A Good Time to Be a Girl: Don’t Lean In, Change the System by Helena Morissey is the 10th book I read in the Read 30 Books in 30 Days Reading Challenge. If you’re not a joiner, buy my e-book, Read 30 Books in 30 Days Like Francis Bacon instead?
A Good Time to be a Girl
Read 30 Books in 30 Days Like Francis BaconLean in
Book Bite: Focus on your long-term goals. Take the first step because the staircase will become clear. Change rather than mimic. Be open to possibilities. Look at self-imposed limitations and standards that others set.
Participating in the read 30 books in 30 day reading challenge has been an interesting experience for me. This reading challenge is about tackling your pile of to-be-read nonfiction books. I’ve been doing a reasonable job, but I missed my murder mysteries and detective stories and thrillers, so I’ve snuck in a few.
Reading fiction books gives me comfort and provides escape during tough times. I’ve read a couple of books from disciplines outside of business and I plan to read some more.
If you used some of your isolation time to read books that can help you in your career and business, what difference would it make to/for you?
What is A Good Time to be a Girl by Helena Morrissey About?
Isn’t the title of the book great — A Good Time to be a Girl
. The first thing that came to my mind is why is it a good time to be a girl? I loved some sections of this book and other sections not so much. Helena Morrissey gives other women hope that they too can get to the C-Suite. She did a lot of things on her own terms and I like that. A big one is she didn’t dress the way that a female executive is expected to dress. She had her own unique style that has served her well.
In the book she writes,
“Indian Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) said, ‘Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life, think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.’”
Helena Morrissey's one idea is:
“The big rebalance between men and women – something that has ramifications for my family life, for my roles in business, for the commentary and analysis and speeches I make – and yes, is the motivation behind this book. All roads lead back to this idea.”
A nugget from the book that is very appropriate right now is that people are more receptive to new ideas at moments of dislocation. If we aren’t experiencing a period of dislocation right now then I’m out to lunch. This period has made people realize what’s important in life. In A Good Time to be a Girl, Morrissey asked the readers what outcomes they want to reach. This gives women clarity around their career goals.
And she recommends that if you don’t like your environment change it. The world crisis has forced professionals to assess their work environments. In Crush It
by Gary Vaynerchuk, he asks you why you would want to stay in a job you hate. Several of the books I’ve read so far while participating in read 30 books in 30 days reading challenge, make it very clear to take responsibility for your work and life.
by Gary Vaynerchuk, he asks you why you would want to stay in a job you hate. Several of the books I’ve read so far while participating in read 30 books in 30 days reading challenge, make it very clear to take responsibility for your work and life. As a woman, if you want to progress in your career, you need to build a network. Morrissey was able to make her career work for her because she has a supportive husband. The gender roles in their relationship is the opposite of what’s expected, but it works very well for them.
Several of the books I’ve read talk about perfectionism. And Morrissey says that you cannot attain perfection and that you shouldn’t strive for it either. She also says that gender equality cuts both ways and that you should define what success means to you. Now I’d like to present some of the key lessons in A Good Time to be a Girl
.
- Focus on your long-term goals.
- Take the first step because the staircase will become clear.
- Offer something of value to others.
- Know what matters to you.
- Have a decision making framework.
- Focus on what you do best. Serve your clients well.
- Position yourself at the centre of influence.
- Lead by influencing.
- Being in charge is no longer what it used to be.
- Women need to tap into their own brand of female power.
- Change rather than mimic.
- To have an impact you need male champions of change.
- In your journey towards progress, stop assess and adjust or start afresh.
- Be open to possibilities.
- Look at self-imposed limitations and standards that others set.
- When giving a talk, think about what you can say that will resonate with the audience.
- What would enable your audience to absorb ideas rather than simply listening.
- Everyone has vulnerabilities. Have coping mechanisms, allies and a support system in place.
- You need a confidante or two.
- Women at all levels want work with a purpose beyond earning money and getting a promotion.
A Good Time to Be a Girl: 30 Percent Club
Helena Morrissey launched a women’s initiative for the parent company. Originally, it was mainly about networking where high profile women gave talks. She thought the initiative was a failure and was about to give up. Asked to speak at a Goldman Sachs event, Morrissey met Baroness Mary Goudie, who was helpful in making what would later be called the 30 Percent Club a success.
Through research, Morrissey discovered that Deutsche Telekom had an initiative to ensure that there were 30 percent of women at all levels of seniority. All the literature suggested that 30 percent was the magic number – the critical mass. They needed men to open doors. The approach of the 30 Percent Club was to think big, start small, but start now. In five years, they were close to the target set.
7 Success Factor for the 30 Percent Club
- Seize opportunities that dislocation creates.
- Focus on the business aspect rather than the fairness issue.
- Have measurable goals with deadlines to create urgency.
- Involve men who have the ability to change things.
- Be open to new ideas.
- Fake it until you make it. Talk up progress.
- Take feminine approach to solve problems.
In what other ways can you use the success factors listed above?
Additional Thoughts: Good Time to Be a Girl
This sounded like good advice to me. Helena Morrissey advises us to play into not just a good time to be a girl but a better time for everyone. Here’s some advice that she has for you.
- Think big, start small, but start now.
- Play to your strengths.
- Act as confidently as you can.
- Setbacks are inevitable. It’s how you respond that’s important.
- Help others whenever you can.
- If you want to be a CEO go for it.
- There is no single ‘right’ path.
- It’s a good time to be a girl, but it’s not all sorted out yet.
Have you read?
Confident Career Woman Book 1: Read 30 Books in 30 Days Reading Challenge
Why Not You Book 2: Read 30 Books in 30 Days Reading Challenge
Own a Business? You Don’t Need Everyone, You Need 1000 True Fans
You’re Unstoppable: Learn How to Be a No-Limit Person
Start Taking Steps Now to Crush It Post Isolation
Go Suck a Lemon: How Emotionally Intelligent Are You?
Way of the Athlete: Learn the Art of Focus, Discipline and Achievement from Professional Athletes
Act Now: Do You Act Quickly on Opportunities Or Take Your Time
Confident Career WomanGo Suck A Lemon1000 True FansHow to Be a No-Limit PersonAct Now!The Way of the Athlete
How Avil Can Help You!
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