Smart Women Take Risks: Six Steps for Conquering Your Fears and Making the Leap to Success

by Helene Lerner

Take the plunge. Come out ahead. There are certain risks you might feel uncomfortable making—but calculated risks are necessary to propel you to new heights in your professional and personal development. Every time you choose security over something new, you’re missing new opportunities—and the chance to live a happier, more fulfilled life. As CEO of Creative Expansions, Inc., Helene Lerner coaches women on how to actualize their potential, increase their self-esteem, and reach their goals. Now, in Smart Women Take Risks , she shares her powerful 6-step program, revealing how you too can take smart, strategic risks born from careful thought and intuition-and create positive change in your professional and personal life. Lerner helps you change your perception about risk-taking, and shows you how to determine whether a risk is a Best Bet, a Not Now, or a No Go. You won't risk blindly; you'll go in with your eyes wide open and commit to a doable goal that lets you move forward confidently without the overpowering fear of failure. Lerner gives you expert tools that will help

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published March 17, 2006

About the author

Public television host, Emmy Award winning executive producer, and workplace consultant, Helene Lerner has covered a wide array of women’s issues, including relationships, self-esteem, breaking barriers, and work-life balance.

Reviews

[Krystle Henson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and it did give me a lot of good advice with things I struggle with. It is incredibly repetitive. The book is a short book and worth the read.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this book off a display at the library because it caught my eye. I thought it might give me the inspiration or clarity to figure out what I'm doing with my life. I know, I know, that's a tall order for one little book. Anyway, the book is almost exclusively about making career changes, and in my opinion, really high-powered, executive-level career changes. The personal accounts from the various women CEOs,Presidents, CFOs, entrepreneurs and such at the end just reinforced this feeling.

I do think much of the book is commonsense -- think before you leap, but then don't be afraid to leap. Formulate a plan, reach out to others for guidance and support, make sure you've weighed your options carefully, find your passion and then go for it, if the timing is right.

Perhaps I should give the book more credit. The suggested exercises / worksheets / tables could be applicable in other situations too. Perhaps I'm being too harsh on the book since I read it about 2 hours and didn't dwell on the exercises. I think it could be helpful to women who are thinking about big career moves and want some encouragement and suggestions.

[Kathy Burden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just the book I needed when I was trying to build up my confidence to go back into the working world after my divorce. It did the trick, and it made me feel less scared about entering a new career or exploring new ones. Women have got to learn to quit worrying about failure, and this book pumps you up to just get out there and "go for it".