Mentors provide a sort of professional safety. Equal parts listening ear, stern wisdom, and encouraging dreams often unspoken in other places. This describes a recent visit with my Mentor, and Friends Thom and Lovey. As I espoused my troubles, and whispered my new ideas their reassuring voices demonstrate how you show up consistently over and over.
I also strongly believe Mentors should also be Mentees. I’m so thankful I’ve had many Mentors that have unabashedly poured into me. Without their expertise, guidance and connection there are points in my career that could have gone very wrong. In the same perspective, I do my best to make time to Mentor others.
Although currently my mentoring slots are full, I thought it would be great to share my go-to book recommendations for the individuals I Mentor. By themselves alone they make wonderful supports on your professional journey. The authors are not only well-respected, but openly give their stories and wisdom in each book.
3 Go-To Book Recs for Mentees
Rich with wisdom, these practical and resourceful gems focus on the building blocks of true leadership—self-confidence, effective communication, collaboration, and courage needed to guide and transform your career. Some leaders are born, but most leaders are made—and The Little Black Book of Success along with its Workbook companion will show you how to make maximize your potential, one step at a time.
This book and workbook was gifted to me by a friend during a time we were both in need of some inspiration. After delay I finally picked it up and could not put it down. As a woman of color, this book offered “unspoken” wisdom often learned by trial and error only. Although I wish I would’ve read this book earlier in my career, their principles can be applied at any level.
Every woman dreams of having a wise, funny mentor who understands the challenges she faces. Cathie Black—one of Forbes’s “100 Most Powerful Women” and Fortune’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business”—offers invaluable lessons that will help you land the job, promotion, or project you’re vying for. You’ll find out how to handle interviews, which rules to break, and why you should make your life a grudge-free zone.
I read this book after picking it up in a library many years ago. Cathie was so realtable in her story telling and turning those stories into poignant discussion. When you read the part of the BBQ, private jet, and a white suit. Shoot me a comment if it made you laugh just as hard. Her book was also a reminder of the challenges women faced in business, and advice how to navigate them professionally.
Lois P. Frankel reveals a distinctive set of behaviors–over 130 in all–that women learn in girlhood that ultimately sabotage them as adults. She teaches you how to eliminate these unconscious mistakes that could be holding you back and offers invaluable coaching tips that can easily be incorporated into your social and business skills. Stop making “nice girl” errors that can become career pitfalls.
Ok so this one may be a bit controversial…. but hear me out. Do I take all 130 and apply them to my life every day! No! But there may be 1, or 2, or 30 that can be helpful to you. I didn’t quite have a feather boa draped across my work cubicle chair when I first read the book but I did have a zebra print cowboy hat on top of my cubicle. Why, don’t ask me I was much, much, younger. After reading this book, I quickly took it home and displayed in a closet when it should be displayed. Phew….
In this smart, no-nonsense book, part memoir and part cultural critique, Burns writes movingly about her journey from tenement housing on Manhattan’s Lower East Side to the highest echelons of the corporate world. She credits her success to her poor single Panamanian mother, Olga Racquel Burns—a licensed child-care provider whose highest annual income was $4,400—who set no limits on what her children could achieve. Ursula recounts her own dedication to education and hard work, and how she took advantage of the opportunities and social programs created by the Civil Rights and Women’s movements to pursue engineering at Polytechnic Institute of New York.
What would a blog post be without a bonus 🙂 I always considered Ms. Burns a Shero in her own right. Not only did she face some extreme hardships, she pulled from her upbringing in the boardroom. A skill I believe is often over-looked in employee behavior. She validated many of my own skillsets to use them with boldness. Especially my “differentness” in the professional circles. I love her authentic lines when she discusses ” no I don’t play golf, and have no interest in it”. Letting us know you don’t have to assimilate into “norms” to be a success.
I hope these recommendations are helpful in your journey!
In peace,
J