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Dare: Straight Talk on Confidence, Courage, and Career for Women in Charge
From a veteran Fortune 500 executive, how women can reach and succeed in top leadership positionsThough women hold a majority of the managerial and professional jobs in the workforce, they occupy a mere 14% of C-suite positions at Fortune 500 firms. To break through this stubborn glass ceiling, women must learn to take bold steps when career-defining moments arise. During her 33-year career at Southern Company, a Fortune 500 utility company, Becky Blalock rose to become CIO in a traditionally male industry. Now she offers her own hard-won advice, as well as that of 28 top female executives, to show all aspiring women how to dare to reach the highest tier of leadership and C-suite positions.Includes advice and mentoring lessons from top women business leaders such Anna Maria Chavez, CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA; Kat Cole, President of Cinnabon; Carol Tome, CFO of Home Depot; Dr. Beverly Tatum, president of Spelman College, and Jeanette Horan, CIO of IBM, among many others Features straightforward, honest advice on gaining confidence, speaking up, finding mentors, learning to fail, building a network of allies, managing others, and more Written by pioneering business leader Becky Blalock, with a Foreword by Anne Mulcahy, former chairperson and CEO of Xerox Corporation Dare is must-needed guide for women everywhere, at every level, striving to develop the character, skills, and relationships that deliver greater success in the workplace.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
15 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 28, 2014
I realize I am in the minority here, but I just wasn't that impressed with this book. Blalock, herself, is very impressive. I admire her determination and positive attitude, and she clearly knows what she is doing to have the career that she does. I also appreciate her willingness to talk about herself truthfully, fessing up to a few blunders she's made at work and how she dealt with them.
Overall, however, I felt the book fell short. First, I found Blalock's writing style to be a bit cheesy, cliche, and somewhat lazy. I understand the title of the book is "Dare," but is it necessary to use that word over and over and over again? All of the chapter titles are "Dare to be this" or "Dare to do that," which is fine, but I found the overuse of this catch phrase (catch word?) within the chapters, within each PARAGRAPH, to be annoying and distracting. It was overkill, and after a while it started to feel like Blalock was more interested in being a self-help cheerleader than in addressing the more in-depth concerns, fears, and sociological hurdles working women face--which leads to my next criticism...
While Blalock includes so many interviews with and observations from successful "women in charge" (and I include her in this group), much of it is generic and not particularly insightful. I read a lot of advice like, know yourself! and find a mentor! and write down your goals! And maybe this is general advice that people still need to hear, but if you've read ANY other books on building a career, you've likely heard all of this before. More importantly, there wasn't a lot of direction on how to accomplish these vague goals once you set them.
In short, this book wasn't as impressive as I was hoping it would be. Blalock is an interesting person, and I did find some parts of the book engaging, but ultimately I was disappointed by its inability to offer new insights to the discussion of women in the workplace.
Overall, however, I felt the book fell short. First, I found Blalock's writing style to be a bit cheesy, cliche, and somewhat lazy. I understand the title of the book is "Dare," but is it necessary to use that word over and over and over again? All of the chapter titles are "Dare to be this" or "Dare to do that," which is fine, but I found the overuse of this catch phrase (catch word?) within the chapters, within each PARAGRAPH, to be annoying and distracting. It was overkill, and after a while it started to feel like Blalock was more interested in being a self-help cheerleader than in addressing the more in-depth concerns, fears, and sociological hurdles working women face--which leads to my next criticism...
While Blalock includes so many interviews with and observations from successful "women in charge" (and I include her in this group), much of it is generic and not particularly insightful. I read a lot of advice like, know yourself! and find a mentor! and write down your goals! And maybe this is general advice that people still need to hear, but if you've read ANY other books on building a career, you've likely heard all of this before. More importantly, there wasn't a lot of direction on how to accomplish these vague goals once you set them.
In short, this book wasn't as impressive as I was hoping it would be. Blalock is an interesting person, and I did find some parts of the book engaging, but ultimately I was disappointed by its inability to offer new insights to the discussion of women in the workplace.
December 2, 2023
I'll be honest. There were times I thought I would never finish this book. It simply isn't my style. I got the book for free when I attended a conference at work many years ago. I kept the book because I know people who are in it. But that was it. I figured it would just decorate my shelf. Then 2020 hit. I made a lot of changes. Finishing books I started was one of them. Years ago when I received the book, I did start it but I was happy with my career path then. Now, I needed some pushes and encouragement. This gave me what I needed. So why only 3 stars? Well, there was common sense I already knew and did. There were a few things that I do not believe translate to all fields so it is unhelpful. And there is actually a lot of repeating. I understand this is to drive the message into your brain but I got the message first time. The tenth time was a bit of a yawner. It is a good book and an easy read.
December 27, 2025
I met the author of the book last year and received a signed copy. The book does have some good advice for women in leadership and has good quotes from lots of C-suite executives, including one from the Federal Reserve, coincidentally.
June 12, 2017
Very well thought out and developed. Good examples, details and provides a path to success.
February 13, 2018
Started out slow, but really developed into something thoughtful, useful and provoking.
November 14, 2013
As I've previously mentioned on my blog, one of my goals for 2014 was to read more business/leadership books and to see how I could implement them in my own career for my professional development. Well, no time like the present so I grabbed this book when I saw it and eagerly ate it up.
The title really grabbed me as it brought to mind Brene Brown's Daring Greatly and its allusion to that excellent Theodore Roosevelt quote "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” I want to be a leader in the business world and I was very inspired by the insight shared in this book.
On the one hand, I don't normally think of myself as a big daredevil (and I work in compliance so that's not really the most desirable trait anyway in my opinion). On the other hand, I'm at the beginning of my career, I want to lean in, and I want to really grow and nurture my career. I definitely need advice and as a reader, books are an important component of that for me. After reading this, I felt that I have made some good decisions so far but am also reminded of my weak spots. There are a couple of points I intend to try out and explore in real life to see what impact I can make.
Besides Blalock's advice, there are additional words from other powerful businesswomen. All of this combines to produce an incredibly uplifting and inspirational book. It made me think about the women who have paved the path for me, making my own journey just that much easier in addition to reminding me that there are people who will root for me (sometimes I struggle with knowing that.) It's a very generous book; Blalock recognizes her blessings and wants to give back and she encourages the reader to do the same.
One thing I would have liked would have been a clearer picture of Blalock's career trajectory (as well as that for some of the other women who so graciously shared). She shares about several key positions and what she learned from them but I'm still a bit confused on how she exactly made each move to reach where she is now and how long that took.
Overall: Incredibly inspiring-definitely a fave read of the year and one I plan to go through at least one more time this year as I make plans and goals for 2014.
The title really grabbed me as it brought to mind Brene Brown's Daring Greatly and its allusion to that excellent Theodore Roosevelt quote "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” I want to be a leader in the business world and I was very inspired by the insight shared in this book.
On the one hand, I don't normally think of myself as a big daredevil (and I work in compliance so that's not really the most desirable trait anyway in my opinion). On the other hand, I'm at the beginning of my career, I want to lean in, and I want to really grow and nurture my career. I definitely need advice and as a reader, books are an important component of that for me. After reading this, I felt that I have made some good decisions so far but am also reminded of my weak spots. There are a couple of points I intend to try out and explore in real life to see what impact I can make.
Besides Blalock's advice, there are additional words from other powerful businesswomen. All of this combines to produce an incredibly uplifting and inspirational book. It made me think about the women who have paved the path for me, making my own journey just that much easier in addition to reminding me that there are people who will root for me (sometimes I struggle with knowing that.) It's a very generous book; Blalock recognizes her blessings and wants to give back and she encourages the reader to do the same.
One thing I would have liked would have been a clearer picture of Blalock's career trajectory (as well as that for some of the other women who so graciously shared). She shares about several key positions and what she learned from them but I'm still a bit confused on how she exactly made each move to reach where she is now and how long that took.
Overall: Incredibly inspiring-definitely a fave read of the year and one I plan to go through at least one more time this year as I make plans and goals for 2014.
December 7, 2013
This book didn't provide any unique insights. It read just like any other generic business leadership book. Honestly, I felt like it was almost patronizing towards women, which is surprising considering that its main premise is to encourage women to gain leadership skills. I believe that women may need to approach their careers from a different perspective than men; however, this author talks down to the reader and presents advice in such an oversimplified, obvious manner that it made me feel like I must be an idiot to be taking this book seriously. Her recommendations were rarely different than what one would tell a male who was seeking to advance his career.
Now I seem like a snob and anti-feminist for writing this review!
Now I seem like a snob and anti-feminist for writing this review!
January 23, 2015
The book was well written- solid advice, good mix of personal stories + stories from other people. She had enough content to fill the entire book without seeming repetitive. Most of her advice wasn't anything particularly ground-breaking or new, but it was a well-presented assembly of common advice.
March 29, 2015
Am all for supporting women in whatever endeavours they wish to enjoin. But this book was complete meh - pretty standard stuff. Possibly a bit of a shocker thought that author feels true leadership is found only by sticking around within a corporations 4-walls and climbing the ladder. Women who are entrpreneuers are cop-outs. That concept was difficult to overcome throughout.
July 26, 2016
Inspiring book for women who want to make it to the top of corporate America and a good read on top of that.
September 1, 2016
Most of the advice is straight forward but I found it a good easy read and actionable advice for getting ahead.
May 11, 2015
A great starter guide for those who need a boost to start applying their skills towards management and team leadership.
June 4, 2016
Great read for women who work for a company or have their own company. I felt like I was getting mentored while reading.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews