Mistakes I Made at Work

Zusatztext Named by Fast Company as a "Top 10 Book You Need to Read This Year" Named by Publishers Weekly as a "Top 10 Business/Economics Book for Spring 2014" This insightful book reminds us that even the women we most admire have dealt with failure. It perfectly captures one of the wisest things my mother ever told me -- that failure isn't the opposite of success! it's a stepping stone to success. Arianna Huffington As valuable for its wisdom and its advice as it is pure fun to read. Cathy Hanaeur! author of The Bitch in the House Refreshingfilled with humor and humiliation! plus loads of hard-earned career management advice. Elle Absorbinga comforting and genuine reminder that everyone makes mistakes. New York Magazine An important book Crucial character boot camp for women everywhere. The Globe and Mail praise Informationen zum Autor Jessica Bacal is the director of the Wurtele Center for Work & Life at Smith College. She lives with her husband and two children in Northampton, MA. Klappentext High-achieving women share their worst mistakes at workand how learning from them paved the way to success.Named by Fast Company as a "Top 10 Book You Need to Read This Year" In Mistakes I Made at Work, a Publishers Weekly Top 10 Business Book for Spring 2014, Jessica Bacal interviews twenty-five successful women about their toughest on-the-job moments. These innovators across a variety of fields - from the arts to finance to tech - reveal that they're more thoughtful, purposeful and assertive as leaders because they learned from their mistakes, not because they never made any. Interviewees include: Cheryl Strayed, bestselling author of WildAnna Holmes, founding editor of Jezebel.comKim Gordon, founding member of the band Sonic YouthJoanna Barsch, Director Emeritus of McKinsey & CompanyCarol Dweck, Stanford psychology professorRuth Ozeki, New York Times bestselling author of Tale for the Time BeingAnd many moreFor readers of Lean In and #Girlboss, Mistakes I Made for Work is ideal for millenials just starting their careers, for women seeking to advance at work, or for anyone grappling with issues of perfectionism, and features fascinating and surprising anecdotes, as well as tips for readers.This excerpt is from an advance uncorrected proof. Copyright © 2014 by Jessica Bacal PA RT I Learning to Take Charge of Your Own Narrative After teaching elementary school and then freelancing to make money, I honestly couldn't believe my luck when I got a three-day-a-week job at Smith College on the Women's Narratives Project (WNP). And I was even more excited when I realized that it meant I sometimes got to sit around a table and talk with amazing women. WNP was the visionary brainchild of two deans, Maureen A. Mahoney and Jennifer L. Walters, who wanted students to reflect on and clarify their values and goals. In order to do this, they posed some seemingly illicit questionsillicit, anyway, in an environment of high achievers: What's the difference between what your family wants for you and what you want for yourself? What does success really mean to you? What would it be like to fail? Mahoney and Walters used the term narratives because it implies that the ways in which we understand and talk about ourselves are always evolvingit will likely be different in five or ten years than it is today. In addition, the word narratives alludes to multiplicity: Each of us could tell several different stories about who we are right now, they reminded students. I soon found that my own story was changing. This part-time day job, one I'd initially accepted because I was a writer with a young child, was becoming something I cared about. I'd once thought that my career would feel gratifying only if I was publishing fiction, but I bega...

Named by Fast Company as a "Top 10 Book You Need to Read This Year"

Named by Publishers Weekly as a "Top 10 Business/Economics Book for Spring 2014"

“This insightful book reminds us that even the women we most admire have dealt with failure. It perfectly captures one of the wisest things my mother ever told me -- that failure isn’t the opposite of success, it’s a stepping stone to success.” –Arianna Huffington

“As valuable for its wisdom and its advice as it is pure fun to read.” –Cathy Hanaeur, author of The Bitch in the House

“Refreshing…filled with humor and humiliation, plus loads of hard-earned career management advice.” –Elle

“Absorbing…a comforting and genuine reminder that everyone makes mistakes.” –New York Magazine

“An important book …Crucial character boot camp for women everywhere.” –The Globe and Mail — praise

Autorentext

Jessica Bacal is the director of the Wurtele Center for Work & Life at Smith College. She lives with her husband and two children in Northampton, MA.

Klappentext

High-achieving women share their worst mistakes at work—and how learning from them paved the way to success. Named by Fast Company as a "Top 10 Book You Need to Read This Year" In Mistakes I Made at Work, a Publishers Weekly Top 10 Business Book for Spring 2014, Jessica Bacal interviews twenty-five successful women about their toughest on-the-job moments. These innovators across a variety of fields - from the arts to finance to tech - reveal that they're more thoughtful, purposeful and assertive as leaders because they learned from their mistakes, not because they never made any. Interviewees include:

• Cheryl Strayed, bestselling author of Wild
• Anna Holmes, founding editor of Jezebel.com
• Kim Gordon, founding member of the band Sonic Youth
• Joanna Barsch, Director Emeritus of McKinsey & Company
• Carol Dweck, Stanford psychology professor
• Ruth Ozeki, New York Times bestselling author of Tale for the Time Being
• And many moreFor readers of Lean In and #Girlboss, Mistakes I Made for Work is ideal for millenials just starting their careers, for women seeking to advance at work, or for anyone grappling with issues of perfectionism, and features fascinating and surprising anecdotes, as well as tips for readers.

Leseprobe
This excerpt is from an advance uncorrected proof.

Copyright © 2014 by Jessica Bacal

PA RT I

Learning to Take Charge of

Your Own Narrative

 

After teaching elementary school and then freelancing to make money, I honestly couldn’t believe my luck when I got a three-day-a-week job at Smith College on the Women’s Narratives Project (WNP). And I was even more excited when I realized that it meant I sometimes got to sit around a table and talk with amazing women. WNP was the visionary brainchild of two deans, Maureen A. Mahoney and Jennifer L. Walters, who wanted students to reflect on and clarify their values and goals. In order to do this, they posed some seemingly illicit questions—illicit, anyway, in an environment of high achievers: What’s the difference between what your family wants for you and what you want for yourself? What does success really mean to you? What would it be like to fail? Mahoney and Walters used the term “narratives” because it implies that the ways in which we understand and talk about ourselves are always evolving—it will likely be different in five or ten years than it is today. In addition, the word “narratives” alludes to multiplicity: “Each of us could tell several different stories about who we are right now,” they reminded students.

I soon found that my own story was changing. This part-time “day job,” one I’d initially accepted because I was a writer with a young child, was becoming something I cared about. I’d once thought that my career would feel gratifying only if I was publishing fiction, but I began to see this wasn’…