She's Meant to Lead: Challenge What It Means to Be a Leader

Description: 

Despite the progress we have made, women are still faced with discrimination and bias in the workplace every day. The only way to prove our capabilities is to be a great leader! 

According to the Harvard Business Review, women were rated as more effective leaders than men. Furthermore, out of the 19 leadership competencies, women rated significantly higher in 13 areas. 

This isn’t just in leadership roles that are considered traditionally female. The same difference was seen across different functions including IT, research & development, and manufacturing. 

So why is it that only 26% of CEOs and managing directors are female? 

And the bigger question is, why is it that women earn over $40,000 less per year than men who have earned the same qualification? 

There is no doubt that women have more challenges when it comes to leadership roles. These challenges are hard to overcome, but it’s gender bias that causes the biggest problems. 

Women are either seen as dainty, proper ladies who are too quiet to lead or as the other extreme – bossy, aggressive and unladylike. 

Consequently, while women have the qualifications and skills required for a leadership role, it’s still the men who are more likely to be offered opportunities. 

Now, we can talk for days about the glass ceiling and how unfair the gender gap is, without really achieving anything… Or we can do something about it. 

This book will give you the tools and skills you need to excel as a leader and show others how effective women can be. Inside, here is just a fraction of what you will discover: 

• Exactly why the world needs more female leaders and what is holding women back 
• 14 leadership styles and how to discover the best one that fits your personality 
• The real reasons why women fear leadership and 4 ways to calm the anxiety 
• How to overcome imposter syndrome and break the cycle of self-doubt 
• 7 hard skills that you can gain today to demonstrate your leadership qualifications 
• 10 steps to boost communication and 3 bonus steps to make sure you are getting your point across 
• How you can increase your income just by increasing your emotional intelligence 
• The benefits of diversity for all companies— and it’s not just about women! 
• How to create a workplace culture with a growth mindset and eliminate the toxic environment 
• How to manage stress when your responsibilities overwhelm you 
• Why self-care is essential for all professionals, regardless of gender 
• 25 inspiring ideas to practice self-care, ensure work/life balance and enjoy your multiple roles 

And much more. 

Despite the obstacles you face and the heavy responsibilities already on your plate, leadership is something worth pursuing. 

When you have that burning desire to do more, achieve more, and make a positive change in society, you have no choice but to heed it. 

With the expertise, skills, and experience in this book, you will be able to follow your dreams, set an amazing example for others, and find a new sense of pride. 

If you are ready to fight against gender bias in the workplace, then this book is for you! 

Editorial Reviews: 

When you think about the low number of women who have occupied leadership positions around the world in the past and compare that to the growing involvement of women in recent times, it can be said that women have made a lot of successful strides in leadership. However, there is still a lot left to accomplish in this area. On that note, Kyrabe Stories introduces her book, She’s Meant to Lead, which is aimed at empowering women by helping them to develop the necessary skills for effective leadership while addressing the biases that presently exist in most workplaces. Kyrabe Stories offers a host of leadership techniques, from affiliative and authoritarian leadership to transformational and situational leadership. 

The author has made a lot of interesting points in this book that we can all agree on. The first of these is that no one will give you a seat at the leaders’ table, and you have to work to take it instead of just complaining. This mindset is reiterated throughout the book, and I believe it forms the basis for women taking up leadership positions in various fields. 

There are a few contentious pieces of information, including the reason for the wage gap or men being allowed to “lose their rags” as leaders while women aren’t, and the book can come across as pitting men against women at times. I would have preferred a better approach in that regard; nonetheless, the book’s overall message of guiding women toward becoming effective leaders in today’s world is of utmost importance, and I appreciate the author for putting this book out. 

Considering that there is a lack of female mentors since there are not a lot of women leaders, the author has also done exceptionally well to introduce readers to a few role models that they can look up to, from leaders from the past like Rosa Parks to leaders in today’s world like Angela Ahrendts, senior vice president of Apple, and Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo. Words of advice are included from a lot of these mentors, and readers will find them inspirational as they commence their leadership journeys. 

Furthermore, I liked that the advice offered by the author was mostly practical and accessible. Kyrabe Stories employs lists and models, including “the PREP framework” for effective communication and the tools for dealing with the fear of leadership and self-doubt. Each chapter closes with a quick summary of the key messages that will benefit readers, and I found this to be helpful as well. 

She’s Meant to Lead is also a professionally edited book, as I encountered a couple of minor errors while reading. There’s not a lot to dislike about this book besides the point I initially noted above. It is informative, educational, and inspiring, and it is also ultimately geared toward improving productivity in society by empowering an underrated section of the population. I would advise that the author includes a charge to women to get more involved in “STEM” fields as well since women’s participation in such lucrative fields currently sits low at 27%. I believe there will be positive implications with regard to both pay and leadership as women participate in these kinds of professions. 

All things considered, I rate this book four out of five stars. I took off a star because I believe there is room for improvement here, but the book will greatly impact any woman who wants to become an effective leader, and I would recommend it to them. If you enjoy books on self-development, I would recommend this guide to you as well. 

About the Author:  

Kyrabe Stories was founded by Kyndall Bennett, a veteran passionate about education and leadership. Her experiences in the US Navy have given her a deep insight into women’s struggles in a male-dominated workforce. Through her career exploration journey into the eLearning industry, she realized a need for a safe, educational place to provide professional development resources and relatable stories to those who desired a change in their lives but weren’t sure where to begin. 

With such an overwhelming response to Kyrabe Stories, Kyndall collaborated with the Publishing Services research team along with the writing and editing professionals, Hanah Johnson and Aimee Jodoin, to construct this book. Kyndall is striving to help more women improve their personal and professional development, unleash their confidence, and advance the necessary skills they need for leadership. 

Kyndall Bennett is the founder of Kyrabe Stories. Throughout the years of trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life, she finally realized that her passion was professional development and helping others discover and achieve their career goals. Through this, Kyndall has collaborated with brands such as Wall Street Journal, LinkedIn Learning, CBNATION, and others. She loves seeing people accomplish new achievements in their lives, so her goal is to provide quick resources to assist others in their current journey. Kyndall currently works in the eLearning industry, helping people discover affordable educational opportunities for upward career mobility.