Lead from the Outside Pt 2. Recap
Money, Titles & Power Mapping
Hello book friends. How are we doing? For those of us heading into “lockdown #3” in Ontario… have fun doing basically the same thing we’ve been doing for over a literal year. Does anyone on this list work for a small business? I’d love to support you, let me know about it and I’ll share!
April 1 is just a cursed day to be on the internet. When will we learn? Between ill advised jokes and witnessing Americans of all ages able to start making spring and summer social plans it is a better time than ever to log off and dive into books. I’ve found myself gravitating towards books I’ve already read. (If you’re on Goodreads, give me a follow!) Much like re-watching a sitcom or playing Animal Crossing, it’s just nice to know what you’re getting into. I’d love to know what books or shows are on your constant re-watch list, if that’s something you do too.
On to our book of the month chat!
This will cover things from Chapter 5: Money Matters to the end of the book. If you’re still in the first half, don’t forget to go back to the discussion/questions from the first half of the book here. Don’t forget to reply and tell me what you think! I rely on your replies to live, they are my oxygen. Please! Do it!
“Never tell yourself no. Let someone else do it. “
The fifth chapter of the book gets into financial issues, and the door-opening importance of financial fluency. Understanding and having control over your money, as well as understanding “the basic architecture of finance” is crucial to being an effective leader and even more than that, being financially independent empowers you to have control over your life. Unless you’ve got a financially savvy person in your life (often a parent), most of us are entering early adulthood pretty clueless about personal finance (WHY isn’t this taught in school?).
It’s cool to see that technology is starting to democratize finance - I’m a huge fan of Wealthsimple [referral link] and their blog is full of amazing content - fans of Succession might be as stoked as I was to see that you can learn about investing from Cousin Greg (!!!!) I want to recognize, though, that having access to these resources is only good if you know they exist and where to find them. There are so many bits and pieces of assumed knowledge that are deeply linked to class. This article shared in the #diversity channel at work was eye opening for me- and it’s so important as we break down barriers for entry into tech that we consider the social skills and constructs that we take for granted. “There's no tech charm school that teaches you how to do all that stuff.”
“I just don’t really care about titles”
Have you ever said this? Have you heard someone say this? How did it feel? Not caring about titles is inherently a privilege. For a lot of us, titles are indeed very important. As Abrams points out in the book - multiple things are true: what you are called is not the equivalent of the influence you hold, there are real differences between title and authority - but also, names matter; labels matter, and we should always pursue the highest title available and fight for the labels that reflect our clout. In hierarchies, we use titles as guides to the quickest means to finding answers, and they act as clear markers of intended influence. They change the way people perceive and bias how they respect you. The important thing is to never allow the position to limit your sphere of influence and control.
In the tech world and particularly the startup world, this issue is complicated with the very real issue of title inflation. I don’t have any answers, but my take away as a manager of people who has influence on titles and promotions: regardless of how you feel about the importance of titles at your company, understand that it might really matter to your reports. This should be a conversation that you have both with your team and your superiors, and it’s an important piece of the puzzle of equity in the workplace.
Power Mapping
The concept of power mapping was new to me and it’s easy to see how creating a personal power map for meeting your professional goals could be really useful. I am excited for an excuse to try this method out at work.
Engage!
I spent a lot of time in my early years pretending to be asleep on the couch while my parents watched Star Trek: The Next Generation and I was extremely thrilled to read that Stacey Abrams is also a fan and can appreciate the incredible life lessons we can learn from the Star Trek universe, where humanity has mostly figured it’s sh*t out and has dedicated itself to exploration and self improvement. If you are looking for an undertaking for this next stretch of the pandemic but are a bit daunted by the volume of TNG content - a few years ago I went through this Star Trek in 40 Hours list of essential episodes and it was a good time.
It shouldn’t be embarrassing to admit you want to be President.
“We admire the guy in the mailroom who plots to become the CEO but scoff at the woman who says she wants the same.” Did this one cut deep for you like it did for me?
Being an Ally
I think if you are a subscriber to this newsletter, you are a person who would like to consider themselves an ally. Allyship/sponsorship is SO important - and the end of this book provides an important reminder that is the perfect segue into our next book (Hood Feminism) - “privilege exists even within those who are encompassed by a minority identity… no one operates on soley one identity. The best allies own their privilege not as a badge of honour but as a reminder to be constantly listening and learning to become better at offering support to others.” Ally is a verb, not a noun, y’all.
And that’s a wrap on the book! I am dying to know - if you read it, what were your biggest take aways? Do you have a personal ambition spreadsheet like Stacey Abrams does? Are you more of a Picard or a Riker or a wildcard Wesley?
April Book!
A reminder to get your hands on April’s book - Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall. I’ll be checking in mid-month with a recap on the first half.
Go get ‘em, Tigers!