Your #WIM Holiday Gift Guide
Author: Avital O’Glasser, MD
Keywords: women in medicine, professional development, self care, leadership, reading
It’s that time of the year! It’s December, and holiday gift shopping may be on your to-do list (if your to-do list is like mine, it’s not short…).
This year, let the #womeninmedicine energy of empowering and leading inspire your selections. To that end, I present my book recommendations-meets-#womeninmedicine empowerful list. These five favorite books launched me on my own leadership and WIM professional development journey. Give the gift of learning, opportunity, and nurturing potential before the end of 2021—to yourself or others!
1) How Women Rise (Sally Helgesen & Marshall Goldsmith)—I recommend this book to anyone, inside and outside of medicine! The authors outline twelve habits that hold women back—habits that might be driven by internal and/or external pressures, traditions, and biases. This book is eye-opening and empowering.
2) Brene Brown—yes, this is an author, not an individual book, but I can’t recommend her content enough! Her individual books, as well as her other lecture/teaching platforms, have been instrumental in my professional development. If you’ve ever discussed the concepts of vulnerability, authenticity, and courage, you’ve probably heard someone referencing her work. I specifically recommend Daring Greatly and Dare to Lead, in that order. Learn about these core principles, and then read about them applied through the lens of leadership. Additionally, by the this post will go up, her newest book, Atlas of the Heart, will have been published (I preordered it weeks ago as a Chanukah present for myself).
3) Leaders Eat Last (Simon Sinek)—I love this book for many reasons, but the number one reason I recommend it is because of the discussions of the neurobiology of stress as it pertains to leadership styles. This was an eye-opening read several years ago when I was emerging from a toxic and ineffective leadership situations, and it gave me new perspective on the importance of team culture and psychological safety.
4) Quiet (Susan Cain)—I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve recommended this book in the last month alone. This book explores the hidden and surprising strengths, and potency, of being an introvert. I hear so many women trying to navigate the professional development space say they don’t think their voice will ever be heard because they are an introvert. This book will provide razor crisp insights into how introverts can feel more comfortable sharing their voice, all while challenging the stereotype that extroverts are the only ones who are heard.
5) Give and Take (Adam Grant)—this may be the last book on this list, but it was the first book I read after becoming medical director of my clinic just over three years ago. This was the book that truly started my leadership arc. The main premise explores the differences between givers and takers. The eye opening central tenant is that givers can still say “no”—and indeed need to say “no” strategically to maintaining their own bandwidth to continue giving. Saying “no” does not turn you into a taker—and for women in medicine, learning how and when to say “no” if often the first step to saying “yes” to yourself.
In addition to these recommendations, recognizing the ongoing challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, I encourage you to be proactive--and intentional--with how you acknowledge supply chain and store staffing challenges. Shop local and support small businesses (for example, does our community have go-to guides for doing so, like mine does?)! Support women and minority-owned businesses! You might even want to consider purchasing any or all of those recommended reads from a woman or diverse-owned bookstore.
The Women in Medicine ® website also curates a recommended list of books and publications. Finally, don’t forget about gifts from the WIMS store! And, if you’re a #MedLasso fan, don’t forget that the WIMS store has Ted Lasso inspired items, too.
About the Author: Avital O’Glasser, MD, is a hospitalist at Oregon Health & Science University and the editor of the WIMS blog (Twitter: @aoglasser).