Michele Woodward

Powerful Coaching. Powerful Results.

lean in

Summer Reading List

By 2 Comments

 

In summer it seems that the axis of the universe shifts. Rather than time being the constant and productivity the variable, summer stretches out and time becomes a loose, easy variable, and productivity seems happy to wait until September rolls around.

So for all of you who can “never find time to read” – now’s your chance. Here’s what I’ve been reading:

FICTION

Shanghai Factor

The Shanghai Factor by Charles McCarry. OK, I loved this book. First, I love anything Charles McCarry has ever written because he’s smart, insightful and a master storyteller. Second, he’s experimental in this book, which I admire – the hero, a spy under deep cover in China, is never mentioned by name. Ever. Not once. Which is one helluva thing for a writer to pull off. McCarry was a covert CIA operative himself and draws on his experience to fill in the mood and ambiance in an authentic way, and writes female characters realistically (which is not often found in spy thrillers, let’s be honest). If you like the genre, you’ll like this one and probably another of McCarry’s books – Tears of Autumn which offers a plausible and gripping alternative explanation of the JFK assassination.

The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway. Another new book I adored reading. Bee Ridgway is the nom de plume of a literature professor at Bryn Mawr, and is her first book. Ladies and gents, it’s a doozy. If you liked The Night Circus, The Hunger Games, or any of the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon, you will like this one. It’s part mystery, part fantasy, part dystopian, part time-travel, part love story. With this book, all you can do is suspend your disbelief and thoroughly enjoy the ride.

Shadows and Strongholds by Elizabeth Chadwick. I admit it: I am a sucker for a good historical fiction book. Set at the end of the war between Stephen and Matilda over the throne of England, this tightly woven epic is very satisfying. It’s about a young man’s coming of age amidst change, and the vagaries of war. A good one.

A plague of zombies

The Custom of the Army and A Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon. Maybe the “zombies” surprised you? OK, me, too. But these two short novellas are a kick to read. They follow the adventures of Lord John Grey, a character from the successful Outlander series as he investigates crimes and mysteries in the 1700s. He’s a nobleman, a gay man, an honorable man, and an officer – can’t you just feel the tension in the man’s life? I’ve also been re-re-reading the entire Outlander series  because I cannot get enough of time-traveling women and men in kilts. Obviously.

The Archer’s Tale by Bernard Cornwell. From the author of the Sharpe series of books, this is the story of a young man with astounding prowess with a bow and arrow who comes to find that he’s the heir of a noble house (of course) while he fights for king and country (and loves willing maids along the way).

flimsy little plastic miracles

Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles by Ron Currie, Jr. So there’s this guy, see. And he’s a writer, right? And in love with this attainable/un-attainable woman. And he sorta ends up faking his own death. Which causes a book to become a best-seller. His book. This, my friends, is a real book. A writer’s book. A book about writing, and love, and death, and The Singularity. Oh, and pop culture. Loved it.

 

 

NON-FICTION

Reinventing You

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. Because I had to.

Reinventing You by Dorie Clark. Everything you need to know about making a transition and doing something new. Dorie was a guest on my WiseWork radio show – you can listen here: Reinventing You

The Wonder of Aging by Michael Gurian. The esteemed author of The Wonder of Boys has taken on aging, and what we can all do to make the most of our post-50 life. I’m talking with Mike about coming on my radio show and will let you know as soon as the date is set.

Leadership and the Sexes by Michael Gurian with Barbara Annis. Another of Mike’s books which I needed to read to understand the gender differences in leadership so I can be better at my work. It’s research-based and highly intriguing. Plus, extremely practical to implement.

Own The Room

Own The Room by Amy Su Jen and Muriel Maignan Wilkins. Showing up at meetings, speaking in public – all things which give folks heartburn. This great little book really helps, and Muriel was a guest on the radio show, too. You can listen here: Own The Room

Finally, my pal Virginia Hume Onufer has published her annual Books For The Beach List. By p0lling all of her reading friends and curating their suggestions, she provides the most comprehensive list of new and old titles to keep you in reading nirvana for the entire season. Check it here: Books For The Beach 2013

What are you reading? What do you like? Would love to hear – I’m always looking for something good.

 

[just a disclaimer – every Amazon.com link above is an “affiliate link”. If you click and purchase, I receive a small commission. This disclaimer is required by law but I’d tell you anyway.]

Mother’s Day Love Circle

By Leave a Comment

bigstock-Yellow-daisy-flower-isolated-o-15795581

 

I’ve been writing every Sunday since, oh, the dawn of time (Internet time, at least) and some of those Sundays have also been Mother’s Day.

Last year, I wrote my own version of Lean In, I guess, with What Working Moms Really Want.  I just re-read this one and I really like it. Perhaps that’s a funny thing to say, but I don’t often go back and read things I’ve written.

With me and writing it’s totally catch and release.

In 2011, I imagined what an Empty Nest Mother’s Day would be like. I’m getting closer and closer to that reality today, and while I caught this one, it’s harder and harder to release with each passing day.

I asked Who’s A Mom? in 2010, which I consider my love letter to everyone – both men and women – who reach out and help children.

“With every kindness to a child, you create a better world,” I said then, and I mean it still.

Then in 2009, I repeated a column from 2007 simply called “Mother’s Day”, where I suggested we celebrate every holiday every single day.

Somehow that brilliant idea didn’t really catch fire.

In the sandwich year there, 2008, I wrote about busyness (it must have been in context of my own situation) with Repeal HAFTA.

And in May, 2006, I was a few months away from starting to blog so the words were still in my head and heart, unreleased.

What a journey. What an experience. What richness.

And right now I’m talking about my 20+ years of mothering two wonderful people who inspire me every day to step up, be present and be fully myself.

Because when I am able to do that, they are able to do so, too. It’s a love circle, baby.

And, believe me, I get so much more than I give.

Oh, people, I am truly blessed. May you find blessings, too – full with love and acceptance – in each and every one of your days.

 

Lean In – To Your Own Business

By 8 Comments

Homework with a laptop

So, if I’m getting the national zeitgeist right, it’s time to “lean in” and pursue opportunities that will take me to the top – the “top” being defined as a commanding leadership spot at the head of a Fortune 10 company, and at least one seat on a corporate board. This, so I’m being told, is the ultimate definition of success.

And, yet, this narrow definition of “making it” seems a little confining to me. Especially when I read Intuit’s 2020 Report, which projects that 40% of the US workforce will be doing freelance, micro-business or contingent work within the next ten years. Forty percent.

Makes the terms for defining one’s success a little different, doesn’t it?

If you control your own schedule, is that success?

If you continue to learn and grow and make a difference in the world, is that success?

If you meet all of your financial benchmarks, is that success?

If you have no boss, like a CEO does, but have clients, like a CEO has a Board of Directors, is that success?

I say yes. Yes, that’s exactly what success looks like.

In a lot of ways, it’s never been easier to start a business. Technology is easy, and relatively cheap, and organizations are hiring freelancers.

But it’s rather scary to take the leap.

So, what’s holding most people back?

First, it’s the outdated idea that the ultimate expression of success is derived from a big leadership role within a large organization. We know this is not the only measure of success, don’t we? But, boy, is it hard to let go of the way our parents and their parents and our peers and their peers have experienced work and defined success in the past.

Second, it’s the narrow thought that the only work day that matters is 8am to 8pm – you know, the typical ambitious, over-achiever, “I’m so busy!” mindset. We know it’s more about quality than quantity, but the old “hours put in on the job equals effectiveness” is pretty hard to shake.

Third, and I see this quite a bit in my coaching work, it’s the feeling that we’re all supposed to have a boss who tells us what to do. Who are we if we are independent, and self-directing, and self-starting? Who do we have to blame if it’s all on us?

From my own experience, all I can say is this: I haven’t had an office job since 1996. In 17 years, I’ve only reported to an office outside my home to work with clients at their request. Most of my work has been delivered remotely by conference call, video call, or other technological means. I haven’t messed with commutes, I don’t have anyone to approve my vacation time or question me about sick leave, and there have been mercifully few instances of nasty office politics (those clients I fired as quickly as I could, believe me).

Over all those years, I’ve built a right-sized business for myself which has allowed me to serve my clients, meet my financial needs,  and honor my key priority – which is being a good-enough parent to my kids.

And maybe I’m just an early adopter. And maybe in the next ten years many more of you are going to join me in this rewarding, free-form work of our own design.

My advice? Go into it willingly, and forget all the old definitions of “success”. Success is what you decide it is – whether that’s a corner office or a home office.

Just “lean in” where you’re going to be at your best most often, and be brave enough to give the new way of work a try.

 

[For more on the the shift toward freelancing, read The Geography of America’s Freelance Economy from the Atlantic.]