Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office - My takeaways

I see people constantly asking about my new reads, I think having it here as #girlwithabook series can help my circle of friends, here is my first listicle about what I read last weekend called 'Nice girls don't get the corner office' this book is personally close to my heart because I have been there and done most of it, my top takeaways follows...

1. Waiting - Waiting to be given what you want If you don’t ask for what you need, you don’t risk hearing “no”, but you also won’t get what you want.
2. Needing to be liked - it’s critical to understand the difference between being liked and being respected. If you are only concerned with being liked you will most likely miss the opportunity to be respected.

3. Sharing too much personal information - At times we think sharing too much information makes office a second home, sharing a high level info is fine, it’s sharing too much of it than can come back to bite you.

4. Offering a limp handshake - a handshake is how you make your first impression upon initially meeting someone. You do want your handshake to convey the message; I’m someone to be taken seriously.

5. Helping too much - Helping others is one way capable women gain external validation for their self-worth. Many men take this to the extreme and fail to transition form doer to leader. If you’re busy doing, you don’t have time to provide the vision, guidance, technical support, and oversight required of a leader.

6. Letting people waste your time - We all do it, listening to gossips and whining, being nurturing and kind is not mutually exclusive of being protective of your time. Think about how you let others take advantage of your time.

7. Being modest - there’s a time and place for modesty. When people fail to notice major accomplishments it’s your job to illuminate them. When someone is appreciating you, shut up and take it.

8. Talking too fast - we speed up our communications so that we can get our entire message out before being interrupted or given a sign that we talk too much. Because so much of your credibility is dependent on how you sound, regardless of the actual content, it’s important to convey confidence, accuracy and depth of thought. Speaking too quickly does just the opposite. Rushing through our message can be construed as not being thorough or thoughtful in your approach. These interpretations, can, in turn, cause the listener to question the accuracy of what you’re reporting.

9. Using touchy feely language - saying “I intend to” is more confident than saying “I might”. It is important to make a stronger statement about the speaker’s commitment to what’s being said and a desire to become visible.

10. Smiling inappropriately - girls are socialized to smile more than boys. When men don’t smile they are taken seriously. When women don’t smile people are concerned that there is something wrong. Consciously match your facial expression to your message.

11. Sitting in meetings - with your hands under the table In meetings, lean forward slightly,resting your forearms on the table with hands lightly clasped. Not only does it make you look more involved in the conversation, but it also puts you in a perfect position to gesture when needed.

12. Believing others know more than you - Women often underestimate how much they know and put more stock in a stranger’s opinion than in their own wisdom.

What I understand -If you recognize and change the behaviors that say “girl” and not “woman”, the results will pay off in career opportunities and in an image that identifies you as someone with the power and know how to occupy the corner office, have you been 'that' nice girl?