Playing Big (Amazon) was a gift from Jean Hsu, and I loved it. It articulated things that I had noticed, and opened my eyes to things I had not. Super helpful. A few highlights:
- I’m over the inner critic (perhaps a topic for another post), but I loved the idea of the inner mentor. The idea we have a voice that guides us forward and believes in us is really powerful. It’s a helpful way to access that which we know but we’re afraid of.
- It had the most helpful advice on balancing niceness and assertiveness I have found. Firstly, going into the kind of hedging and apologising language that serves to make us smaller. But then not just removing it, but adding warmth and personal connection. Amazing.
- I found the section on over-preparing really helpful. I’ve been served well by over-preparing, but being committed to that strategy makes sudden change or being put on the spot stressful. Now I’m thinking about how to deploy that work ethic when useful… but be more flexible and truth in my own knowledge when it’s not useful (or possible).
As I was reading it, I was recommending it to people and thinking about people I know who would benefit from it. Definitely worth a read if you’re feeling like you’re not doing everything you’re potentially capable of. The only caveat I have is that it focused on the gender binary.