Literary Insights

BOOK LINK:

Here is a summary of the praise for the book Think Like an Entrepreneur, Act Like a CEO by Beverly E. Jones:

Thomas Hodson praises Bev as an ideal career coach who is full of ideas and inspiration and helps people get to where they want to go in their careers, including seeking second and third careers later in life.
Arlean Leland says Bev has blessed her with knowledge and expertise to become a better manager and person.
Richard Eisenberg says Bev’s book will show readers how to handle tricky work challenges, make change an ally, and have the career they want.
Ira Chaleff compares reading Bev’s career tips to having a wise counselor sitting with you offering the best advice.
Sherry Little says Bev demonstrates that career success is about more than work - it’s about self-care, family, and bringing other people up too.
Michael Zimmer says Bev’s book offers valuable insights for lawyers moving into leadership roles.
Several praise Bev as an amazing coach who draws on experience in both industry and coaching to provide solid, practical career advice in her book.
Bev is described as having an authoritative yet gentle voice that educates and encourages readers. The book is said to be full of inspiration and sound advice.
Careers have changed dramatically from the past where people would typically spend their whole career with one company. Nowadays, careers evolve through many different jobs, roles, skills, industries, etc. over time.
Your career now encompasses more than just your paid work - it includes all the things you do to grow professionally like education, volunteering, hobbies, networking, etc.
The definition of “professional” has expanded beyond traditional licensed roles to include anyone doing meaningful, skilled work across many industries.
Professionals today want more than just pay from their work - they seek fulfillment, learning, enjoyment, work-life balance, and a richer life overall.
To succeed in this changing environment, traits like adaptability, resilience, and managing oneself are now more important than loyalty to a single organization as in the past. People must take ownership of steering their own career paths.
The introduction sets up that the book will provide advice and strategies to help readers think and act entrepreneurially to take control of their careers in this new working world landscape.

The passage discusses how to plan effectively when launching something new in one’s career. Some key points:

Careers today involve frequent transitions as jobs and employers change more regularly than in the past. This necessitates regular new starts and fresh opportunities.
Proper planning is important for success when embarking on something new. Advance preparation can help overcome challenges that may arise.
The story recounts a personally difficult first day the author had when transitioning to a new law firm. She received an unfriendly reception and had to prove herself. This taught her the importance of being prepared for potential obstacles.
Effective planning involves anticipating possible issues in advance and having strategies ready to showcase one’s skills and value. With preparation, new opportunities can be navigated smoothly despite uncertainties.
Developing a plan provides direction and confidence when launching fresh endeavors that come with career changes and reinventions over time. Advance planning minimizes risks of surprises.

So in summary, the passage emphasizes how having a solid plan in place is crucial for successfully embarking on new opportunities that regularly arise over the course of one’s evolving career path.

The passage describes the realization that even when working for large organizations, it is important to think and act like an entrepreneur.

As a young lawyer first working at a law firm, the author didn’t understand the “rules” at first - that the partners with power were those who brought in their own clients. The author began recruiting their own clients, in effect creating their own small business within the firm.

When later working for a large corporate client, the author recognized they had to think like an entrepreneur to succeed and achieve job security. New programs and services had to be sold to senior leadership by explaining how they supported both the mission and financial goals of the company.

The key lesson is that within any sizable organization, individuals must operate like smaller entrepreneurial units by owning their work, bringing in revenue, and selling the value of their contributions - just as if they were running their own small business. Thinking entrepreneurially applies “wherever you are.”

Here is a summary of the provided text:

The author earned an MBA before law school and came away believing entrepreneurship required a special innate quality, but now views it as something that can be taught.
Many universities now offer entrepreneurship programs to help students from all fields develop entrepreneurial skills. Interest in entrepreneurship extends beyond students to older workers looking to work on their own terms.
Even without starting a business, developing an entrepreneurial mindset can bring new vitality to one’s current job by thinking about reinventing or changing roles.
Intrapreneurs act entrepreneurially within large organizations by inventing new things or developing ideas into products.
The author then lists some ways to think like an entrepreneur even in an existing job role, such as understanding the company’s mission, focusing on customers, understanding basic business functions, embracing failure as a learning opportunity, choosing positivity, and building one’s professional brand.
The text argues listening is a critical career skill and provides tips on active listening, such as focusing on the speaker without judgment, asking open-ended questions, and practicing compassion by seeing others’ perspectives.
Six specific situations where active listening is especially important are also outlined: when starting something new, as a leader, when trying to make a case, when in the middle of conflicting parties, when dealing with difficult people, and during challenging conversations.

As people are speaking, we may start to feel defensive and prepare rebuttals in our heads. However, this often makes the situation more tense. A better approach is to set aside your resistance and focus on what is actually being said. By quieting your inner criticism, you can launch a new era of healthy communication.

Listening is a powerful strategy. It allows you to understand what’s happening, show that you care, and contribute to building a supportive community. When you listen respectfully without judgment, you can help diffuse tense situations and make progress toward resolving issues. Genuinely listening to others is an important leadership quality that fosters collaboration.

Here is a high-level summary of the key points about building and defining your leadership brand:

Your leadership potential and brand is an important part of what distinguishes you and can impact opportunities.
Develop a vision for the kind of leader you want to be by looking at leaders you admire and identifying qualities you want to embody.
Compile a list of leadership qualities to focus on developing, such as being positive, engaging, service-oriented, well-organized, collaborative, and energetic.
Study your vision list frequently to remind yourself of how you want to act and the type of leader you want to become.
You can commit to embodying different qualities each month to systematically work on your brand.
Act in ways that project your desired brand, such as arriving on time consistently if focusing on reliability.
Your leadership brand reflects your values and influences how others perceive you, so give thought to the impression you want to make.

The key idea is to intentionally define the kind of leader you aspire to be, focus on developing those qualities, and act in a manner that communicates your envisioned leadership brand to others. Your brand sets you apart and influences opportunities that come your way.

Developing self-discipline takes conscious effort and is similar to building physical strength - you have to work the “muscles” of self-control gradually over time through consistent practice.
Self-discipline involves controlling impulses and motivation to do unpleasant but necessary tasks. It allows achieving long-term goals instead of only short-term pleasures.
There is no single strategy, as self-discipline comes in different forms like avoiding distractions, doing uncomfortable tasks, or delaying gratification.
Doug, a marketing consultant, struggled with disorganization despite his success. He realized he needed more self-discipline to properly manage his growing business.
Doug started small by writing daily plans and keeping a notebook to stay organized. Over time, these habits strengthened his self-discipline “muscles”. He recognized its importance for career success and life satisfaction.
Developing self-discipline is a learned process that takes consistent effort to strengthen willpower and control impulses issue by issue on a daily basis. It provides substantial benefits in reducing anxiety and wasted time.

Here are the key points about how other people build self-discipline from the passage:

Start with a specific, measurable goal that requires self-discipline to achieve. Break it down into small, actionable steps.
Visualize what having self-discipline would look like in terms of the actions and behaviors needed to achieve the goal.
Make choices each day to act in line with the disciplined behaviors you envisioned, even when it’s hard. This helps build your “self-control muscles.”
Keep a log or diary to track your progress and stay accountable.
Anticipate excuses you may tell yourself and develop positive responses to override them.
Remove temptations that make it harder to be disciplined.
Recognize that building discipline takes effort and is difficult, so start small and build up over time.
Develop new behaviors into habits through repetition, which makes them easier to maintain.
Reward yourself for meeting goals to stay motivated.

The key is developing a plan, choosing discipline every day through small actions, tracking progress, battling excuses, removing temptations, and forming new habits over time through repetition and rewards. Building self-discipline is a process.

Networking involves different circles of connections that radiate out from your closest relationships, including close friends and family (circle 1), newer friends and more distant connections (circle 2), acquaintances and casual contacts (circle 3), and broader communities you are part of like organizations, fields, or alumni networks (circle 4).
Each circle plays a role, such as tapping into circle 3 for job opportunities or support. Networking is about expanding your web of connections, not just transactional interactions.
It’s important to both grow your network by meeting new people, as well as nurture existing relationships so they don’t drift away. Networking should be an ongoing process, not just something done in times of need.
Suggestions for networking include being helpful to others, focusing fully on conversations, networking in many settings of daily life, recognizing the value in all connections, turning rivals into friends, and strategizing how to work a room at events. The goal is exchanging support through relationships.

The passage recommends practicing giving positive feedback in smart ways. It emphasizes that positivity improves both mental health and work performance. While criticism has its place, the environment should be predominantly positive for people to do their best work.

The human brain focuses more on negative cues, so employees may remember negative feedback more than positive comments. Research suggests work is most effective when around 80% of feedback is positive.

The passage uses the example of a client named Josh, a general counsel, who received negative feedback from a staff survey that employees felt underappreciated and had low morale. Josh’s initial reaction was defensive, believing grown professionals shouldn’t expect thanks for their work. However, the passage encourages focusing criticism on work rather than people, and framing negative feedback positively when possible to promote a constructive environment.

Josh was reluctant to give positive feedback to his team members, feeling it was awkward to say things like “good job” and “thanks.”
The author suggested an experiment where Josh would carry coins each day and remove one each time he complimented or thanked a team member. He couldn’t go home until all coins were gone.
At first Josh still felt awkward, but he started practicing giving positive feedback more broadly in other areas of his life. Over time he got more comfortable with it.
Josh found that giving positive feedback didn’t just make others happy, but it also made him happy. Eventually he stopped needing the coins because he was “addicted” to the habit of saying thank you, and it changed how he viewed several parts of his life.
Regularly thanking and acknowledging others can help shape a more positive work culture, even for non-managers. It serves as powerful positive reinforcement to guide people to achieve and improve.

Here are some effective strategies for developing executive presence:

Project confidence through your body language. Stand up straight, make eye contact, speak clearly and at an appropriate volume. Smile when appropriate.
Develop strong communication skills. Speak concisely and to the point. Listen actively and engage others respectfully in discussion. Writing should be polished and error-free.
Demonstrate expertise in your field. Stay on top of industry developments and maintain a big-picture perspective. Discuss ideas knowledgeably and solutions-oriented.
Lead with empathy and influence through relationship-building. Show interest in others and make them feel valued and heard. Develop a reputation as someone people want to work with.
Take initiative and accountability. Volunteer for leadership roles when appropriate. Own both successes and mistakes gracefully.
Dress and carry yourself professionally. Dress conservatively according to your industry. Carry yourself with composure even during stressful times.
Explore opportunities to develop presence through presentations, leadership programs, coaching or mentorship relationships. Continuous learning and growth helps command respect.
The COO told the attorney, Ed, that he does not have “executive presence” and therefore will not be promoted, despite his strong writing skills.
Executive presence refers to radiating assurance, dignity, sense of control that others see as leadership quality. It is an elusive quality.
The attorney, Ed, seems hesitant when asked questions - he would mumble and shuffle down the hall, lacking confidence. He just didn’t have that “It” factor of leadership.
To build presence, one can work on factors like having a clear leadership vision, appearing organized, physical appearance and grooming, public speaking skills, confidence, health, body language, self-talk and affirmations.
Building presence requires work on the physical self, intellectual self, emotional self and spiritual self through self-reflection and check-ins. It’s about enhancing confidence, focus, communication and embracement of leadership values.
Even talented professionals can lack belief in their abilities, so building presence helps present themselves as confident leaders to others. Small daily efforts can lead to big improvements over time.
The author developed the “Sugar Grain Principle” as a young person after gradually reducing the amount of sugar in her tea by just a few grains each time, until she no longer used sugar.
She applied this principle of small, gradual steps to other areas like keeping her bedroom neat.
In college, she used it to slowly support gender equality through small daily actions like speaking up in class. This led to bigger roles over time.
She developed a formal “Sugar Grain Process” career coaching model involving envisioning a desired career vision, setting goals, identifying small “grain” actions for each goal, committing to a pace of grains, and tracking progress.
Taking many small gradual steps prevents feeling deprived or overwhelmed and builds momentum towards larger change over time.
The author has successfully used this process for 40+ years to guide her own career shifts and those of clients and mentees. Keeping up a regular pace of grains is important even when uninspired.
Record keeping helps track progress, insights, and additional grain ideas to stay on track with the gradual change process.
The reader describes a game invented by a group of Baby Boomer friends to help each other avoid annoying conversational habits that can negatively impact interactions with younger coworkers.
The game uses “codes” to gently signal when someone’s speech is falling into a pattern that others may find tedious or boring.
“Code Blue” indicates prolonged complaints about physical ailments or health issues.
“Code Green” refers to discussing the rising costs of goods and services from the past.
“Code Golden Harvest” is used when someone interrupts current discussion to reminisce excessively about the past.
The goal is for willing participants to acknowledge and work on their own speech tendencies that could undermine credibility or engagement with diverse teams in the workplace. It aims to foster better communication across generations.

The passage discusses ways to improve time management and become more productive by rethinking how you manage your calendar. It describes a coaching client, Gina, who felt overwhelmed and out of control due to spending long hours at work but not feeling efficient. By keeping a detailed log of her time usage, Gina realized she spent too much on low-value tasks like emails and was frequently interrupted from her planned activities.

The passage then provides recommendations for using a calendar more strategically, such as planning each day, coordinating tasks with a to-do list, matching calendar items to one’s energy levels, pushing for shorter meetings, resisting distractions, renegotiating schedules as needed, ensuring time usage aligns with priorities, and learning to say “no” to less important tasks. Tracking time usage revealed unproductive patterns and allowed Gina to regain a sense of control over her schedule by focusing more on her highest priorities. The tips aim to help the reader become more efficient and less stressed through better calendar management.

Here is a summary of the key points about getting your boss to listen:

Be succinct - Assume the boss is busy and get to the point quickly in 3 minutes or less.
Plan ahead - Have your key points clear in your mind and prepared in a brief written agenda if raising multiple topics.
Be clear about your goal - Focus on positive proposals that support your objectives rather than just venting problems.
Understand their communication preferences - Different people process information differently. Notice how your boss communicates with others and mirror their style.
Be a mindful listener - Strong communicators are active listeners. Listen carefully to understand what your boss wants rather than just focusing on what you want to say.

The overall message is to be well-prepared, keep communications concise and focused on solutions, understand your boss’s preferences, and actively listen to them in order to effectively get your boss to listen to your messages and priorities. Tailoring your approach specifically for your boss is important for successful communication.

Jimmy Fallon is praised for his mannerisms and sense of respect toward guests on The Tonight Show. Even if not finding him funny, people generally like him due to his warmth and courtesy.
Good manners and politeness make people pleasant to interact with. When treating others with respect, it helps them feel noticed and cared for.
To develop an impressive personal brand like Fallon, consistently exhibit manners in small ways through greetings, eye contact, handshakes, polite speech, attention to others, thankfulness, and forgiveness of mistakes.
Specific tips include saying hello, shaking hands firmly but gently while making eye contact, speaking respectfully, actively listening to others, showing appreciation, and not holding grudges over small errors.
Manners help create a sense of connection, goodwill, confidence and warmth in interactions. A polite demeanor can help make a good impression and positive reputation at work.

Here are the key points about the 80/20 rule:

It states that in many situations, about 80% of outcomes/results come from 20% of causes/inputs. The percentages aren’t absolute but illustrate an imbalance.
It was first observed by economist Vilfredo Pareto, who noted 20% of the population owned 80% of the wealth. It’s come to be known as Pareto’s law or the principle of factor sparseness.
In business, it means 20% of customers account for 80% of revenues, or 20% of products/services generate 80% of profits.
It applies to personal productivity as well - 20% of tasks often result in 80% of the value created.
The implication is to focus resources (time, money, energy) on that vital 20% that has disproportionate impact, rather than trying to optimize the remaining 80% with diminishing returns.
While the percentages vary by situation, the core idea is that results are usually determined by a small number of causes, not distributed evenly across all factors. Prioritizing the most important 20% can significantly improve overall outcomes.
Tracking metrics helps identify where that 80/20 split lies for a particular business, team or individual to better focus efforts for maximum effect.

So in summary, the rule reminds us to identify and concentrate on the few things that really matter rather than spreading ourselves too thin across many trivial tasks. Focusing resources on the high-impact 20% can dramatically boost overall productivity and results.

Here are the key principles demonstrated by the 80/20 rule according to the passage:

A small number or percentage of things/people often account for a large portion of the overall results or outcomes. For example, 20% of employees may account for 80% of productivity.
Focusing attention and resources on the most important 20% can yield better returns than trying to address everything equally. Prioritizing the areas with the greatest impact based on data and patterns.
Simplifying and removing unnecessary clutter/tasks allows the vital 20% to become clearer. Eliminating low-value aspects of work.
Pursuing your passions and areas you excel at naturally will lead to greater satisfaction and performance over attempting to excel at everything.
Relationships follow a similar pattern, where a small number of relationships may account for the majority of value, enjoyment, and support in one’s personal life.

The key comfort is that the world operates according to identifiable and systematic patterns, not random chaos. By understanding principles like the 80/20 rule, we can make better choices in careers and life by recognizing what matters most and where to apply our energy. The passage suggests focusing on priorities, simplifying, and leveraging natural strengths based on observable patterns.

Mentoring relationships can work both ways through reciprocal mentoring, where each person acts as both teacher and student.
An example is given of Andy, an experienced journalist, mentoring Ryan, a younger digital media expert. They learn from each other’s different backgrounds and experiences.
Reciprocal mentoring involves defining what each person wants to learn and can offer. Partners identify mutual needs and goals.
Logistics like meeting frequency and format (in-person, video chat, etc.) should be considered.
Reciprocal mentoring can provide benefits like staying engaged with emerging trends from a younger perspective, and learning leadership skills from a more experienced mentor. It allows for an ongoing, two-way dialogue between partners.
Difficult emotions like frustration and antagonism dissipate when you focus on things you’re grateful for, such as by making a daily gratitude list.
Take breaks from work throughout the day to dispel pent-up emotions. Activities like chatting with a friend, taking a walk, or meditating provide refreshing changes of pace.
Regular exercise also helps maintain a more positive mood.
Holding onto upset feelings about past troubles keeps you bogged down. Forgiving others and moving on enables you to enjoy the present and look forward to the future.
Shifting one’s focus from frustration to gratitude, taking breaks, and practicing forgiveness can help alleviate difficult emotions that may otherwise undermine productivity and satisfaction. Making these strategies part of one’s daily routine can promote better mental well-being.

Molly started a distribution channel for her sustainable meat farm by partnering with Crossfit Gyms in Washington D.C. This allowed residents in the area to more easily access the farm’s meat without having to make the long drive.

Molly is very involved in her community despite her busy schedule. She was taught from a young age by her entrepreneur parents to be curious, connected and well-rounded. She enjoys learning about different people and finding deeper reasons for why they do things. She doesn’t like being told something can’t be done just because that’s not the usual way.

Outside of work, Molly cares about her community, the Earth and ways to improve and bring more joy. She balances these passions with her career through her photography, sustainable farming practices, and volunteer time. She keeps notes to stay on top of all her tasks and commitments.

Kerry Hannon is an expert on work, careers and finding fulfillment in your job. She advocates finding ways to love your current job rather than necessarily changing careers.
Some tips from Kerry’s book “Love Your Job” include journaling about your dream job and current job experiences, determining if it’s burnout vs job dissatisfaction, asking for more responsibility or a new role within your organization, developing new skills, and nurturing your network and side projects.
The overall message is that you can often find more meaning and enjoyment at your existing job through small changes, without requiring a major career shift. It’s about taking action to improve your situation rather than just complaining. Burnout may also be addressed through self-care rather than necessarily changing jobs.
Stress at work is common and can negatively impact productivity and health. Prolonged stress takes a physical and emotional toll.
Stress is contagious - it transfers between colleagues. A stressed out coworker can make others feel stressed as well.
However, stress is manageable. Small changes like taking breaks, exercising, getting enough sleep, and limiting distractions can help reduce stress levels.
It’s important to recognize the signs of stress and find coping strategies before it becomes severe or chronic. Managing stress proactively leads to better focus, health and job satisfaction over the long run.

The article discusses how work is a major cause of stress for many adults. It can transfer between coworkers, negatively impacting the workplace environment. But the core message is that stress is not inevitable - small lifestyle changes and stress management techniques can help keep it under control. Regular self-care is important for reducing and preventing prolonged stress.

Here are the key points about how chronic stress can negatively impact individuals and teams:

Chronic stress, as opposed to occasional acute stress, poses serious health risks due to the prolonged elevation of stress hormones like cortisol.
It can lead to physical ailments like headaches, sleep issues, digestive problems, as well as cognitive difficulties, emotional issues like depression, and weight gain.
Stress symptoms are contagious and can spread within a team, diminishing motivation, energy and positivity.
As a leader, it’s important to address sources of stress in the environment when possible, keep the team informed, and support their autonomy and control over their work.
Leaders should model positive stress management for the team by using techniques like exercise, social connection, creativity, journaling, meditation etc. to stay calm and listen effectively.
Overall well-managed stress at both the individual and team level is important for optimal performance and morale. Chronic stress for any member of a team can potentially hurt the team’s effectiveness if not addressed.
Stress can be contagious between coworkers. If one person is stressed, it can spread to others.
You can help reduce stress levels in your colleagues by staying calm yourself and modeling healthy habits like taking walking breaks.
Controlling your own stress has benefits - you will be healthier, happier, and more pleasant to be around. This can help create a less stressful environment for other people too.
Taking breaks, controlling your stress reaction, and maintaining healthy habits not only helps you, it can positively impact your coworkers’ stress levels as well by preventing the stress from spreading between people. Lead by example with how you manage your own stress.
The case study is about a client, Joe, who leads a government communications team of seven people. The team had been doing their job well for years but seemed bored and exhausted.
Joe wanted to reengage his team so he worked on creating a new vision and reorganizing their responsibilities, adding new projects that required developing new skills. The team responded positively to the changes.
However, Joe worried the excitement would wear off. He realized he had been too focused on deadlines and hasn’t properly celebrated accomplishments or given positive feedback.
Joe started experimenting with celebrating more, looking for at least two opportunities per month to recognize good work through things like pizza parties, lunches, and recognition from leadership.
Celebrating more helped Joe focus on the team’s best efforts and not take high performers for granted. It also allowed the team to learn from each other. Involving customers in celebrations helped promote the team’s achievements.
After six months, Joe was committed to celebrating work as part of his leadership approach and found it created a more positive workplace culture and motivated continued high performance.

Measuring progress is an important way to make goals powerful and achievable. By quantifying goals and tracking metrics, you stay aware of and focused on your objectives. Some key benefits of measurable goals include:

It creates awareness and keeps the goal top of mind. Regularly tracking something helps you stay on track.
Tracking quantity can lead to improved quality over time through practice and learning.
Metrics help build self-control by allowing you to appraise your own performance and work on improving.
Well-defined measurements can replace micromanagement by providing transparency into progress.

When selecting metrics, it’s useful to experiment and consider different types of data, like progress toward completing the goal, important activities taken, and impacts or outcomes. Breaking large goals into smaller steps and tracking relevant factors that matter can provide insight. Regular measurement keeps the goal visible and momentum building toward achievement.

Here are the key points about overcoming big project letdown:

It’s normal to feel exhausted, a sense of loss, and depressed after a major project wraps up due to changes in brain chemistry and stress levels.
Manage expectations about timelines for getting back to routine work after a big project to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Make sure to take breaks and maintain a healthy lifestyle during major projects to avoid burnout.
Plan vacation/time off and future projects/activities to look forward to after a big project ends to boost mood and motivation.
Debriefing with colleagues about lessons learned from the project can help with the transition and prevent rumination on small mistakes.
Seeking support from family/friends and taking short-term breaks from work like a weekend away can help recover from the post-project crash. Having things to look forward to prevents feelings of emptiness.

The key is recognizing letdown is normal, planning ahead, maintaining balance, and having a support system and future plans to smooth the transition after a major workload ends.

Leading a group without direct authority, like a committee or task force, can be challenging, like herding cats. However, there are strategies one can employ to foster effective collaboration.

The key tips provided by Sherry Little, an experienced leader of public-private partnerships, include:

Start strong by smoothly organizing the first meeting and establishing a clear mission.
Allocate specific tasks to each member to keep them engaged.
Track action items and group decisions through meeting minutes or notes to keep everyone accountable and on the same page.
Explain the reasoning behind decisions to make the process transparent and garner support, even from those with contrary opinions originally.

Overall, it takes both strong organizational skills and softer interpersonal skills like understanding individual needs to lead collaborative efforts without direct authority. Following Sherry’s advice can help one herd the cats and get things done through group cooperation.

The passage discusses why many talented professional women hesitate to reach for major career opportunities when the time seems right.
Executives note that their star female performers seem reluctant to go after higher jobs disproportionately compared to male performers.
The passage will explore this issue of why so many professional women hesitate when an opportunity arises.
Some potential reasons brought up include worrying about being able to handle a bigger role, imposter syndrome, lack of confidence, fear of failure or criticism, not feeling ready or deserving, risk aversion, or prioritizing family/personal life over career ambition.
The chapter will likely provide advice and perspectives on overcoming hesitation, having confidence in one’s abilities, recognizing when you are ready for more responsibility, handling setbacks, balancing career and personal life, and advancing one’s career ambitions despite fears or doubts.
The overall message is that while hesitation is common, the advice will encourage talented women professionals to keep pursuing major opportunities when the time is right rather than holding themselves back due to potential reasons for doubting oneself.

The passage discusses strategies for overcoming ageism in the workplace. It notes that ageism is prevalent and can cause professionals like Sarah to feel sidelined in their careers.

Some key points:

Sarah complained of feeling past her peak at only age 34, showing how even those in their 30s can feel impacts of ageism.
To overcome ageism, Sarah focused on demonstrating enthusiasm and finding examples of older professionals who remained successful despite their age.
The passage provides seven specific strategies for avoiding the effects of age discrimination: staying tech-savvy, looking and acting fit, avoiding excessive health discussions, maintaining a stylish appearance, not drawing attention to one’s age, continuing education, and highlighting strengths over weaknesses.
These strategies aim to counter common age-based stereotypes by showing older professionals can keep skills and appearances up-to-date and remain energized and capable contributors. Taking steps like these can help maximize career options in the face of subtle age bias.

Here is a summary of the key points from the passage:

The passage discusses how engaging with art can help boost creativity at work and promote well-being during times of stress.
Art historian Merry Foresta believes studying art was traditionally how leaders developed critical thinking skills. She sees parallels between the language of art and innovation.
Foresta recommends companies foster a “Creative Culture” by encouraging creativity, experimentation, and idea sharing. One way is by providing access to art through exhibitions, installations, or field trips.
Viewing art can help people make new connections, think outside the box, and achieve in satisfying new ways. It inspires original thinking and finding new perspectives.
The passage cites how companies partnering with art institutions in the past, like the Smithsonian, to showcase photography collections and exhibitions. This helped foster innovation.

So in summary, the passage discusses how engaging with art can stimulate innate creativity and promote innovation in the workplace during stressful times of change. It promotes adopting a “Creative Culture” through exposure to art.

The passage discusses how having an optimistic mindset can positively impact one’s outlook and performance, even during difficult times.
The author describes hitting a low point in law school, feeling exhausted and doubting they would find a good job after graduating. They dragged through each day telling themselves “I’ll never get a job.”
They then learned their brother had a tumor on his spine, which initially seemed dangerous. However, it turned out to just be a benign cyst and their brother was not in danger.
The next morning, the author woke up in a completely different and wonderful mood. Their career worries had drifted away and they felt confident things would work out.
Importantly, the author notes their life situation had not actually changed from the day before learning about their brother’s health issue. But shifting to a more optimistic mindset had lifted their depression and perspective.

So in summary, the passage advocates choosing to be an optimist, as even during difficult times, one’s mindset and outlook can significantly impact their experience and performance, for better or worse.

The author was feeling self-pity and pessimistic until they got a scare about their friend Dick’s health. This pulled them out of their negative mindset and made them focus on the bigger picture.
They realized that if a temporary scare could shift their perspective, they should be able to do it intentionally. They decided to start making better choices around letting worries take over their life.
They experimented with techniques like refocusing on the bigger picture and arguing back against negative thoughts. They found that keeping an optimistic outlook tended to make their career go more smoothly.
Years later, they came across Martin Seligman’s book “Learned Optimism” which helped them understand they were on the right track. Seligman has studied how people can choose to be happier and more fulfilled through optimism.
The author reinforces that optimism is a choice and we don’t have to be controlled by innate pessimism. They discuss techniques like catching negative thoughts, arguing back against them, looking for alternative explanations, making lists of positives, and choosing optimism each day.

Here is a summary of the key works cited:

The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner examines longevity around the world, learning from regions where people live the longest.
The Mind Map Book by Tony Buzan and Barry Buzan promotes the use of mind maps to maximize brain potential.
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie offers advice on effective communication and building relationships.
Taming Your Gremlin by Richard David Carson provides a method for overcoming self-sabotaging thoughts.
The Courageous Follower by Ira Chaleff focuses on followership and how to stand up to/for leaders.
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra presents spiritual principles for fulfillment and success.
Good to Great by Jim Collins examines what distinguishes companies that achieve long-term success from those that don’t.
Talent Is Overrated by Geoffrey Colvin argues that dedicated practice, not innate talent, is what truly separates top performers.

Here is a summary of the key points from the index entries:

Artists Unframed discusses finding creative inspiration and outlets outside of work.
Career vision outlines setting long-term goals for one’s career path.
Attitude discusses maintaining a positive mindset and avoiding negativity.
Categories, work discusses classifying one’s skills and interests to help find fulfilling work.
Entrepreneurial discusses cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset.
Challenges, workplace outlines common workplace issues that can cause stress.
Change process discusses strategies for managing organizational changes.
Leading without authority provides tips for influencing others without a formal leadership role.
Autonomy discusses the importance of feeling in control of one’s work.
Awareness emphasizes increasing self-awareness and understanding others.
Belong, a desire to discusses the human need for connections and community.
Best practices recommends learning from others’ successful strategies.
Collaboration stresses the value of teamwork.
Communicating with your boss outlines effective communication with managers.
Communication preferences discusses different communication styles.
Compliments discusses proper etiquette for giving and receiving praise.
Confidence discusses building self-assurance.
Conflict provides guidance on resolving disagreements respectfully.
Consideration emphasizes treating others with kindness and respect.
Core values discusses identifying one’s guiding principles.
Creativity highlights fostering innovation.
Deadlines stresses the importance of follow through.
Feedback discusses the value of both positive and negative input.
Fitness recommends maintaining physical well-being.
Focus on the customer emphasizes prioritizing customer needs.
Goals provides tips for setting, tracking, and achieving objectives.
Gratitude discusses cultivating an attitude of appreciation.
Habits discusses establishing routines to boost productivity.
Health warns of the effects of prolonged stress.
Leadership discusses traits of effective leaders.
Listening emphasizes the importance of actively hearing others out.
Manners discusses proper business etiquette and decorum.
Meetings outlines best practices for leading productive meetings.
Networking stresses growing and leveraging professional connections.
Organization recommends maintaining structure and order.
Prioritization discusses strategies for managing conflicting demands.
Public speaking discusses building confidence presenting to others.
Rejection provides advice for dealing with career setbacks.
Relationships discusses importance of building trust through positivity, integrity and mutual respect.
Scheduling outlines time management methods.
Smiling discusses the effects of a warm, welcoming demeanor.
Social skills covers etiquette and interpersonal effectiveness.
Stress discusses its effects and recommends managing pressures through balance and self-care.
Support discusses cultivating mentors for advice and encouragement.
Teamwork highlights the importance of collaboration.
Time management outlines techniques for better utilizing time.

#book-summary

Think Like an Entrepreneur, Act Like a CEO (Beverly E. Jones) - dlavieri