5 Books by Women Leaders on How to Grow, Scale and Lead

Most women have to encounter challenges in their battle to become successful. Statistics show that women-led companies received only 2.2% of venture capital funding in 2018. The imbalance remains, and to correct this, women need to exceed the expectations and not let anyone have doubt about their capabilities.    

Irrespective of whether a woman is a founder of a startup or an ambitious professional who is competing for a promotion, she should no longer struggle alone to grow, scale and lead. Many women have overcome the ordeal and witnessed success. They are eager to share their experiences and wisdom with others to help make their journey shorter and easier.   

Below are five books by women leaders on how to grow, scale, and lead in a male-dominated world.   

Secrets of Six-Figure Women - Barbara Stanny

Notwithstanding the odds they face, today, women are earning more than ever. If you wish to join the club of six-figure earners, you should read Barbara Stanny’s ‘ Secret of Six-Figure Women. This book offers an informative balance of research and interviews that teaches readers how to increase their earning potential. Stanny takes her readers through the challenges faced by businesswomen to deal with the most common drawbacks that prevent them from earning what they should. Stanny’s research ascertains seven strategies that differentiate women who are highly paid from others. Some of these strategies are self-awareness, resilience, and nonattachment. If any woman feels unworthy or uncertain along the way, she should essentially go through the pages of ‘Secrets of Six-Figure Women’ to get back on track and start making the money she deserves.   

Girl, Stop Apologizing - Rachel Hollis

Girl, Stop Apologizing is an empowerment phenomenon of early 2019 that deals with all the tough questions that ambitious women must answer before they become successful. Through her book, bestselling author and successful founder Rachel Hollis help women untangle lifelong lessons in passivity to ensure that they can stop hesitating and start pursuing their dreams. In Girl, Stop Apologizing, Hollis teaches her readers to define themselves through their personalities rather than through their roles as a wife, mother, daughter, or employee. Girl, Stop Apologizing breaks down all the lessons women must unlearn to flourish and replace those bad habits with vital skills. Women who are struggling financially and do not have time to fix their budgets can take lessons from this book.    

Alpha Girls - Julian Guthrie

As discussed in the beginning, most women entrepreneurs continue to raise only a trivial fraction of venture capital funding. However, women on the other side of the table can help would-be female entrepreneurs and those who have just joined the business bandwagon to correct the gender disparity. Alpha Girls tells the stories of four women who rose through the ranks of the Venture Capital world without sacrificing their family lives in the process. Julian Guthrie uses her journalistic skills to expose how Magdalena Yesil, Mary Jane Elmore, Theresia Gouw, and Sonja Hoel came from different and disadvantageous backgrounds to shape modern-day Silicon Valley. When you learn about the stories of these four women, you will learn to look beyond the glass ceiling and see the rewards that lie beyond.   

An Economist Walks into a Brothel - Allison Schrager

This book is part philosophy and part self-help. Written by Allison Schrager, An Economist Walks into a Brothel takes the readers through an assortment of unanticipated situations and the reckoning behind them. In An Economist Walks into a Brothel, Schrager examines the risks that are inherent in daily life and offers insights into how to make the right choices to maximize the odds of becoming successful. The book is full of practical guidance and gives five risk-management principles to help women make the most of given opportunities. Using anecdotes, Schrager paints a vivid picture of how to make the best use of any given opportunity in An Economist Walks into a Brothel.   

Get over Your Damn Self - Romi Neustadt

A former lawyer and PR executive, Romi Neustadt saw the top of corporate life from close quarters but decided that she wanted more. Using a fine blend of tenacity and creativity, Neustadt carved out a direct sales and network marketing empire that presented her with the freedom and flexibility she always desired. Neustadt’s book Get over Your Damn Self cuts through the noise of traditional business advice and offers honest coaching for businesswomen who deal with challenges that men rarely see. From team management to mindset mastery, Neustadt empowers her readers to get rid of doubt and embrace positivity. By doing so, she helps women to translate their confidence into cash.