I am taking back my power. Are you?

I must admit that I am not much of a book reader. I do consume copious amounts of content from other outlets - news, magazines, articles, industry research material, journals, and newsletters on a daily basis. But you would seldom see me sitting down with a book. However, earlier this month, I took Deborah Liu's, Take Back Your Power [1] and finished it in 2 days. It's a great read, and in this article, I would like to share why every woman in the workplace needs to read this.

But first, about the author, Deborah Liu

I got to know [about] Deborah via LinkedIn [2] a few years ago when her post showed up in my feed - What happened to Women in Product [3]?  I liked the article and have followed her on LinkedIn since then. When she started her Perspectives [4] newsletter, I immediately subscribed to it. I have read most, if not all, of her newsletters. I noticed and admired how open and candid she is in her writing - she shares practical advice but also weaves in an impactful personal anecdote that sticks with you.

My life story is similar to hers in more than one way:

• growing up in a small town in a conservative environment,
• a modest Asian upbringing,
• using anger and resentment as fuel to propel forward, and,
• later in life, losing a parent to cancer

It all felt personal and familiar. I felt seen.

Over the course of a year and a half, I felt "connected" to the author even though we haven't met or talked one-on-one. Through reading her publications, I realized that our stories are very similar even though we were born at different times and in different geographies.

She is one of the reasons I, too, started writing. I always wanted to, but I thought I wasn't good enough. Even worse, I thought, why would the world be interested in what I have to say? But I drew inspiration from her article [5] on writing and started writing anyway.

All of this is to say that I am a fan of hers, and when she shared the news of her book launch, I ordered the book immediately.

What I love about the book

Relatable

Ever since I was a little girl, I chose role models from around me - people I had access to and could watch in their day-to-day environment. Sure, I read about and admired various leaders, visionaries, and achievers from previous eras, but I could never relate to them. They were born in a different day and age, with other circumstances, and perhaps the world was different for them; my challenges are different from theirs - I always thought.

In her book, Deborah shares stories of many men and women whom she knows personally. She narrates their stories with context-conflict-climax-closures to land her lessons. And that's perhaps the best feature of the book - the stories are very relatable;  these will resonate with every working woman who is trying to figure herself and her career path out. This resonance is not by accident; the author thoughtfully gleaned insights from her life, selected the right experiences to feature in stories, and used her craft to land the lessons she intended to.

Authentic

Next, I love the authenticity with which she folds in her stories connecting upbringing, familial values, marriage, motherhood, workplace relationships, society, culture, and faith. She weaves in her own lived experiences in a vulnerable and candid manner. These are the subjects we casually gloss over, but she establishes the link between the subtle cues from our environment that keep feeding our subconscious with self-doubt.

We are all but a product of what we have been through - the environment we were in and the choices we made shape us into who we are.

Practical

The author discusses details of her early days at eBay when she felt like an imposter and how she made allies and sponsors who rooted for her. She also isn't shy to write about the setbacks and stumbling blocks in her tenure at Facebook.

She discusses her dichotomies and inner struggles and how she overcomes them but also paints a real picture of how life is for most of us - not a straight line but more of a meandering path with turns and stops navigating household, kids, family, and work.
You see, why I said this is every woman's story?

I liked the practicality of the lessons - they were pretty easy to understand and follow through.

The Humor

I enjoyed reading anecdotes about her dating life and the negotiation of chores. I found it funny and validating that other couples go through the madness that I have gone through in my marriage. She also gets into one of my favorite topics - vision setting and value alignment between a couple that seeks to enter marriage.

She delivers life's mundane wrapped into humor. That's an intelligent way to make it memorable. You must read chapter #8 of the book to know this for yourself.

And the Surprise

In the last chapter, the author ties it all together to a higher purpose. She suggests that we take control of the end of our [life]story - think of the legacy we want to leave and work backward to take action today. Lately, I have been investing a lot of think time into self-discovery and trying to understand what is my inner calling. Therefore this chapter struck a nerve with me. Thinking about end of life is macabre and depressing (in her own words), but there couldn't have been a better way to end the book. It's poetic and beautiful - it all starts and ends with YOU!

At Last

If you are a woman in the workplace who wants to be a leader, or, if you lack sponsorship and support from your partner and colleagues, or, if you are a leader who wants to get to the next level and be the first-in-command - this book is for you.

Go, grab a copy today and reclaim what is rightfully yours!

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References

1. Link to order your book: https://www.amazon.com/Take-Back-Your-Power-Rules/dp/031036485X
2. Get to know Deborah Liu
3. What happened to women in Product?
4. Perspectives Newsletter on Substack: https://debliu.substack.com
5. Writing as a Discipline: https://debliu.substack.com/p/writing-as-a-discipline