Welcome to the Weekly Reads, where I highlight articles that I found on the web and that are focused on career advice, lifestyle, beauty or anything I think would round-up as useful for the young, modern, working woman.
The Weekly Reads are perfect for your morning commute or your first coffee break of the day. So get yourself comfortable, pour a cup of coffee – or tea – and enjoy this week’s reads!
What have I been up to this week
This post is coming to you from a cafe right next to Fontana di Trevi, in Rome and I am feeling infinitely happy in this moment – at least that is where it was written for the most part – what a beautiful city this is and what a blessing to be able to travel. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I took a quick four-day holiday in Rome, Italy and I am loving it. While a holiday after a holiday is definitely fun and good for the soul, I am excited to spend the next few weeks easing back into my routine and focusing on sports and eating healthy. After all, even a few days in #Eataly make me want to take a break from all the tasty food I’ve eaten, as well as getting back into a productive routine at work. Ah, humans, what creatures of habit that we are!
The Weekly Reads
Essential skills. Selling is an essential skill for your professional live despite its and reputation. It’s all about moving a person to action, so you will need it for meetings, negotiations and even for job interviews where you have to “sell” yourself. This article from HBR tries to take out the bad rep that selling has and teach you one or two tips on how you can get better at this skill.
Who said this was a good idea? I heard about Alyssa Mastromonaco – former Deputy Chief of Staff for President Obama – first when her first book “Who thought this was a good idea?” came out and I have been intrigued by her persona since then – as I am by any successful woman out there. I have recently also listened to an interview with her on the “Bad on Paper” podcast and naturally, when I come across an interview with her from Into the Gloss where she talks both career and beauty, I avidly read it and recommend it.
How to give feedback. I loved this piece on how to give feedback. Often, articles repeat the same metaphysical existence of feedback and leave us with no actionable takeaway, but this one is a gem. Giving good feedback, both positive and constructive is an essential skill so I always try to improve here. My takeaways are: follow the approach of “care personally, challenge directly” and don’t forget about the importance and huge impact that positive feedback and positive reinforcement have.
Courage. I first heard about Brené Brown a few years ago when her TED Talk about the power of vulnerability came out and I absolutely resonated with her message, as did many people around the world. I recently listened to a Goop’s podcast with her and I loved it. Gwyneth sat down with Brené and talked about the roots of shame, courage and vulnerability. Her message is very powerful and I cannot recommend enough to listen to it and of course also watch her TED Talk.
Thank you for reading and I hope you are having a great week!
