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The 10 Habits of Highly Successful Women
The 10 Habits of Highly Successful Women is a collection of essays revealing the secret career habits and hard-won wisdom of a diverse group of accomplished women, selected by Rachel Sklar and Glynnis MacNicol, co-founders of TheLi.st, the well-known network dedicated to elevating professional women.
Perhaps no group has experienced more upheaval in the last few decades than working women. In this series, each woman explores the one key habit or lesson that has made the difference in forging her career and attaining professional success. Whether it’s CNN personality Sally Kohn’s exploration of emotional correctness or What Not To Wear's Stacy London on the wear and tear of our aspirational “Culture of Extraordinary”; why millennial Nisha Chittal won't tell you her age and what Cindy Gallop learned about sex while dating men half hers; how lessons from waitressing led Jenna Wortham to The New York Times or how Paula Froelich perfected the art of the “controlled burn” to start over after the end of a dream career—these essays uncover the challenges and delights of chasing, and finding, success in work and life as a professional woman.This book was initially released in episodes as a Kindle Serial. All episodes are now available for immediate download as a complete book.
Perhaps no group has experienced more upheaval in the last few decades than working women. In this series, each woman explores the one key habit or lesson that has made the difference in forging her career and attaining professional success. Whether it’s CNN personality Sally Kohn’s exploration of emotional correctness or What Not To Wear's Stacy London on the wear and tear of our aspirational “Culture of Extraordinary”; why millennial Nisha Chittal won't tell you her age and what Cindy Gallop learned about sex while dating men half hers; how lessons from waitressing led Jenna Wortham to The New York Times or how Paula Froelich perfected the art of the “controlled burn” to start over after the end of a dream career—these essays uncover the challenges and delights of chasing, and finding, success in work and life as a professional woman.This book was initially released in episodes as a Kindle Serial. All episodes are now available for immediate download as a complete book.
223 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 28, 2014
750 people are currently reading
942 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
January 16, 2020
The title is misleading. It's not exactly about habits but more about general approach and experiences. The essays are interesting and some spoke directly to me, while others were just ok.
First it seemed to be too much about women in specific positions but it got better and in the end I do have the feeling I learned some things or was reminded of how to approach things.
I loved Stacey London on how social media changed everything and the pressure to do it all and get it done. She's also the only one I've heard of before.
Sally Kohn reminds that likeability is key. Be someone poeple want to be around and like to interact with, make others feel good about you and themselves.
Nisha Chittal has an unusual way of approaching millennial problems, the generation that - stereotypically - doesn't grow up and constantly is judged by their age. And I can totally relate to that, I've always been too young for this or too old for that.
Plus she reminds us of how it's always better to seek opportunities and say yes to invitations rather than stay at home and netflix. To fake confidence until you become it.
And I loved how she made clear that it's not about meeting someone who can do something for you but about the possibility to make new friends and connections. And she's so very precise.
I really enjoyed how one probably learned more from her waiting job than from Uni. Two of the essays remind us that we have to be willing to be lucky and that it's never too late to change everything. And one reminds us how it's important to invest in yourself, to take help from friends and help yourself when needed. I related to the critical inner voice sounding like the biggest influence - mother dearest and loved the instruction to not think about how you got yourself in some unpleasant situation but to focus on how to get out of it.
All in all it's well worth a read.
First it seemed to be too much about women in specific positions but it got better and in the end I do have the feeling I learned some things or was reminded of how to approach things.
I loved Stacey London on how social media changed everything and the pressure to do it all and get it done. She's also the only one I've heard of before.
Sally Kohn reminds that likeability is key. Be someone poeple want to be around and like to interact with, make others feel good about you and themselves.
Nisha Chittal has an unusual way of approaching millennial problems, the generation that - stereotypically - doesn't grow up and constantly is judged by their age. And I can totally relate to that, I've always been too young for this or too old for that.
Plus she reminds us of how it's always better to seek opportunities and say yes to invitations rather than stay at home and netflix. To fake confidence until you become it.
And I loved how she made clear that it's not about meeting someone who can do something for you but about the possibility to make new friends and connections. And she's so very precise.
I really enjoyed how one probably learned more from her waiting job than from Uni. Two of the essays remind us that we have to be willing to be lucky and that it's never too late to change everything. And one reminds us how it's important to invest in yourself, to take help from friends and help yourself when needed. I related to the critical inner voice sounding like the biggest influence - mother dearest and loved the instruction to not think about how you got yourself in some unpleasant situation but to focus on how to get out of it.
All in all it's well worth a read.
Read
March 8, 2015Can I admit a few uncomfortable things? First, I don't remember downloading this at all. I was looking at the Kindle app on my phone and my first thought on seeing the book artwork was, "What is that?" Followed by, "How that that get there?" I'm still not sure I have a good answer for that last question.
Although I assumed the book would deliver on the title, by sharing 10 habits, I saw quickly it was a collection of essays (from 10 different writers), many of which did not have titles that reflected success habits at all. The curators of this essay collection run The Li.st, and authored essays #7 and #8.
I usually read even essay collections in order, so I started at the beginning. The first two essays were such snoozers, and #2 in particular felt so out of touch with reality, that I almost gave up on it.
Several days later, I decided to flip through the list of contributors and saw Stacy London's name. In my mid-20's I was pretty into both the UK and the U.S. versions of the TV show What Not to Wear, and I remember being fond of Stacy's style and persona. So I flipped to essay #9 and dove in, and I'm not kidding when I say it was excellent. So, so excellent. It's all about the shift from TV to online (and in particular social) media. As I simmer privately and obsess somewhat publicly about social media's influence on culture, I highlighted a lot of her essay. She thinks about these issues so thoroughly and clearly. I like her writing style.
Based on this momentum, I tackled #10, written by Cindy Gallop. Amazing! On a topic I've sort of talked with my pals about before (talking about sex with your kids, normalizing sexuality, etc.). Also well written and well considered.
Having picked up steam, I read #3-8, in order. I appreciated #3, written by Jenna Worthman, because it touches on a great way to get from college to work you love -- be present, put yourself out there, get jobs that pay well so you can build on your passions in your other time, work so very hard, and help others. A lot of great life lessons are crammed into one essay, all of it relatable, none of it preachy. Next time a late 20-something asks me for a mentoring session, to figure out how they can realize their dreams when they're stuck in a dead-end job, I might have them buy this book just to read that chapter.
A couple of essays were similar -- getting on a rocket ship and realizing you didn't really want to be on that ride, and then detailing the process of saying no to the rocket. #6, by Leslie Bradshaw, almost goes into territory where her problems take place in such rarified air that one could feel a creeping sense of schadenfreude. But I still found a little value in her story, I suppose. I could have skipped the two essays by the curators.
This might be important for others, but here are a couple of observations:
1. Every author seems to be in media of some kind. There are no other industries represented here.
2. There are no rags to riches stories. Just riches. There are also very few mentions of children, spouses, and families. It's a work-focused book.
3. Several of the authors came across as though they were in full-on resume, name dropping mode. Two essays were so full of tech jargon that I found them irritating. I haven't fully thought through how they can establish who they are and tell the story effectively without all the fluff, but I certain it can be done. (Editor, anyone?)
4. As I said before, I don't think there are 10 habits included, though I think plenty of lessons in essays #3-5, and #9-10.
Although I assumed the book would deliver on the title, by sharing 10 habits, I saw quickly it was a collection of essays (from 10 different writers), many of which did not have titles that reflected success habits at all. The curators of this essay collection run The Li.st, and authored essays #7 and #8.
I usually read even essay collections in order, so I started at the beginning. The first two essays were such snoozers, and #2 in particular felt so out of touch with reality, that I almost gave up on it.
Several days later, I decided to flip through the list of contributors and saw Stacy London's name. In my mid-20's I was pretty into both the UK and the U.S. versions of the TV show What Not to Wear, and I remember being fond of Stacy's style and persona. So I flipped to essay #9 and dove in, and I'm not kidding when I say it was excellent. So, so excellent. It's all about the shift from TV to online (and in particular social) media. As I simmer privately and obsess somewhat publicly about social media's influence on culture, I highlighted a lot of her essay. She thinks about these issues so thoroughly and clearly. I like her writing style.
Based on this momentum, I tackled #10, written by Cindy Gallop. Amazing! On a topic I've sort of talked with my pals about before (talking about sex with your kids, normalizing sexuality, etc.). Also well written and well considered.
Having picked up steam, I read #3-8, in order. I appreciated #3, written by Jenna Worthman, because it touches on a great way to get from college to work you love -- be present, put yourself out there, get jobs that pay well so you can build on your passions in your other time, work so very hard, and help others. A lot of great life lessons are crammed into one essay, all of it relatable, none of it preachy. Next time a late 20-something asks me for a mentoring session, to figure out how they can realize their dreams when they're stuck in a dead-end job, I might have them buy this book just to read that chapter.
A couple of essays were similar -- getting on a rocket ship and realizing you didn't really want to be on that ride, and then detailing the process of saying no to the rocket. #6, by Leslie Bradshaw, almost goes into territory where her problems take place in such rarified air that one could feel a creeping sense of schadenfreude. But I still found a little value in her story, I suppose. I could have skipped the two essays by the curators.
This might be important for others, but here are a couple of observations:
1. Every author seems to be in media of some kind. There are no other industries represented here.
2. There are no rags to riches stories. Just riches. There are also very few mentions of children, spouses, and families. It's a work-focused book.
3. Several of the authors came across as though they were in full-on resume, name dropping mode. Two essays were so full of tech jargon that I found them irritating. I haven't fully thought through how they can establish who they are and tell the story effectively without all the fluff, but I certain it can be done. (Editor, anyone?)
4. As I said before, I don't think there are 10 habits included, though I think plenty of lessons in essays #3-5, and #9-10.
April 13, 2017
*This is a short version of my review for this book. The complete review can be viewed at : http://www.bigbooksbighair.blogspot.com *
I have read countless books on the topics of leadership and success. Most of the books cited the success of males, and barely covered the achievements of women. I also found books by women who were successful, but they already had the leg up in the business, i.e., the family had a business and they took over running it. I wanted a book with women from backgrounds that were familiar…I wanted “the struggle is real” sob story and the proof. This search lead to my discovery of The 10 Habits of Highly Successful Women. This book was edited by Glynnis MacNicol and Rachel Sklar, founders of the organization, The Li.st. For those that do not know, The Li.st is a network and visibility platform that connects professional women from all lines of work, assisting them with building partnerships and helping them achieve. MacNicol and Sklar also contribute essays to the text.
The book is compiled of essays (renamed episodes) from 10 women, mainly in the fields of technology and media. The women discuss, which habits helped them achieve their success and what they learned through trial and error.
Two essays I readily connected to: Episode 5: Controlled Burn by Paula Froelich and Episode 10: Changing the World through Business and Sex: The Five Things I learned that could Help You Too, by Cindy Gallop. These two women were so open, uncontrolled and just honest. You could tell they were not simply writing from experience, but also from the heart and more importantly, they were not ashamed to share.
Do not think of this book as another self help text- this is far from it. You either have the drive to be successful or you don’t. The ladies are not going to teach success, they will simply encourage you to aim for it because they did it and so can you. These women range from ages 20- something to 50- something. Some started in one career and then switched…others had to rebuild from the ground up. Either way, the reader will find something in this text to connect with.
Bad parts? Well, two. First, the selected women were from some field in online media. It would have been nice to read of other women in medicine, the legal field, even education. Second, In Episode 8: Go Fund Yourself, by Rachel Sklar, I was put off by a statement in which she acknowledged her own privilege. She writes,
“ It’s good to acknowledge your own privilege and I do. I recognize how lucky I was to grow up in a lovely Toronto suburb in a terrific, supportive family with a decent genetic cocktail, including being white in a neighborhood that was exclusively white and going into a profession- all my professions, actually- where the defaults favored (and still favor) people who are white.”
I did not quite understand where she was trying to go with this statement, after all, there are many ways to interpret it, but I would like to give her the benefit of the doubt and not assume she is implying her privilege made her better than others.
Apart from that, the book is an easy read, coming in at 223 pages. I scored this as a free read through Amazon Prime Reads, but liked it so much I am purchasing the paperback to add to my personal library.
I have read countless books on the topics of leadership and success. Most of the books cited the success of males, and barely covered the achievements of women. I also found books by women who were successful, but they already had the leg up in the business, i.e., the family had a business and they took over running it. I wanted a book with women from backgrounds that were familiar…I wanted “the struggle is real” sob story and the proof. This search lead to my discovery of The 10 Habits of Highly Successful Women. This book was edited by Glynnis MacNicol and Rachel Sklar, founders of the organization, The Li.st. For those that do not know, The Li.st is a network and visibility platform that connects professional women from all lines of work, assisting them with building partnerships and helping them achieve. MacNicol and Sklar also contribute essays to the text.
The book is compiled of essays (renamed episodes) from 10 women, mainly in the fields of technology and media. The women discuss, which habits helped them achieve their success and what they learned through trial and error.
Two essays I readily connected to: Episode 5: Controlled Burn by Paula Froelich and Episode 10: Changing the World through Business and Sex: The Five Things I learned that could Help You Too, by Cindy Gallop. These two women were so open, uncontrolled and just honest. You could tell they were not simply writing from experience, but also from the heart and more importantly, they were not ashamed to share.
Do not think of this book as another self help text- this is far from it. You either have the drive to be successful or you don’t. The ladies are not going to teach success, they will simply encourage you to aim for it because they did it and so can you. These women range from ages 20- something to 50- something. Some started in one career and then switched…others had to rebuild from the ground up. Either way, the reader will find something in this text to connect with.
Bad parts? Well, two. First, the selected women were from some field in online media. It would have been nice to read of other women in medicine, the legal field, even education. Second, In Episode 8: Go Fund Yourself, by Rachel Sklar, I was put off by a statement in which she acknowledged her own privilege. She writes,
“ It’s good to acknowledge your own privilege and I do. I recognize how lucky I was to grow up in a lovely Toronto suburb in a terrific, supportive family with a decent genetic cocktail, including being white in a neighborhood that was exclusively white and going into a profession- all my professions, actually- where the defaults favored (and still favor) people who are white.”
I did not quite understand where she was trying to go with this statement, after all, there are many ways to interpret it, but I would like to give her the benefit of the doubt and not assume she is implying her privilege made her better than others.
Apart from that, the book is an easy read, coming in at 223 pages. I scored this as a free read through Amazon Prime Reads, but liked it so much I am purchasing the paperback to add to my personal library.
August 24, 2015
3.5 stars. Some contributions were much more compelling and helpful than others.
August 3, 2017
I got to about 35% and literally said out loud, "I just can't anymore with this sh**." The advice wasn't bad, per se, and maybe the latter essays were better, but most of the advice isn't anything I haven't heard before, just dressed up as some special white feminist shenanigans that you should listen to just because these women did alright in their respective fields...oh wait, they're all in f**king journalism.
April 9, 2017
Misleading title but generally OK takeaways
The title is a bit misleading because the book is a collection of blog posts/artciles written by successful women. The problem is that there's no theme or narrative that drives the story, and the content is skewed towards women who are in the media and publishing industry, which misses out on a lot of other domains.
What I liked about the book was that it had takeaways that are applicable for both genders around empathy, importance of positive energy, ageism, and the definition of success in a highly materialistic world.
The title is a bit misleading because the book is a collection of blog posts/artciles written by successful women. The problem is that there's no theme or narrative that drives the story, and the content is skewed towards women who are in the media and publishing industry, which misses out on a lot of other domains.
What I liked about the book was that it had takeaways that are applicable for both genders around empathy, importance of positive energy, ageism, and the definition of success in a highly materialistic world.
Read
June 21, 2020Easily relatable, new feminist perspective, quite a bit of ageism that I found less than desirable or necessary as I was really looking for female-related narratives more than young vs. old. Clever, witty, sharp and honest
September 21, 2014
I received a copy through Goodreads FirstReads in exchange for an honest review.
First and foremost, this book (collection of essays written by 10 women) was not at all what I was expecting. The title leads one to believe the book will discuss 10 things successful women have done/do that they believe has contributed to their success. Great! That sounds like something useful to read! However, this notion did not continue past the first few essays. I thought the first few were helpful and shared insights that could benefit me as a young professional woman. Later on, the essays became more about sharing a generalized idea, rather than a concrete "habit". Some of the ideas discussed in these later essays felt familiar, like I had heard it all before. Despite my disappointment in these later chapters, some of the anecdotes were entertaining and enjoyable. Since each chapter is an essay by a different woman, some were more enjoyable than others based on if her writing style was agreeable to me.
In the end, I would recommend this book to young women who hope to work or who do work in the media world as most of the authors seem to work in this industry in some form or fashion. I believe the anecdotes from the authors could give these readers insights into their industry that could possibly be useful. (I do not work in this industry). If you're looking for advice/tips on how to improve yourself as a professional woman, there is probably a better book for you out there.
First and foremost, this book (collection of essays written by 10 women) was not at all what I was expecting. The title leads one to believe the book will discuss 10 things successful women have done/do that they believe has contributed to their success. Great! That sounds like something useful to read! However, this notion did not continue past the first few essays. I thought the first few were helpful and shared insights that could benefit me as a young professional woman. Later on, the essays became more about sharing a generalized idea, rather than a concrete "habit". Some of the ideas discussed in these later essays felt familiar, like I had heard it all before. Despite my disappointment in these later chapters, some of the anecdotes were entertaining and enjoyable. Since each chapter is an essay by a different woman, some were more enjoyable than others based on if her writing style was agreeable to me.
In the end, I would recommend this book to young women who hope to work or who do work in the media world as most of the authors seem to work in this industry in some form or fashion. I believe the anecdotes from the authors could give these readers insights into their industry that could possibly be useful. (I do not work in this industry). If you're looking for advice/tips on how to improve yourself as a professional woman, there is probably a better book for you out there.
June 8, 2016
Ugh, where to begin...
First, this collection of essays did not deliver on the title. There were barely any "habits" mentioned other than the standard "work hard, kid!" and the essays didn't seem cohesive in any way as it relates to the mission of outlining habits.
Secondly, so many spelling and grammar errors. I almost gave up completely on this collection when they misspelled a contributor's NAME. The actual name of a CONTRIBUTOR was misspelled. I'm not sure anyone actually proofread this other than running spell check.
Lastly, most of these were boring! A few were mildly interesting and offered some life tips, but most just read as autobiographies of people whose names I don't even recognize.
Not worth it. Invest elsewhere.
First, this collection of essays did not deliver on the title. There were barely any "habits" mentioned other than the standard "work hard, kid!" and the essays didn't seem cohesive in any way as it relates to the mission of outlining habits.
Secondly, so many spelling and grammar errors. I almost gave up completely on this collection when they misspelled a contributor's NAME. The actual name of a CONTRIBUTOR was misspelled. I'm not sure anyone actually proofread this other than running spell check.
Lastly, most of these were boring! A few were mildly interesting and offered some life tips, but most just read as autobiographies of people whose names I don't even recognize.
Not worth it. Invest elsewhere.
December 29, 2015
Not sure what I expected (I got this book free with kindle unlimited), but it was pretty meh. Didn't deliver on the title and had a fairly narrow definition of success (pretty confined to media). Most of the stories were reasonably interesting but there was nothing tying them together and they were not relevant to me.
March 18, 2014
10 habits
I chose the rating because the narration was extremely boring and unconvincing. all I got out of it was to form good friendships.
I chose the rating because the narration was extremely boring and unconvincing. all I got out of it was to form good friendships.
January 7, 2016
The anecdotes were disjointed and unfocused. Some people didn't even talk about what habits they thought made them successful.
January 17, 2023
I was able to get this audiobook on loan from our work library as "e-learning". So glad I didn't pay for it. While there were great ideas, the title was misleading. I thought it would be more the "this is the habit that benefits and here's how I came across it or how it helped me" type of attitude, it was not. This was set up more in a way that it was short stories about the author's experiences. I thought I picked up something that would help me, not necessarily a glimpse into the past that I'd have to reflect on and draw my own conclusions. While those types of books are great, I wasn't prepared for that when I started this. From one book nerd to another, happy reading.
November 19, 2025
Did not finish/ Will not finish.....Misleading title. 60% read, and I still haven't figured out the 1st habit..... The key takeaway from what i read can be summed up in the below quote from Episode 3 "No one’s ever going to hand you a guidebook to tell you how to navigate your career or your life. Sometimes, you just have to learn how to figure it the hell out yourself. " With that in mind, I am moving on.
March 13, 2017
A mixed bag of advice
This book contains a mixed bag of advice from 10 highly successful women. Four of the chapters were excellent, the last 4. The first six were less so. The chapters by the two authors were fantastic and they should have lead the book. Stacy London's and Cindy Gallop's essays were also excellent.
This book contains a mixed bag of advice from 10 highly successful women. Four of the chapters were excellent, the last 4. The first six were less so. The chapters by the two authors were fantastic and they should have lead the book. Stacy London's and Cindy Gallop's essays were also excellent.
May 21, 2020
I found some of these essays more useful than others - typical in this sort of anthology. I wish I had read this when I was a bit earlier in my career. I think this would be particularly useful to a new graduate or early professional still trying to find her feet. It would be both inspirational but there is also a lot of practical advice scattered throughout the different chapters.
May 27, 2017
The first few chapters start out interesting with some good advice. I was hooked at first. Then it was kind of the same story for each person and some of the chapters were a little odd. The title is misleading. I hate how this is aimed entirely at women. It's great advice for anyone.
May 14, 2020
MANY books out there that are better reading
Not a very memorable read. I feel I just wasted a few hours of my time when there are so many good books out there I've yet to read. Very anticlimactic, no pun intended.
Not a very memorable read. I feel I just wasted a few hours of my time when there are so many good books out there I've yet to read. Very anticlimactic, no pun intended.
October 22, 2020
I really didn't like this book. It felt like boomer advice. "Be likable" "Be entertaining" "Are you sure you want to say no" This is archaic advice, I could barely finish. It definitely wasn't what I was looking for.
March 7, 2025
Most of us have heard of the best-selling book of a similar name, but this engaging and straight forward book focuses on those traits and habits which are most applicable to women. Well worth the read time.
March 20, 2017
Enjoyable but there's no breadth of careers represented. The essayists careers are all tied to the web, either as owners of web-based businesses or writers who publish almost exclusively on the web.
August 29, 2017
I did not find this book very valuable. was preachy in parts. some sections were completely off topic.
November 27, 2017
Wonderful Collection of Advice
Great serial collection sprinkled with lots of wisdom and life experience. I enjoyed the different experiences and advise given by each writer.
Great serial collection sprinkled with lots of wisdom and life experience. I enjoyed the different experiences and advise given by each writer.
November 11, 2019
I was pleasantly surprised by ths book. It's not necessarily focused on specific topics that I have a lot in common with but the women authors who wrote the essays felt very authentic and inspiring in very normal ways. They never settled and strove to better their situations. Also appreciated the essays.
Read
November 15, 2019Listen to this via audibles and it was inspiring and empowering. Highly recommend!
January 6, 2022
Had a hard time getting into it. It could just be me. I just might not be in the mood
February 27, 2025
Outdated but some ok pointers.
August 10, 2025
Only read this because it’s the other title I could find in the library featuring Glynnis MacNicol. The title is misleading but the collection of essays is cool.
February 1, 2017
Mmmm....just ok...The title of this book is a bit misleading...I thought there would be more practical tips, rather than a collection of editorials. While the opinions presented were interesting, overall this book wasn't what I expected.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews