Beyond the Label: Women, Leadership, and Success on Our Own Terms – The Former Chanel CEO's Inspiring Memoir for Unconventional Thinkers

by Maureen Chiquet

The former global CEO of Chanel charts her unlikely path from literature major to global chief executive, guiding readers to move beyond the confines of staid expectations and discover their own true paths, strengths, and leadership values. Driven. Shy. Leader. Wife. Mother. We live in a world of categories — labels designed to tell the world, and ourselves, who we are and ought to be. Some we may covet, others we may fear or disdain; but creating a life that’s truly your own, means learning to define yourself on your own terms. In Beyond the Label , Maureen Chiquet charts her unlikely path from literature major to global chief executive. Sharing the inklings, risks and (re)defining moments that have shaped her exemplary career, Chiquet seeks to inspire a new generation of women, liberal arts grads, and unconventional thinkers to cultivate a way of living and leading that is all their own. Through vivid storytelling and provocative insights, Chiquet guides readers to consider the pressing questions and inherent paradoxes of creating a successful, fulfilling life in today’s increasingly complex and competitive world. "Why should we separate art from business, feelings from logic, intuition from judgment?" Chiquet poses. "Who decided you can’t be determined and flexible, introspective and attuned, mother and top executive? And where does it state standing unflinchingly in your vulnerability, embracing your femininity, won’t make you stronger?" Wise, inspiring, and deeply felt, Beyond the Label is for anyone who longs for a life without limits on who she is or who she will become.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Fashion, Leadership, Biography Memoir, Biography, Memoir

288 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2018

About the author

Maureen Chiquet began her career in marketing at L’Oreal Paris in 1985. She has worked at The Gap, helped launch Old Navy, and was president of Banana Republic before becoming COO and President of US operations of Chanel in 2003. In 2007 she became its first Global CEO, where she oversaw the business and brand’s world-wide expansion. She left Chanel in 2016 to focus on writing, speaking, and developing new leadership initiatives. She is a Trustee to the Yale Corporation and fellow of Yale University, where she graduated in 1985.

Reviews

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, congratulation to Ms. Chiquet! She has accomplished quite a bit, including rising to a CEO role, one which many women do not reach. I was excited to read about her career path and for the inspiration I felt would follow. Unfortunately, I did not feel that the book was particularly inspiring. She writes well, with vivid descriptions. She brought me into the story at several points, the writing felt that incredible. However, many of the experiences she described felt to live at the surface. I was hoping for a great deal more focus on her business accomplishments, but instead read more about specific moments that did not necessarily tie to the greater message.

Ms. Chiquet was the Global CEO of Chanel for years and spent a very cursory amount of time describing this experience. Save for briefly recounting a leadership retreat in Southeast Asia, there was not much happening about what exactly she did. I feel that her platform for writing this bit is her prior post as the Global CEO of Chanel. She unfortunately did not expound upon her experiences at the company. As a more specific example, when talking about her interview process for the job at Chanel, she slyly slid in that she had grown Old Navy to billions in profit. From reading her recount of her experience, you would not have particularly known what she accomplished or how she did it.

I did find that Ms. Chiquet followed a bit of a different formula for her book in terms of structure. Instead of reading strictly chronologically, she would infuse stories from later times in her life, that connected to the time period she was writing about. I liked this as it was a bit different than similar business memoirs. This structure did make logical sense by directly connecting the reader to how certain lessons would impact her future.

If you absolutely love reading memoirs about women who have accomplished great things, read her book. She is most definitely a force to be reckoned with. The book also reads extremely quickly, I finished it in a matter of hours. However, if you only have time or only are looking for one girl power business memoir, there are superior options. I would like to emphasize that this is not an attempt to undermine Ms. Chiquet, rather the way the book was written was not inspiring to me and did not seem to scratch the surface of her accomplishments.

[Inna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Успіх – ось той дзвіночок, який вказує людині, що час написати таку книжку. Обернувшись назад, можна проаналізувати, які зустрічі/поради/події дали найцінніші уроки, і які рішення привели до сьогоднішніх здобутків. Чи допоможе це іншим? Маю сумніви.
Що мені дала ця книга? Читаючи про знайомство і майже одномоментну закоханість Морін Шике у Францію, я згадала свої заняття французької мови і як мені б хотілося повернути цю мову у своє життя. Щодо іншого, то через рік у мене нема шансів згадати хоч щось з її змісту.

[Song · Rating 3 out of 5]

读这本书是纯粹被中译书名骗了，原来以为是讲思维方式的，其实只是一个成功女性的自传。译者到底怎么想的，能把一本自传搞得像自我修养题材。

虽然如此，这本书的故事性不错，作者也认真地分享了作为时尚业高管的职业生涯历程和管理心得，可供镜鉴。

当然，首先读者要先成为高级管理人员会比较好……😄

[Sarah Jensen]

Book Review: Beyond the Label: Women, Leadership, and Success on Our Own Terms
Author: Maureen Chiquet
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-0062655707

Introduction
In Beyond the Label: Women, Leadership, and Success on Our Own Terms, Maureen Chiquet, former global CEO of Chanel, offers an engaging and insightful exploration of women’s roles in leadership and the unique challenges they face in contemporary society. Blending personal narrative with professional insights, Chiquet draws on her own experiences to inspire and empower women to define success on their own terms, rather than conforming to traditional societal expectations. This book serves as both a memoir and a practical guide, making it a significant contribution to discussions around gender, leadership, and empowerment.

Content Overview
Chiquet’s book is organized into several thematic sections that reflect her journey and the lessons she has learned:

Personal Journey and Career Path: Chiquet recounts her unconventional ascent in the business world, sharing stories from her time at Chanel and other roles that shaped her leadership style. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity and resilience in overcoming obstacles.

Redefining Success: A central theme of the book is the need to redefine success for women. Chiquet challenges conventional metrics of achievement—such as power and wealth—encouraging readers to consider personal fulfillment, impact, and the alignment of professional pursuits with individual values.

The Power of Female Networks: Chiquet underscores the importance of building supportive networks among women. She highlights how mentorship and collaboration can empower women to navigate their careers and achieve their goals while fostering a sense of community.

Leadership Styles: The author discusses various leadership styles and the advantages of embracing a more inclusive and empathetic approach. Chiquet advocates for leaders to be adaptable and to embrace vulnerability, arguing that these qualities can lead to stronger teams and better decision-making.

Advice for Future Leaders: In her concluding sections, Chiquet offers practical advice for women aspiring to leadership roles. This includes strategies for effective communication, negotiation, and the importance of self-advocacy.

Thematic Analysis
A prominent theme in Beyond the Label is the necessity of authenticity in leadership. Chiquet asserts that women must embrace their unique qualities and experiences to lead effectively. This theme is particularly relevant in today’s corporate environment, where diversity and inclusion are increasingly recognized as vital to organizational success.

Another significant theme is the redefinition of success. By encouraging women to move beyond traditional benchmarks, Chiquet promotes a broader understanding of what it means to succeed. This perspective fosters a more inclusive dialogue about achievement and the diverse paths women can take in their careers.

Strengths
One of the book’s key strengths is its personal narrative. Chiquet’s candid storytelling not only makes her experiences relatable but also effectively illustrates larger themes of leadership and empowerment. Her journey from an unsure young professional to the CEO of a major luxury brand serves as an inspiring example for many readers.

Additionally, Chiquet’s focus on community and mentorship provides practical insights for women seeking to advance their careers. Her advocacy for building networks resonates with the contemporary emphasis on collaboration and support among women in the workplace.

Critique
While Beyond the Label delivers valuable insights, it occasionally lacks a more rigorous exploration of systemic issues that contribute to the challenges women face in leadership. A deeper analysis of organizational structures and cultural barriers would enrich the discussion and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the obstacles women encounter.

Furthermore, while the book emphasizes personal responsibility in redefining success, it could benefit from a broader examination of external factors, such as workplace policies and societal expectations, that also shape women’s experiences in leadership roles.

Conclusion
Maureen Chiquet’s Beyond the Label: Women, Leadership, and Success on Our Own Terms is an inspiring and insightful exploration of the intersection of gender and leadership. Through her blend of personal anecdotes, practical advice, and reflections on the nature of success, Chiquet empowers women to embrace their paths confidently. The book is a valuable resource for aspiring female leaders, HR professionals, and anyone interested in fostering more inclusive work environments. Chiquet’s message resonates strongly, encouraging women to define their own success and lead authentically in an ever-changing world.

[Heidi C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this book because I saw a “dream” opportunity with Chanel (I didn’t get the job, not even a reply that I sent directly to the reporting manager on LinkedIn), only to (re)discovered that career is really about “beyond the label”.

There were so many things I assimilated myself with Maureen especially the influential power hissed after you worked for L’Oréal for a period of time. She shared way more in details of her earlier career compare to when she was VP, president and CEO... I guess at the end of the day, higher positions are really just more politics. I am particularly fond of how she shared that she has chosen work over her family, especially being absence away from her children. It is not that she deprioritize her kids and basically missed out their whole childhood, it is a choice to make and it didn’t make her a bad mom. But it is hard, people don’t understand, society and culture still label women should take up more responsibilities of childcare, but what if, a woman is better working than childcare she didn’t seem to able to enjoy unless someone else can do all the cooking and cleaning? Now that my career is in standstill, I have reflected a lot on it. I used to felt just like Maureen that I felt guilty travelling around the world for work, hosting mega seminars while I only want to just sing ABCs with my kids when they were at kindergarten and baked cookies with them. All that I could do now but I couldn’t get my son into a private school simply because I didn’t have the high social status that I once had with an association of a prestige brand. It is controversial, it is upsetting and to a point, perhaps that’s is really the underlying reason why women who are successful in the career is afraid to quit at mid-point so we did 10 hours flight when when we were 7 months pregnant, staved yourself to lose weight and rush back to work within 4 weeks. And going out to have business dinners when you already was exhausted from 6am getting kids ready still jetlagging, long day work in high heels...

Great book to share, made me feel better that one of the most successful women faces the dilemmas that I had faced everyday for years as well. It is motivating yet sad at the same time. At the end of the day, we are grateful of all the choices available for us and the support and understanding provided.

[Camille Zhang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the content, it tells me that a lot of great figures (no matter which field they are in) may not be excel in the first place. Also, in great cases, they might not be an extravert or your typical successful billionaire figure. The author of the book tells me that you can get what you want if you have enough enthusiasm in the field, work hard enough, care about people, think of the problem outside of the box, you might get what you want to get at the end of the day.
As the author was a literature major graduate, the story was quite intriguing, Maureen is a great storyteller(like many successful people do). A lot of parts are beautifully written.
However, I wish I could hear more about how Maureen succeed as an introvert woman(she wrote quite a lot about what a shy person she was), especially in a still very male-dominated workplace.

[Piepie | The Napping Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was surprisingly interesting! I hate shopping 😂, and yet the journey Chiquet took from St. Louis girl to learning more about beauty and fashion to becoming CEO of the House of Chanel was really fascinating to me. Chiquet doesn't even join Chanel until toward the end of the book. There are a lot of takeaways and life lessons to apply regardless where you work. She seems like a humble, honest person, and her book, only 12 chapters long, was a quick read. I also skimmed through a few online articles about her, and actually watched a speech she'd done on YouTube while reading this book (I didn't realize the speech would basically appear at the end of this book)! She's not a tall, towering person, she doesn't seem to take up a lot of physical space, but what she has to say is commanding, informative, and inspiring. If Chiquet writes another book, I know I'll be just as riveted.

[Sarah W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting memoir of a woman who reached the top of the fashion and business worlds. Wanting to live in France, Maureen Chiquet started her career at L'Oreal, and later took on positions of increasing responsibility at the Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and was ultimately the CEO of Chanel, the legendary French luxury brand. It's a fascinating career, while she also struggled to balance being a wife and mother with being an innovative leader. This memoir is focused on Chiquet's career, with her personal life often taking a backseat to business. Overall, it was an interesting read, but it also felt like Chiquet was skimming the surface and focused on making a singular point rather than a nuanced picture of corporate leadership.

[Ashley Hasty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a love/hate relationship with these "business memoir" type books. On one hand, they provide excellent material for discussion with my students about what it is like to work in the retail industry. This type of book often inspires my students to work hard and contribute something larger to the world than selling product. On the other hand, I often find the same, tired advice with a slightly different twist each time. Rarely do I find a truly unique point of view. But as far as this genre goes, Beyond the Label by Maureen Chiquet is one of my favorites.
For more on this book, visit: https://www.hastybooklist.com/home/20...

[Sabrina Simões · Rating 5 out of 5]

É um bom livro. É mais autobiográfico do que pensei, mas isto faz dele melhor. As experiências e pensamentos dela ensinam bastante. Bastante interessante entender de onde vieram ideias que fizeram os negócios darem certo. Achei inspirador de muitas formas.
E edição no Brasil poderia ser um pouco mais cuidadosa, tinha alguns erros de digitação.
Não é um livro sobre feminismo se é isto que você procura, é sobre pessoas indo além de rótulos - com foco em mulheres, no caso. É sobre desenvolvimento pessoal, sobre aprender a ouvir antes de falar, sobre acreditar nas suas ideias, sobre querer ser melhor e estar aberto a aprender.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met this author and heard her speak so that likely colored my impression of the book. It was disappointing that she didn’t provide more detail in the book about some of her experiences, like leaving Channel. But I also found lacking detail about her vision of female leadership and new ways of leading. She talked about this more in person and I think the final chapter of the book could have been much richer with more of her expertise.

[Jessica Goodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot to recommend in this book - excellent writing, some good stories. But for a book that reads like a memoir, I was hoping for more sharing of personal stories and vulnerability - I was most engaged whenever the author shared those, such as her times living in France and a painful interaction with her daughter. Wished for more of that. Some bits were glossed over or left unexplained, such as why she left Chanel.

[M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

surprisingly relatable

While I do think that the primary audience for this book was Maureen herself, I will say I was surprised at some of the relatability to career issues and communication development. There were some good nuggets, mostly within the first 2-3 chapters I think. Skimmed most of it. Probably for someone more interested in fashion and heteronormative family life than myself.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

great read very introspective more life affirmative than business book. I liked how the author just relates how she went from" Mass to Class" in a very personal intimate way and invites you to reflect on your own choices. Interesting insider view of the business world for women on both side of the Atlantique, sharing lessons she learned but not giving any.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

No surprise, extremely well written and inspiring. I was lucky to have had the chance to work for Maureen at Old Navy and applaud her foray into writing. I found it extremely fresh and helpful as I continue my journey of leadership. Her perspective and approach to motivating a team, truly listening and how to feed creativity was most beneficial to me. Thank you, Maureen!

[Carmen Blakely · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a lot of take aways in this book. But I found the flow to be very haphazard. I think there were too many pages spent on certain things and not enough of others.
The information shared about her career at Chanel was very vague, down to why she left.
Additionally, using “beyond the label” was excessively overused.

[Olga Onopchenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ця книга - це чудовий баланс розповідей та ділових ідей. Авторка розповідає історії та ділиться думками, пропонуючи читачеві подумати і відчути для себе те, що є для них правдою. Книжка відрізняється від типової ділової літератури, яка розповідає вам про те, як мислити, і аналогічно відрізняється від художнього твору, оскільки вона базується на досвіді реального життя лідера. Дуже добре написано.

[Marissa Rapone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing memoir on a woman in a marketing role typically taken by a man. I loved her advice on making room for feminine leadership, and how this changes the entire typical way a company is run. Leading by listening, creativity, collaboration, and not just the numbers. Would definitely love to read more from her on her marketing approachs and how she sees it working in this modern era.

[Xq Huang · Rating 5 out of 5]

莫琳曾经担任香奈儿的CEO，这本书是讲她自己的职业经历的。虽然书名翻译的有点奇怪，（英文版书名为：Beyond the Label ：
Women, Leadership, and Success on Our Own Terms，译成：超越寻常，女性、领导力、我们自身成功的信条）。但是其成长经历对于有女孩家庭来说还是很有启发。在男性为主的世界里，女性的成长有其优势，但更多的是劣势。然而最重要的是在孩子年轻的时候就能接触到开放和变化的社会，了解不同的环境、不同的文化、甚至不同的国家有着怎样的不同。以期激发自已内动力。
还有莫琳在进入香奈儿前，经过了18个月的面试考察，进入之后又经过了3年的学习和培训，最后才开始担任CEO。一家肩负使命的企业如何选拔高管也是令人吃惊，在这里没有一见钟情，因为有使命的企业也只对有使命的人开放的。

[Pam · Rating 1 out of 5]

....meh. Always fun to read 'behind the scenes'...and it was but after that, probably not the book for me. Not that interested now in 'leadership', 'success' and my 'own terms'...but maybe for others. I am always open to openings and listening... so good things there.

[Priscilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did have some take-aways from the book regarding career movement, but I think I started reading this book thinking that I was going to be more 'inspired?'. I appreciated her leadership style as it was presented in the book.

[Lois Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, would recommend. The only con is that I feel she only highlights her accomplishments and successes (ie Keira Knightley, gap belts, etc) without talking about mistakes she made along the way.

[Caroline E. Gogolak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read for anyone in business (women and men).

I would highly recommend this book for aspiring fashion and general business executives. The writing and life stories and motivating and inspiring.

[Ana Grau · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always good to read about women success.

Maureen experience is helpful and gives you good advices. However, I missed some more examples of the troubles she found in her way to CEO at Chanel.

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book in an incredible example of why we need more women on leadership positions. Ms. Chiquet's book is a light way reading (and necessary) to any one who loves fashion, business ou inspirational women.

[Shirin Tyrrel · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a business owner this was so fun to read, I love history and fashion!
An inspiring and enjoyable look into Maureen Chiquet’s life and the fashion business. I only wish she had shared more details about her years at Chanel!

[Michelle Reeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mediocre as far as these types of books go. She has some good insights and overall I enjoyed the idea of looking past expectations. It was just a slow read for me.

[Lucía · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.luciarodriguezc.com/bookr...

[Marcy Field · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maureen's interests and career journey provide great insight into the fashion retail world. I appreciated her transparency and growth as a career professional.

[Miry Oliveira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tirando os termos técnicos de vendas, que não entendi nada, achei uma ótima leitura. Mostra a força, a dedicação e os altos e baixos de uma mulher que primeiramente amou a França.