Issue No. 535 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting features a new book for women on smart career moves. It’s also a wake-up call for men! And this reminder: click here to download free resources from the 20 management buckets (core competencies), click here for over 500 book reviews, and click here for my two-part review of Henry Kissinger’s new book, Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy.
Is career advancement more challenging for women? Yes…says Shanna Hocking, author of One Bold Move a Day: Meaningful Actions Women Can Take to Fulfill Their Leadership and Career Potential.
Career Counsel for Women:
Must-Read for Men!
What are two of the worst sentences a boss should never use?
• “Can we talk?”
• “Let’s discuss.”
Why? Shanna Hocking coaches bosses to never use these sentences because they are “almost always misunderstood” by staffers. “Always add a second sentence explaining the nature of the discussion so your team members don’t start packing up their offices.”
That’s from the insightful chapter, “Be the Boss Everyone Wants to Work For,” in Hocking’s new book, One Bold Move a Day: Meaningful Actions Women Can Take to Fulfill Their Leadership and Career Potential.
While that’s good counsel, I wondered if a book targeted to women was really needed? Men in the workplace also misunderstand glib comments from their bosses! (Example: I chuckled reading Henry Kissinger’s recent book profiling six leaders, including Nixon. “…Bryce Harlow’s pithy explanation for the Watergate debacle: ‘Some damn fool got into the Oval Office and did what he was told.’” The advice: don't do everything your boss suggests!)
Whoa! The author set me straight! She believes women do have different hurdles in the workplace. So…is this a book for women—or also for men, especially men in boss and supervisory roles? My gut: this is also a must-read for men. And speaking of those hurdles, I’m reminded of another “bold” book published this year, Begin Boldly: How Women Can Reimagine Risk, Embrace Uncertainty & Launch a Brilliant Career, by Christie Hunter Arscott. I titled my review, “Ball and Chain, Barbwire, Tall Grass, Terrain to Conquer, a Wall to Climb Over, and a Swamp To Swim.” Oh, my!
I was intrigued by Shanna Hocking’s story because her career path was in philanthropy. She has “20 years of experience raising hundreds of millions of dollars and leading large teams at organizations such as the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Alabama, and Duke University.” Her clients include nonprofits, universities, and family foundations. She keeps an "AttaGirl" folder for notes and accolades, including "the envelope from the first seven-figure charitable gift I closed."
Hocking is very transparent about her early days. In my favorite chapter, “Grow as a Leader,” she confesses that moving “From Peer to Supervisor” was challenging. Before you say yes to your next promotion, read this about managing people “who were formerly your peers.” She writes:
“I lived this: in my first big management role, I went—overnight—from being the friend you went out for margaritas with, to being the boss who did your performance evaluations.” She notes that during her interview process, she was repeatedly asked the same question, “How will you handle the transition from peer to manager?” To get ready, she “read every book and article on this topic, attended multiple seminars, and talked to mentors and trusted advisors.”
The result? “In the first week, I realized none of the advice or learning truly prepared me for going from peer to supervisor.”
The book’s title, One Bold Move a Day, is the author’s approach to lifelong learning. What can you do—every day—to move your confidence and your career forward? She suggests big and small steps. The book is practical, not formulaic.
In the section, “Decision-Making Strategies for Any Situation,” Hocking administers both therapy and strategies. “It’s not overdramatizing to worry about being wrong. Research shows that women are penalized more harshly than men when they make a wrong decision. In one study by Victoria Brescoll at Yale School of Management, women were consistently judged by their failures, even when they received positive evaluations for their leadership.”
Her six strategies on decision-making include: “Coach yourself as you would a friend,” propose three options—not just two, “Acknowledge the role of emotions,” and more. On preparing for mistakes, Hocking writes, “It’s not the falling, but rather the getting back up (which often makes you more determined and focused on learning) that will support you in advancing as a leader.”
If you are mentoring an early career woman at work or in your family, this is a helpful book to read together. Look for these gems for bosses and team members:
• “If you’re not sure how to support a working mother, ask her!”
• When receiving a compliment, say thank you and no more. “That’s it. It’s about time we all remember that ‘Thank you’ is a full sentence.”
• On “Clarifying Your Purpose,” in the chapter, “Achieving Your Goals,” the author lists seven days of writing prompts. Example for Day 4, “What projects bring you energy?” (This aligns well with Patrick Lencioni’s latest wisdom in The Six Types of Working Genius.)
• On “Applying for a Job as a Woman,” Hocking writes, “There is one thing I want to tell all women: you don’t have to meet all the qualifications to apply for a job.”
• “Who will your new boss be?” (Read why this is so, so important.)
The author provides a helpful template—an “About Me” document covering her leadership approach, leadership philosophy, communication styles, and bullet points on “You Get the Best of Me When…” and “What People Misunderstand About Me.” This reminded me of Marshall Goldsmith’s “Memo to Staff: How to Handle Me” from his book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: Discover the 20 Workplace Habits You Need to Break (my 2013 book-of-the-year).
Note: I encourage leaders and team members to also keep “The 3 Powerful S’s” on their radar (the four social styles, the 34 Gallup strengths, and spiritual gifts). Download my two-page template, “Weekly Update to My Supervisor,” from the Meetings Bucket. And on communication styles, note whether you and your boss are readers or listeners.
MORE!
• Imagine if more workplaces adopted Hocking’s helpful “NNTR” subject line for emails: “No Need to Respond.” (See the email template in her book.)
• Have you ever read three pages on “Office Politics?” (Me neither.)
• “Authority may get the job done, but you’ll find yourself alone at the finish line.”
• For a taste of Shanna Hocking’s coaching wisdom, read her numerous articles for Harvard Business Review, including “What’s Making You Miserable at Work?”
To order from Amazon, click on the title for One Bold Move a Day: Meaningful Actions Women Can Take to Fulfill Their Leadership and Career Potential, by Shanna A. Hocking. Listen on Libro.fm (5 hours, 41 minutes). And thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy.
YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS:
Does your team need to go deeper on how to enrich your workplace—so both women and men thrive and fulfill their leadership potential? In addition to One Bold Move a Day, delegate your reading (or listening) to team members with these other resources:
[ ] Begin Boldly: How Women Can Reimagine Risk, Embrace Uncertainty & Launch a Brilliant Career, by Christie Hunter Arscott (Read my review.)
[ ] Arrive and Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership, by Susan MacKenty Brady, Janet Foutty, and Lynn Perry Wooten (Read my review.)
[ ] Jump: Dare to Do What Scares You in Business and Life, by Kim Perell (Read my review.)
[ ] The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right, by Gorick Ng (Read my review.)
[ ] Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…and Maybe the World, by Admiral William H. McRaven (U.S. Navy Retired) - (Read my review.)
[ ] What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: Discover the 20 Workplace Habits You Need to Break (my 2013 book-of-the-year), by Marshall Goldsmith (Read my review.)
Note: If you’re a listener, visit Libro.fm.
Mastering 100 Must-Read Books - Part 2: Books-of-the-Year
Book #6 of 100:
The Advice Trap
For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by spotlighting Book #6 in Mastering 100 Must-Read Books.
The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever
by Michael Bungay Stanier
Books #6 through #21 spotlight 16 books that have been named my Book-of-the-Year (2006 to 2020). I began my review of The Advice Trap with this: “Hello. My name is John and I’m an Advice Monster.”
• Read my review.
• Order from Amazon: The Advice Trap
• Download John’s 100 Must-Read Books list.
If you’re still thinking you’re a great coach—and this would be a great book for everyone else—check out page 43, the “Mix ‘n’ Match Advice Monster Table.” The author says “you can’t tame your Advice Monster until you know what sets it off.” There are 12 types of people who activate your monster persona (pick one!)—coupled with 12 situations (pick one!).
• My deadly combination: someone who asks me for advice—paired with a “time is short” situation.
• Yours might be: someone who challenges you—coupled with “they keep making mistakes.”
WHEN WOMEN LEAD. “No single best way to lead.” Julia Boorstin says "We should throw all our preconceived notions about leadership out the window. There's no single best way to lead..." Read John's review of When Women Lead: What They Achieve, Why They Succeed, and How We Can Learn from Them. Visit the Pails in Comparison blog.
PEARPOD | TELLING YOUR STORY. Are you looking for a new role in communications and marketing? One Bold Move a Day (pages 58-61) suggests you ask four questions before you take that new job. We have more questions you should ask. Contact Jason Pearson at Pearpod (Design, Digital, Marketing, Social).
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