This week, we celebrate both World Book Day and International Women's Day—two occasions that highlight the power of books and the impact of women in leadership.
A notification popped up on LinkedIn yesterday. Emma Phipps, MD of MD2MD had highlighted my book, Focus on Why: Create a Purposeful Way of Life, in her post positioned alongside influential reads like Traction, Good to Great, Drive, Start with Why, and How to Win Friends and Influence People. What a compliment however, it then reminded me of a blog I wrote in 2020 around women authors of non-fiction:
I’m a keen reader of non-fiction, having read 161 books over four years—shockingly, only 22% were written by women. Is this just an anomaly on my shelf or a wider literary bias? How can younger generations be inspired if there are so few trailblazing women to show them what’s possible?
To change the status quo, I made three requests. First, in recognition of World Book Day for the benefit of this generation and for generations to follow, I called upon women to get writing, share their story, knowledge, journey and experiences. Second, to tip the literary bias and celebrate women role models in non-fiction I asked people to share any books which had had an impact on their life in some way. Finally, for International Women's Day 2020, I asked people to celebrate women in business who had inspired, encouraged or helped them publicly in social media posts.
Five years later, I reflect on those requests. I worked to correct the literary bias and wrote my first non-fiction book. Now people are sharing the impact it’s had and I’m continuing to encourage women to write and support female empowerment.
Today, at the MD2MD Women in Leadership Conference, organised by Emma Phipps I'm donating two copies of Focus on Why to the Silent Auction with proceeds supporting BelEve, a charity dedicated to empowering young women.
So this year, celebrating World Book Day and International Women's Day feels even more meaningful. Writing my book was a journey of resilience, discipline and courage. All lessons that extend beyond books into leadership and life itself.
If you’re striving toward your own version of meaningful success, whether in writing, business or personal growth, remember, success isn’t just about the outcome. It’s about who you become in the process and the lives you impact along the way.
Focus on Books! Focus on Why.
ACTION POINT: Which book has inspired you the most and how has it impacted your journey?
Comments