has worked with the likes of Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly, I can understand the skill and emotional maturity it takes to work in such an environment. The second because as a 20-something, recent grad, young professional, I understand that no matter what your achievements or credentials, some people will still look at you as too young or too inexperienced.

My only criticism would be that all of these women were employed in the media industry somehow. While it's a great industry, there was the opportunity to tell the stories of female scientists, politicians, NGO executives, etc. It could have been more diverse in that sense, but, overall, a good read.

*Review also posted on Goodreads.