In February, I read Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life) by Cathie Black. Cathie Black is the current president of Hearst Magazines (the publisher of Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Harper's Bazaar, etc...) Prior to her time at Hearst she held high-profile positions at New York Magazine and USA Today. The book acts primarily as a guideline for business, from both the perspective of a job-seeker and the executive. Cathie is authentic, witty, and interesting and doesn't hesitate to incorporate her personal experiences into her advice. Her advice is realistic and not self-serving and while she is often blunt in her delivery, she clearly comes from a place of mentorship and care.
On the downside, it takes a while to chew through this book. As with many non-fiction books, it contains more information than compelling imagery. She does manage to intersperse personal stories and descriptive language, but that can only do so much when discussing resumes, business decisions, and the like. I did find certain sections dry and menial, but was able to garner enough information to make it worth the read.
Two sections in particular that I enjoyed/found helpful:
Chapter Four (entitled "Fear") discusses overcoming ones fear and turning it into healthy, motivating stress. She also talks about using fear as a leader, in both good and bad ways, to motivate your staff. My favorite part of this chapter was the section on using "Fairy Dust" to turn a bad (or scary) situation into a good one - or at least a productive one. She talks about not taking anything personally (even when it is personal,) but rather using "fairy dust" in the form of humor or kindness to mollify the situation and move on.
Also in chapter four, she talks about how to handle criticism. Specifically, she presents a two-part analysis for deciding whether the criticism is honest - and therefore worth consideration - or whether it is simply negative commentary. I found this information to be extremely insightful. So often I (and I'm sure many others) get caught up in others' opinions and often that opinion comes from a place that has nothing to do with our own behaviors. Using Cathie Black's analysis, you can determine if that person is providing constructive criticism or not.
Overall, I found the book chock-full of great information, inspiring stories, and necessary tools for building a business or starting a career. Cathie Black is able to take an often-boring topic and provide an insightful and candid discussion of how to make your own path in business.
{**I was not compensated for this review. I purchased and read the book on my own volition and decided to review it simply to pass along my experience to you!}
{**I was not compensated for this review. I purchased and read the book on my own volition and decided to review it simply to pass along my experience to you!}