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Rise: 3 Practical Steps for Advancing Your Career, Standing Out as a Leader, and Liking Your Life
A straight-shooting Silicon Valley executive reveals insider career strategies to becoming a great leader, developing your network, succeeding without wasting time, and managing trade-offs between your work and life so your life works. Patty Azzarello became the youngest general manager at Hewlett-Packard at age thirty-three, ran a $1 billion software business at thirty-five, and became a CEO at thirty-eight-all without turning into a self-centered, miserable jerk. In Rise, Azzarello shares the insider secrets to advancing your career (while having a life) in three practical Set ruthless priorities, and work and lead more strategically to deal with frustrating obstacles. Look Build your credibility with the people who can help (or blacklist) you. Connect Develop your network without being political. Get on "the List" of people who get the best opportunities. Whether you are just starting up the corporate ladder, stuck midcareer, transitioning, or eyeing the corner office, Rise shows you the difference between getting ahead and just working hard.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
506 people are currently reading
3840 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
April 18, 2014
I really, really liked this book. I think it would be a great guidebook for anyone looking to climb the corporate ladder. It also helped me realize that I don't want to do that. It's in her chapter on becoming the CEO of a big company:
"Here's how it goes: from my own experience and discussing this with others, basically, you get paid the first $250,000 annually for your brains and your results.
"The second $250,000, you get paid for frustrating, time-wasting, disheartening big company slowness and bureaucracy, needing to defend your honor and your budget constantly, and frequent changes of direction causing embarrassment and rework -- basically, to deal with your allocation of corporate crap.
"Anything north of half a million a year is the hazard pay for the company acting like it owns you, letting you know your time is not your own, and finding seemingly laser-targeted ways to torture you."
It probably sounds like the work of a bitter, disillusioned person, but Azzarello doesn't seem to be: she comes across generally as an upbeat realist. She breaks her strategy down into "do better -- have more impact," "look better -- be visible, but not annoying," and "connect better -- get support." She realized she had to focus on the second and third things in her career when she failed to get a bonus one year and her boss said, "I tried, but nobody knows who you are." She set out to make sure that didn't happen again.
She starts out the "do better" section by telling you to do less. Identify a big win, set your "ruthless priorities" for the year, and then only work on the things that support those priorities. Refreshing change from the books that tell us that we can do a bazillion things if only we adopt their organizational system; Azzarello understands there are only so many hours in a day.
She also points out that everyone has some aspects of their job that they hate and are bad at, and others that they like and are good at; you don't just get a dream job, you have to sculpt it by figuring out how to adjust your job description. In the chapter "The Agony and the Paycheck," she tells the story of two project managers who changed their jobs to suit different strengths: one liked analysis and process but hated arguing with people, and moved into a broader role to support other project managers by improving processes. The other liked interacting with people but was disorganized, and he moved into politically challenging projects and made sure he had people who were good with logistics on his team. This is not the approach you find in most career books; most of them talk about finding a career that fits you, not molding one.
In the chapter "They Shoot Workhorses, Don't They?" she says not to work too hard: you need to work at the right level if you want to get ahead. And if you are doing all the work yourself and not building a system or delegating, then you have identified yourself as someone who does work at the individual contributor level, not as a manager. Again, advice that you don't find in most career-related books, which just say to work hard and make your boss look good, and you will be rewarded.
I was less interested in the "personal branding" stuff. But I liked the guidance about being visible to your boss and your boss's peers, and about finding mentors ("You Need to Kiss a Lot of Frogs" was one section heading). She also has some good stuff to say in the "Experience Paradox" chapter (how do you get promoted if you need experience, but you need the promotion to get the experience?) about practicing for the job the next level up before you get it, and even using others' experience as if it were your own, for job interviews -- she even tells you exactly what to say:
"I was just talking to a CEO who had a similar situation a few weeks ago. It was fascinating, because at first he saw this as one issue, but then he realized there were two: first, a clear external issue to be solved, and second, overcoming significant internal resistance to doing this.
"It's my sense that the situation would be the same in your case because [...]. He did [the following three things] to solve the eternal issue as quickly as possible, knowing it would require further follow-up to make it stick. At the same time, he invested significant energy in an internal communication program for everyone and a specific training program for the sales and support organization.
"He also made sure that marketing did a consistent internal and external launch. It worked pretty well, but [the one big gotcha was...]. But he was able to solve that after the fact by renegotiating with the key partners.
"If I were in that situation, I would do exactly the same thing, but I would bring in the partners up front."
Of course, in order to pull this off, you have to have heard these stories from people working above your level, which is why this occurs after the chapters about networking and getting mentors.
Overall, I thought this was an excellent book. I'm not sure how much of it will be relevant to me, since I don't envision myself as a corporate ladder-climber, but I think a lot of the advice is generalizable.
"Here's how it goes: from my own experience and discussing this with others, basically, you get paid the first $250,000 annually for your brains and your results.
"The second $250,000, you get paid for frustrating, time-wasting, disheartening big company slowness and bureaucracy, needing to defend your honor and your budget constantly, and frequent changes of direction causing embarrassment and rework -- basically, to deal with your allocation of corporate crap.
"Anything north of half a million a year is the hazard pay for the company acting like it owns you, letting you know your time is not your own, and finding seemingly laser-targeted ways to torture you."
It probably sounds like the work of a bitter, disillusioned person, but Azzarello doesn't seem to be: she comes across generally as an upbeat realist. She breaks her strategy down into "do better -- have more impact," "look better -- be visible, but not annoying," and "connect better -- get support." She realized she had to focus on the second and third things in her career when she failed to get a bonus one year and her boss said, "I tried, but nobody knows who you are." She set out to make sure that didn't happen again.
She starts out the "do better" section by telling you to do less. Identify a big win, set your "ruthless priorities" for the year, and then only work on the things that support those priorities. Refreshing change from the books that tell us that we can do a bazillion things if only we adopt their organizational system; Azzarello understands there are only so many hours in a day.
She also points out that everyone has some aspects of their job that they hate and are bad at, and others that they like and are good at; you don't just get a dream job, you have to sculpt it by figuring out how to adjust your job description. In the chapter "The Agony and the Paycheck," she tells the story of two project managers who changed their jobs to suit different strengths: one liked analysis and process but hated arguing with people, and moved into a broader role to support other project managers by improving processes. The other liked interacting with people but was disorganized, and he moved into politically challenging projects and made sure he had people who were good with logistics on his team. This is not the approach you find in most career books; most of them talk about finding a career that fits you, not molding one.
In the chapter "They Shoot Workhorses, Don't They?" she says not to work too hard: you need to work at the right level if you want to get ahead. And if you are doing all the work yourself and not building a system or delegating, then you have identified yourself as someone who does work at the individual contributor level, not as a manager. Again, advice that you don't find in most career-related books, which just say to work hard and make your boss look good, and you will be rewarded.
I was less interested in the "personal branding" stuff. But I liked the guidance about being visible to your boss and your boss's peers, and about finding mentors ("You Need to Kiss a Lot of Frogs" was one section heading). She also has some good stuff to say in the "Experience Paradox" chapter (how do you get promoted if you need experience, but you need the promotion to get the experience?) about practicing for the job the next level up before you get it, and even using others' experience as if it were your own, for job interviews -- she even tells you exactly what to say:
"I was just talking to a CEO who had a similar situation a few weeks ago. It was fascinating, because at first he saw this as one issue, but then he realized there were two: first, a clear external issue to be solved, and second, overcoming significant internal resistance to doing this.
"It's my sense that the situation would be the same in your case because [...]. He did [the following three things] to solve the eternal issue as quickly as possible, knowing it would require further follow-up to make it stick. At the same time, he invested significant energy in an internal communication program for everyone and a specific training program for the sales and support organization.
"He also made sure that marketing did a consistent internal and external launch. It worked pretty well, but [the one big gotcha was...]. But he was able to solve that after the fact by renegotiating with the key partners.
"If I were in that situation, I would do exactly the same thing, but I would bring in the partners up front."
Of course, in order to pull this off, you have to have heard these stories from people working above your level, which is why this occurs after the chapters about networking and getting mentors.
Overall, I thought this was an excellent book. I'm not sure how much of it will be relevant to me, since I don't envision myself as a corporate ladder-climber, but I think a lot of the advice is generalizable.
December 15, 2016
This book is fantastic. While the premise is to advance your career and the title sounds completely self-serving, the bulk of it is actually advice about how to be a really good leader that’s focussed on what the business needs. It turns out that understanding what's important to the business you work in and being focussed on boosting its success (rather than on your own predilections) is what earns people respect in a business, both from their reports and superiors. Surprise! So, much of the book is about techniques for ensuring you and your team are focussed on the right goals and the right tasks, while the balance of the book is on how to get your leadership recognised and translated into promotion.
Patty has a very easy reading style and it's packed full of actual examples from her career (both wins and stuff-ups), so you know she's passing on hard-won wisdom and not just making it up. It's one of those great books that summarises itself with plenty of inter-chpater headings and end-of-chapter summaries, and it's full of practical advice of different things to try and exercises to sit down and complete to understand your own strengths, abilities and blind spots, and what to do about them.
I highly recommend this book for pretty much anyone who works in a business with more than one other person.
Patty has a very easy reading style and it's packed full of actual examples from her career (both wins and stuff-ups), so you know she's passing on hard-won wisdom and not just making it up. It's one of those great books that summarises itself with plenty of inter-chpater headings and end-of-chapter summaries, and it's full of practical advice of different things to try and exercises to sit down and complete to understand your own strengths, abilities and blind spots, and what to do about them.
I highly recommend this book for pretty much anyone who works in a business with more than one other person.
February 8, 2022
新年新鸡汤，很好！It's not bad for an unabashedly ladder climbing book. Very honest. The parts about how not to spend time on tasks and setting a 20-year-into-the-future life goal were the most helpful. Her background in marketing informs a lot of the claims/approaches, but I feel a lot of it won't work on people around me - corporate culture with a much more diverse, millennial workforce is very different from that 20 years ago.
January 31, 2022
This is the best career book I have read. It's practical and actionable, and really thought-provoking. My manager recommended this book to me, and I recommend it too :)
The first part felt most relevant and helpful to me, about how to make more time when you are already overwhelmed, how to work the right way AND be less busy.
The first part felt most relevant and helpful to me, about how to make more time when you are already overwhelmed, how to work the right way AND be less busy.
October 2, 2023
A colleague and I used this book to lead a reading club at our global company. We had somewhere around 50 women and men reading it together over 6 weeks. From executives to entry-level positions, everyone loved it. This is a fluff-free book full of direct, no nonsense wisdom - how completely refreshing compared to some other career books out there that could be condensed into a short article. This one is packed. Highly recommend if you want to learn how to bring value to your company in a way that allows you to work smarter, not harder, so you can have a life outside of work.
February 7, 2021
February 2021
It is interesting to see how a person's opinion can change within a year.
Now I agree with many book's points. Here some of them:
* if you have a meeting with some people and don't talk about things which they care about, you are already losing them;
* "They shoot workhorses, don't they"
* Focus on improving your strength, not fixing your weaknesses;
* Keep moving forwards;
* Do what you love for free. Work for money. Do the job in such a way, so that you feel less tortured
---
February 2020
This was an interesting book from an intriguing viewpoint. Considering I'm far from such a level yet, I don't agree with some of the book's points (like it is okay to fail your job if you bring more value to business instead). Maybe my opinion will change in the future, but anyway, the book was really useful and helped me understand some things about top-management.
It is interesting to see how a person's opinion can change within a year.
Now I agree with many book's points. Here some of them:
* if you have a meeting with some people and don't talk about things which they care about, you are already losing them;
* "They shoot workhorses, don't they"
* Focus on improving your strength, not fixing your weaknesses;
* Keep moving forwards;
* Do what you love for free. Work for money. Do the job in such a way, so that you feel less tortured
---
February 2020
This was an interesting book from an intriguing viewpoint. Considering I'm far from such a level yet, I don't agree with some of the book's points (like it is okay to fail your job if you bring more value to business instead). Maybe my opinion will change in the future, but anyway, the book was really useful and helped me understand some things about top-management.
February 18, 2023
One of the best management books that combines things I read in other books (most notably "Executive Presence") but puts them in a punchy package and delivers fully on the subtitle about career, leadership and work/life.
I had to pace myself reading this because every chapter had half a dozen actionable insights which I wanted to digest.
The book is honest and charts a clear path how to figure out what you want to achieve and about the amount of real work and effort there is ahead of you if you want to go for the top job. Doing that work is up to you but it'll be hard to find a more clear eyed guide than this.
I had to pace myself reading this because every chapter had half a dozen actionable insights which I wanted to digest.
The book is honest and charts a clear path how to figure out what you want to achieve and about the amount of real work and effort there is ahead of you if you want to go for the top job. Doing that work is up to you but it'll be hard to find a more clear eyed guide than this.
December 20, 2016
Terrific career advice, probably most useful for people close to executive level positions or senior management, but there's plenty for people earlier in their career aspiring for more responsibility too. This is one of those books that resonated so much with me that I bought a hard copy after finishing reading the digital version.
January 20, 2013
One of the most directly applicable career books I've read in a long time. Best for those in mid-level career stages looking to elevate to the executive level.
December 24, 2016
Simple read. Writing style was really practical and to the point
May 17, 2019
I wish I read this book before I worked at Google. The books is full l, and I mean, full of good advice and strategies. A must read.
June 12, 2022
Great the book taught me not to work hard!
September 8, 2021
The most pragmatic career book I have read so far. I love how Patty Azzarello is refreshingly honest about what it takes to climb up: you need to be capable, to be credible, and to be connected to the right people.
Some lessons I loved from this book:
1. The higher you climb up the ladder, the less you’re expected to do the actual work (as she put it, become a workhorse). Rather, you need to work at a higher level and match your objectives to the company’s.
2. The nuances of company networks and politics. She tells it like it is: if politics can’t be avoided, what are the ways you can use it in a positive way?
3. There are a LOT of ugly and exhausting of being an executive, so you need to know if you actually want to be one, or if you just want executive pay.
All in all, I can’t sing enough praises about this book. She did a great job of managing people’s expectations about what corporate life is really about. I would recommend it for other people who are looking to become executives in the future.
Some lessons I loved from this book:
1. The higher you climb up the ladder, the less you’re expected to do the actual work (as she put it, become a workhorse). Rather, you need to work at a higher level and match your objectives to the company’s.
2. The nuances of company networks and politics. She tells it like it is: if politics can’t be avoided, what are the ways you can use it in a positive way?
3. There are a LOT of ugly and exhausting of being an executive, so you need to know if you actually want to be one, or if you just want executive pay.
All in all, I can’t sing enough praises about this book. She did a great job of managing people’s expectations about what corporate life is really about. I would recommend it for other people who are looking to become executives in the future.
July 11, 2021
کتاب در رابطه با این موضوع است که چطور میتوان پلههای ترقی را در سازمان طی کرد و تبدیل به مدیر و رهبر تیم شد. ایده اصلی کتاب بر سه عنصر استوار است:
۱. بهتر انجام دهید
۲. بهتر دیده شوید
۳. بهتر ارتباط برقرار کنید
نویسنده ادعا میکند که اکثر متخصصان فقط روی مورد اول زمان میگذارند و سعی میکنند با سختکوشی و بهتر انجام دادن کارها ترقی کنند. اما برای رسیدن به موفقیت و رشد هر سه عامل باید در کنار یکدیگر قرار بگیرد. اگر شما سختکوش باشید اما دیده نشوید، کسی به کاری که کردید اهمیتی نمیدهد. همچنین برای این که رشد کنید باید شبکهای از افراد بدردبخور ایجاد کنید و با آنها ارتباط داشته باشید. این افراد فرصتهای بینظری در مسیر رشد برایتان به ارمغان میآورند.
ایده کتاب جالب است و من هم کاملا با آن موافقم. اما متن کتاب بعد از مدتی خستهکننده میشد و دلیل ۲ ستاره دادنم هم همین است.
May 2, 2021
A candid, clear, and practical guide for building your career. The book is organized into three sections, Do Better, Look Better, and Connect Better - but I found myself classifying the content into three different phases of a career: when you start out as an individual contributor, when you become a manager, and when you become a leader/executive.
A lot of the advice isn’t groundbreaking, but the fact that it’s all in one place, organized clearly and expressed succinctly, makes the book an excellent reference. The content on starting out in your career especially covers a lot of topics that people end up having to figure out/muddle through on their own. This includes topics like making sense of the workplace, sorting through competing demands so you can distinguish yourself, redefining your job to match your core strengths, and much more. I wish I’d read this before starting out in my career!
This book also shines at explaining how your job responsibilities change as you become more senior. I also like how the author gives concrete roadmaps, such as how you should find mentors and build and maintain a professional network.
There’s one chapter on dressing the part that I thought did not live up to the bar set by the rest of the book. But overall, I found this an insightful and concise read, with some really useful strategies for how to build your career.
A lot of the advice isn’t groundbreaking, but the fact that it’s all in one place, organized clearly and expressed succinctly, makes the book an excellent reference. The content on starting out in your career especially covers a lot of topics that people end up having to figure out/muddle through on their own. This includes topics like making sense of the workplace, sorting through competing demands so you can distinguish yourself, redefining your job to match your core strengths, and much more. I wish I’d read this before starting out in my career!
This book also shines at explaining how your job responsibilities change as you become more senior. I also like how the author gives concrete roadmaps, such as how you should find mentors and build and maintain a professional network.
There’s one chapter on dressing the part that I thought did not live up to the bar set by the rest of the book. But overall, I found this an insightful and concise read, with some really useful strategies for how to build your career.
September 21, 2023
For someone who doesn't read a ton of career-focused books, I liked this. I highlighted many passages that I think will be helpful for me in my current career. With that being said, this book was super dry and a little too girl boss-y for me. The author seems to come from a priveleged place in a lot of her examples that I just could not relate to. Overall, excited to discuss this with my work book club!
December 3, 2020
"Who needs a mentor when you can read this book?" -- a back cover quote that sums it up for me, too. (Kidding. You should still get a mentor.)
I didn't find the title very compelling and almost didn't read it for that reason. I already like my life. I'm pretty happy with how I've advanced my career so far. But I just fell in love with the straightforward, snappy writing and great, practical ideas. I have so many passages underlined and will be referring back to this book throughout my career, I'm sure.
I didn't find the title very compelling and almost didn't read it for that reason. I already like my life. I'm pretty happy with how I've advanced my career so far. But I just fell in love with the straightforward, snappy writing and great, practical ideas. I have so many passages underlined and will be referring back to this book throughout my career, I'm sure.
December 13, 2022
Practical and effective, found myself agreeing with most of this, and it provided food for thought on topics I hadn't considered deeply. Would definitely recommend for folks considering progression in their management/leadership careers. Even partial adoption of the approaches noted here would be leverage. Great online resources referenced as well.
January 2, 2025
Good career advice
Has a couple of really insightful ideas that opened my eyes and helped me discover growth opportunities. I hope to put several of these into practice in coming months.
On the other hand, the book had a lot of filler material that could have been cut and made the book shorter.
Has a couple of really insightful ideas that opened my eyes and helped me discover growth opportunities. I hope to put several of these into practice in coming months.
On the other hand, the book had a lot of filler material that could have been cut and made the book shorter.
May 14, 2022
The book has a plan laid out for you that is actionable. It tells you that if you want to be an executive, you need to start thinking like an executive. The book tells you exactly how to do it.
December 26, 2023
I’ll definitely go back to this one as I move through my career!
December 20, 2020
This is a really great business book - concrete actions for advancing your career, a very honest and realistic look at what it takes to be an executive and a leader at any level.
November 9, 2021
It was solid, a good look at one woman’s rise from lowly rep to CEO and her lessons along the way. It has helped me realize a number of critical lessons. I’d recommend this book!
September 8, 2014
Yikes! I can't believe I read a book about corporate ladder climbing, and even more so, I can't believe I actually liked it! But I did. And mostly because it's not so much about corporate ladder climbing per se, and much more about getting your act together, becoming more professional, and how to make your way alongside co-workers, bosses, customers (patients) etc. This book focuses on looking the part, connecting well with others, and being more valuable to the team. All of which has broad applications whatever your field. I'm not interested in the corporate life, me, personally. But this book was still well worth reading. The one key point that clicked with me, was the fact that hard work rarely pays off. Which is something I've learned through experience. Hard work is often unnoticed, and exploited. Instead, bosses and customers, and coworkers for that matter, really need you to add value to the organization. And sometimes that involves not working hard at all. Interesting, and true!
July 21, 2012
This book is great! It is a comprehensive guide to restructuring your work to get ahead while still being true to your strengths.
September 4, 2012
This book shows you everything about corporate America, distilled in 288 pages. If there was one book about being happy and staying sane working in the Fortune 1000, I would read this one.
July 20, 2024
In "Rise," Patty Azzarello presents a straightforward guide to career advancement, emphasizing that while the path may be simple, it necessitates dedication and hard work.
The book is divided into four parts:
Part 1: Do Better - Have More Impact - highlights the importance of strategic prioritization and time management. Azzarello introduces the concept of "Ruthless Priorities," advising readers to focus on high-impact tasks and delegate or eliminate less critical ones. She provides practical steps for identifying these priorities, gaining buy-in from bosses, and effectively communicating them to the team.
For me, the most actionable steps from this section came in the "Ruthless Priorities" Chapter. She outlined 10 steps to determine the top 1 to 3 areas to focus on:
1. Identify what matters most to the business.
2. Choose your ruthless priorities - 1-3 initiatives that support the business - the 1-3 “Can’t Fails”
3. Focus on what you are doing, not on what you are NOT doing - Only communicate about what you are doing
4. Ratify your Ruthless Priorities with your Boss - Accept your boss's opinion and update priorities
5. Assign less than 100 percent of your time
6. Resist or negotiate away pressures that put priorities at risk
7. Overcommunicate - Rule of 21 - communicate priorities until you are sick of hearing it
8. Create a new social norm - sharing daily/weekly progress & feedback so team members see other team members working on the priority.
9. Get them done. Finish things!
10. Recognize and celebrate!
Part 2: Look Better - Be Visible, but Not Annoying - delves into the importance of executive presence and personal branding. Azzarello offers guidance on cultivating credibility, relevance, and a strong personal brand through consistent behavior, effective communication, and strategic networking. She also provides tips on enhancing professional appearance and making a positive impression.
Here, I found the stakeholder communication plan to help the most. Specifically, spending 2 hours per month to write down the following:
- Stakeholders / Influencers
- What is relevant to them
- Your Desired Outcome
- Form and Frequency (ex. 1:1 meeting, email, ping, presentations, newsletters)
Part 3: Connect Better - Get Support - emphasizes the significance of building a strong support network. Azzarello advises seeking guidance from mentors and building an "extra team" of colleagues who can provide assistance and support. She offers practical advice on finding mentors, establishing mentoring relationships, and fostering authentic networking connections.
Part 4: GO! Make Your Work and Your Life Work - addresses the challenges of balancing work and personal life while pursuing career goals. Azzarello advocates for purposeful trade-offs and a focus on mutual reinforcement rather than competition between the two spheres. She also provides insights into the realities of executive-level positions, including the challenges, rewards, and necessary mindset.
Throughout the book, Azzarello emphasizes the importance of taking action, learning from experiences, and continuously seeking growth opportunities. She provides practical advice and actionable steps that readers can implement to advance their careers and achieve their goals.
The book is divided into four parts:
Part 1: Do Better - Have More Impact - highlights the importance of strategic prioritization and time management. Azzarello introduces the concept of "Ruthless Priorities," advising readers to focus on high-impact tasks and delegate or eliminate less critical ones. She provides practical steps for identifying these priorities, gaining buy-in from bosses, and effectively communicating them to the team.
For me, the most actionable steps from this section came in the "Ruthless Priorities" Chapter. She outlined 10 steps to determine the top 1 to 3 areas to focus on:
1. Identify what matters most to the business.
2. Choose your ruthless priorities - 1-3 initiatives that support the business - the 1-3 “Can’t Fails”
3. Focus on what you are doing, not on what you are NOT doing - Only communicate about what you are doing
4. Ratify your Ruthless Priorities with your Boss - Accept your boss's opinion and update priorities
5. Assign less than 100 percent of your time
6. Resist or negotiate away pressures that put priorities at risk
7. Overcommunicate - Rule of 21 - communicate priorities until you are sick of hearing it
8. Create a new social norm - sharing daily/weekly progress & feedback so team members see other team members working on the priority.
9. Get them done. Finish things!
10. Recognize and celebrate!
Part 2: Look Better - Be Visible, but Not Annoying - delves into the importance of executive presence and personal branding. Azzarello offers guidance on cultivating credibility, relevance, and a strong personal brand through consistent behavior, effective communication, and strategic networking. She also provides tips on enhancing professional appearance and making a positive impression.
Here, I found the stakeholder communication plan to help the most. Specifically, spending 2 hours per month to write down the following:
- Stakeholders / Influencers
- What is relevant to them
- Your Desired Outcome
- Form and Frequency (ex. 1:1 meeting, email, ping, presentations, newsletters)
Part 3: Connect Better - Get Support - emphasizes the significance of building a strong support network. Azzarello advises seeking guidance from mentors and building an "extra team" of colleagues who can provide assistance and support. She offers practical advice on finding mentors, establishing mentoring relationships, and fostering authentic networking connections.
Part 4: GO! Make Your Work and Your Life Work - addresses the challenges of balancing work and personal life while pursuing career goals. Azzarello advocates for purposeful trade-offs and a focus on mutual reinforcement rather than competition between the two spheres. She also provides insights into the realities of executive-level positions, including the challenges, rewards, and necessary mindset.
Throughout the book, Azzarello emphasizes the importance of taking action, learning from experiences, and continuously seeking growth opportunities. She provides practical advice and actionable steps that readers can implement to advance their careers and achieve their goals.
May 25, 2021
It's an alright book, divided into three parts: "DO better. LOOK better. CONNECT better."
It definitely feels like the "DO better" part was the original piece, and then the author realized it was too short to fill a book. The book starts very strongly, offering great advice on how to "DO" stuff at the right level.
Then, it just nose-dives in the "LOOK" better part. Some good points are there, but overall this part advises you to be manipulative and fake. Much of the advice feels out of touch for the target audience (e.g. spend $50+ on your haircut; hire a communicator if you suck at presentations). There are two typos, which to me shows the book didn't spend enough time in the editing process.
The book tries to... rise... back up in the "CONNECT" part, but by that point the "LOOK" part made me form a strong opinion on the author being judgmental and fake, so that the advice to connect better with people is felt through this lens of manipulation.
4/10. Needs serious editing.
It definitely feels like the "DO better" part was the original piece, and then the author realized it was too short to fill a book. The book starts very strongly, offering great advice on how to "DO" stuff at the right level.
Then, it just nose-dives in the "LOOK" better part. Some good points are there, but overall this part advises you to be manipulative and fake. Much of the advice feels out of touch for the target audience (e.g. spend $50+ on your haircut; hire a communicator if you suck at presentations). There are two typos, which to me shows the book didn't spend enough time in the editing process.
The book tries to... rise... back up in the "CONNECT" part, but by that point the "LOOK" part made me form a strong opinion on the author being judgmental and fake, so that the advice to connect better with people is felt through this lens of manipulation.
4/10. Needs serious editing.
March 21, 2018
One of the better books I've read on how to manage your career
Read Rise: 3 Practical Steps for Advancing Your Career, Standing Out as a Leader, and Liking Your Life for a book group. I'm very glad someone in our group had the foresight to choose this book. It is very well written and delivered on the elements outlined in the subtitle. It was hard to read the sections that highlighted mistakes I've made in my career, but certainly put them in perspective and provided a better way forward to avoid them in the future. I have already recommended this book to several other people, which I realize is not something I usually do with business books. Many other career guides have such general, non specific information, that is never clear who might be interested or benefit from them. This book stands in stark contrast, as all the major lessons and the guidance outlined is definitely applicable to anyone who wants a successful career.
Read Rise: 3 Practical Steps for Advancing Your Career, Standing Out as a Leader, and Liking Your Life for a book group. I'm very glad someone in our group had the foresight to choose this book. It is very well written and delivered on the elements outlined in the subtitle. It was hard to read the sections that highlighted mistakes I've made in my career, but certainly put them in perspective and provided a better way forward to avoid them in the future. I have already recommended this book to several other people, which I realize is not something I usually do with business books. Many other career guides have such general, non specific information, that is never clear who might be interested or benefit from them. This book stands in stark contrast, as all the major lessons and the guidance outlined is definitely applicable to anyone who wants a successful career.
January 18, 2021
A Terrific Read. 5 stars.
Along-with few other books (Making of a Manager, the Hard Thing about Hard Things), RISE is a great read on how to manage your career. You get lots of practical advice and it forces you to think about important things you could have ignored till now. Few of her advices which I found extremely useful:
• Negotiate your job description & get areas added where you are strong
• How to delegate effectively and still keep ownership of the outcome
• Effective ways to build credibility and your Personal Brand
• How to create visibility for yourself
• Building connections – mentors, networking, asking for support
Till I read this book, I never realized the importance of having mentors & keeping connections with one’s network – great advice. As I moved from a role of managing a small team to managing a larger team, I am fortunate to have come across this book which had many useful advices on self & team management. In fact, this book has been so useful & that I will definitely re-read it sometime in next couple of years. A terrific read. 5 stars.
Along-with few other books (Making of a Manager, the Hard Thing about Hard Things), RISE is a great read on how to manage your career. You get lots of practical advice and it forces you to think about important things you could have ignored till now. Few of her advices which I found extremely useful:
• Negotiate your job description & get areas added where you are strong
• How to delegate effectively and still keep ownership of the outcome
• Effective ways to build credibility and your Personal Brand
• How to create visibility for yourself
• Building connections – mentors, networking, asking for support
Till I read this book, I never realized the importance of having mentors & keeping connections with one’s network – great advice. As I moved from a role of managing a small team to managing a larger team, I am fortunate to have come across this book which had many useful advices on self & team management. In fact, this book has been so useful & that I will definitely re-read it sometime in next couple of years. A terrific read. 5 stars.
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