• Recommended resources

      

Recommended Resources

  • 13 Things Mentally Strong Women Don’t Do: Own Your Power, Channel Your Confidence, and Find Your Authentic Voice
    The emergence of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have awakened society and encouraged women to find their voice and claim back their power. Contending with a host of difficult issues that demand psychological strength - in this crucial book, prominent psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker Amy Morin gives women the techniques to build mental muscle in 13 steps.     Amy Morin Yellow Kite (10 Jan. 2019)
  • Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers, and Create Success on Your Own Terms
    Full of empowering wisdom from one of high tech's first female African American CEOs, this inspiring leadership book for readers of Dare to Lead and Start with Why offers a blueprint for how to achieve your personal and professional goals, drawn from the author's own compelling story of how she weathered life's difficulties to build massive success.     Ben Horowitz and Shellye Archambeau Grand Central Publishing (5 Nov. 2020)
  • Article - Penny de Valk ‘We Are Entitled To Ambition’: Stacey Abrams Talks About Leadership, Change, And Her New Book Marianne Schnall Forbes
  • Article - Penny de Valk How Successful Women Network For Their Career And Business Bonnie Marcus Forbes
  • Article - HBR - Penny de Valk Why Self-Awareness Isn’t Doing More to Help Women’s Careers Tasha Eurich Harvard Business Review
  • Article - Penny de Valk How Women Can Take The Lead In Levelling The Playing Field Margie Warrell Forbes
  • Article - Penny de Valk Leading through adversity: New ideas from TEDWomen speakers Pat Mitchell TED Blog
  • Article - Penny de Valk You Can’t Always Do It Alone: 6 Top Executives Who Credit Other Powerful People for Helping Them Succeed David Zaslav and Marla Beck Entrepreneur
  • Article - Penny de Valk VC to Ambitious Women: Don’t Lean In. Quit and Do Your Own Thing JESSICA STILLMAN Inc.
  • Article - HBR - Penny de Valk To Succeed in Tech, Women Need More Visibility Shelley Correll and Lori Mackenzie Harvard Business Review
  • Article - Penny de Valk When Women Invest in Other Women ELLEN MCGIRT Fortune
  • Article - Penny de Valk How To Be An Inclusive Leader When Hiring And Promoting Employees Robin Moriarty Forbes
  • Article - Penny de Valk 3 Big Ideas From Fortune’s Next Generation of Powerful Women ANNE SRADERS Fortune
  • Article - Penny de Valk Why You Need A Sponsor — Not A Mentor — To Fast-Track Your Career Jenna Goudreau Business Insider
  • Article - Penny de Valk Why More Women Need To Say Yes To Top Leadership Positions Shelley Zalis Forbes
  • Article - Penny de Valk 5 TED Talks by Powerful Women Leaders That Inspire and Motivate Amy Vetter Entrepreneur
  • Article - Penny de Valk Three Coaching Methodologies Every Leader Should Perfect Chuck Gulledge Forbes
  • Video - TEDx - Penny de Valk 3 ways to be a better ally in the workplace TED Salon: Brightline Initiative
    In this actionable talk, Epler shares three ways to support people who are underrepresented in the workplace. "There's no magic wand for correcting diversity and inclusion," she says. "Change happens one person at a time, one act at a time, one word at a time."     Melinda Epler TEDx Talks
  • Article - Penny de Valk 11 Books That Will Change The Way You Think About Leadership Laura Garnett Forbes
  • Video - TEDx - Penny de Valk How to find the person who can help you get ahead at work TEDWomen 2018
    The key to actually getting ahead? Get a sponsor: a person who will speak on your behalf in the top-level, closed-door meetings you're not invited to (yet). Learn how to identify and develop a productive sponsor relationship in this candid, powerful talk.     Carla Harris TEDx Talks
  • Video - TEDx - Penny de Valk The Power of Women Helping Women TEDxDiscoveryParkWomen
    Women can be powerful allies for each other and are uniquely qualified to do so because we experience many of the same challenges. Chidiogo Akunyili is the Founder of She ROARs - Reimagining Our Africa Rising —a Pan-African community empowering women to unleash their full potential.     Chidiogo Akunyili TEDx Talks
  • The Power of Bad: And How to Overcome It
    Why does a bad impression last longer than a good one? Why does losing money affect us more than gaining it? What makes phobias so hard to shake? The answer is the negativity bias - or in other words, the power of bad. As John Tierney and Roy F. Baumeister show, we are wired to react to bad over good. It makes sense in evolutionary terms, but in our modern world the lure of bad is, well, bad.     John Tierney and Roy F. Baumeister Penguin (31 Dec. 2019)
  • Article - HBR - Penny de Valk 3 of the Most Common Challenges Women Face in Negotiations Mara Olekalns, Ruchi Sinha and Carol T. Kulik Harvard Business Review
  • Acting with Power: Why We Are More Powerful Than We Believe
    There is so much we get wrong about power. This eye-opening look at the true nature of power explores who has it, what it looks like, and the role it plays in our lives. Grounded in over two decades’ worth of scientific research and inspired by the popular class of the same name at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, Acting with Power offers a new and eye-opening paradigm that overturns everything we thought we knew about the nature of power.     Deborah Gruenfeld Currency (April 7, 2020)
  • Couples That Work: How To Thrive in Love and at Work
    It's quite easy to get distracted from your career when you're happy in love or devote all your time to securing a promotion at work only to find your relationship is on the rocks. Balancing the demands of your career and your partner's while trying to nourish a relationship and family can be tough - but it doesn't have to be.     Jennifer Petriglieri Penguin Life (10 Oct. 2019)
  • Back on the Career Track: A Guide for Stay-at-home Mothers Who Want to Return to Work
    Women revolutionized the workforce by entering professions in record numbers, but many stepped off the career track to care for their families. Now, these same women are forging new career paths by proving that they can return to challenging, meaningful careers after a break, and so can you. Back on the Career Track shows you how they are doing it and helps you learn from their successes and challenges.     Carol Fishman Cohen and Vivian Steir Rabin Headline (2007)
  • Radical Candor: How to Get What You Want by Saying What You Mean
    Scott earned her stripes as a highly successful manager at Google before moving to Apple where she developed a class on optimal management. Radical Candor draws directly on her experiences at these cutting edge companies to reveal a new approach to effective management that delivers huge success by inspiring teams to work better together by embracing fierce conversations.     Kim Scott Macmillan; Main Market edition (23 Mar. 2017)
  • Article - HBR - Penny de Valk How Women End Up on the “Glass Cliff” Susanne Bruckmüller and Nyla R. Branscombe Harvard Business Review
  • Article - HBR - Penny de Valk Hire Leaders for What They Can Do, Not What They Have Done Josh Bersin and Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic Harvard Business Review
  • Article - HBR - Penny de Valk To Prevent Burnout, Hire Better Bosses Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic Harvard Business Review
  • Article - HBR - Penny de Valk What Most People Get Wrong About Men and Women Catherine H. Tinsley and Robin J. Ely Harvard Business Review
  • Article - HBR - Penny de Valk Are You Sugarcoating Your Feedback Without Realizing It? Michael Schaerer and Roderick Swaab Harvard Business Review
  • Article - Penny de Valk How ‘Political Savvy’ Skills Can Help Women Leaders Get Ahead
    Female leaders often tend to avoid organisational politics and this can limit their career progression. If we want more women to get ahead, they need to hone their political savvy skills, advises guest columnist Penny de Valk.     Penny de Valk Fair Play Talks
  • Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
    Invisible Women shows us how, in a world largely built for and by men, we are systematically ignoring half the population. It exposes the gender data gap – a gap in our knowledge that is at the root of perpetual, systemic discrimination against women, and that has created a pervasive but invisible bias with a profound effect on women’s lives.     Caroline Criado Perez Chatto & Windus (7 Mar. 2019)
  • Authentic Gravitas
    Having a powerful, meaningful impact on others is not about being the most dominant person in the room; it's about being intentional, curious, and courageous. Organisational psychologist and executive coach Rebecca Newton has found that even her most successful clients still want more of one quality: gravitas. They want their words to carry weight, to have a positive, lasting impact on those around them.     Rebecca Newton Seven Dials (4 April 2019)
  • Let It Go: The Memoirs of Dame Stephanie Shirley
    Dame Stephanie Shirley is one of Britain's leading philanthropists and has donated most of her life to helping good causes, especially those close to her heart. This fascinating memoir charts Dame Stephanie's life from her time as a child in Germany and arrival in England as an unaccompanied Kindertransport refugee through to her retirement and dedication to charity.     Dame Stephanie Shirley Acorn Books; Revised ed. edition (29 Oct. 2012)
  • Positivity: Groundbreaking Research To Release Your Inner Optimist And Thrive
    One of the leading members of the positive psychology movement draws on cutting-edge research and lab-tested tools to explain:
    • Why positivity is more important than happiness
    • How it relieves depression, broadens minds, and builds lives
    • How to tap into your own sources of positivity     Barbara Fredrickson Oneworld Publications (1 Jan. 2011)
  • Flourish: A New Understanding of Happiness and Wellbeing: The practical guide to using positive psychology to make you happier and healthier
    'This book will help you flourish.' With this promise, internationally esteemed psychologist Martin Seligman begins Flourish, the first book to present his dynamic new concept of what well-being really is.     Martin Seligman Nicholas Brealey Publishing (5 May 2011)
  • Video - Penny de Valk The power of visibility TEDxWhitehaven
    Broadcaster and business journalist Penny Haslam set off on a journey to find out why there were so few women experts on TV and radio, and found they are simply harder to come by because the modern workplace isn’t working for women.     Penny Haslam TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk The price of invulnerability TEDxKC
    In our anxious world, we often protect ourselves by closing off parts of our lives that leave us feeling most vulnerable. Yet invulnerability has a price. When we knowingly or unknowingly numb ourselves to what we sense threatens us, we sacrifice an essential tool for navigating uncertain times - joy.     Brené Brown TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk From Sabotage to Support: Women Liberating Women in the Workplace TEDxWWU
    Countless studies on women in leadership have discussed how women can sabotage each other when the work environment is fraught with patriarchal notions of what a successful business should look like.     Joy Wiggins TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk On Resilience TEDxBarnardCollegeWomen
    In her TEDx talk, Murphy explores the idea of RESILIENCE as one of the key principles to building a world where leadership is constantly re-imagined to reflect the needs of women and society and where it is commonplace for women to attain and exercise power.     Michaela Murphy TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Developing the conversation of women in leadership TEDxHeriotWattUniversity
    By developing the conversations about this topic, Sharon wants to engage with organisations, businesses and society in general, looking at the challenges faced by women in leadership roles. How does society perceive female leaders, and what we can collectively do to improve this?     Sharon Wallace TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk A systematic approach for women to achieve career success TEDxSMUWomen
    Women are making great strides academically earning almost half the advanced degrees in Medicine, Law and Business but why are a smaller percentage of women than men reaching the top of their professions?     Jasmin Rohman TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk How To Lean In Without Burning Out TEDxFiDiWomen
    Vanessa Loder's mission as the Founder of www.vanessaloder.com and Co-Founder of Mindfulness Based Achievement is to empower and inspire millions of women by helping them realize true success is easier than they think.     Vanessa Loder TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Failure and the Importance of mentors TEDxYouth@TheSpire
    Patrick has worked as a consultant, executive coach and educator since 2004 in organisations ranging from Gonzaga College to Trinity College Dublin, Deloitte to Diageo.     Patrick Boland TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Habits of high achievers TEDxTallaght
    A professional speaker, writer and lover of extreme adventure sports Gerry Duffy's CV is filled with accomplishments such as running 32 marathons' in 32 consecutive days and also completing a DECA Iron distance triathlon. (24 mile swim, 1,160 mile bike and 262 mile run).     Gerry Duffy TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Revolutionizing Female Empowerment TEDxYouth@Toronto
    "For me my dream would be to inspire more women into challenging themselves and taking risk to enrol themselves in science and engineering fields." Natalie Panek, Systems Engineer at MDA Space Missions talks about female empowerment, especially in science, technology, and engineering.     Natalie Panek TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Responsibility and Leadership TEDxColumbiaCollege
    Described as "a visionary thinker with a rare intellect," Sinek teaches leaders and organizations how to inspire people. With a bold goal to help build a world in which the vast majority of people go home everyday feeling fulfilled by their work, Sinek is leading a movement to inspire people to do the things that inspire them.     Simon Sinek TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Emotional Intelligence – The Key to Success TEDxBergen
    After working 20 years for the BBC and other media, Tazeen Ahmad wanted to “help individuals also make sense of their stories”. She wants people to understand and use emotional intelligence to their advantage.     Tazeen Ahmad TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk The Art of Goal Setting TEDxUofM
    Keiana Cavé talked about her ideology of not setting SMART goals. She advocates dreaming big so as to not limit yourself. In order to change the world, sometimes you have to be unrealistic.     Keiana Cave TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Embrace Your Influence, Increase Your Impact TEDxCarrollwoodDaySchool
    Danielle Calhoun shares how she was inspired to make an impact on the world. She discovered that by tapping into her current influences and combining her interests she was able to create a business that helped others around the world.     Danielle Calhoun TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Yes she can TEDxAuckland
    Helen Clark is Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) -- the first woman to lead the organization -- and Chair of the United Nations Development Group.     Helen Clark TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Getting stuck in the negatives (and how to get unstuck) TEDxUCDavis
    Alison Ledgerwood joined the Department of Psychology at UC Davis in 2008 after completing her PhD in social psychology at New York University. She is interested in understanding how people think, and how they can think better.     Alison Ledgerwood TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk The art of making impossible, possible TEDxFiDiWomen
    Ingrid Vanderveldt (iV) is the Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Dell, CEO of Green Girl Energy, Founding Organizer of the GLASS Forum (Global Leadership & Sustainable Success), seasoned entrepreneur, business television personality and a passionate advocate for WOMEN + GREEN sustainability initiatives.     Ingrid Vanderveldt TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Today’s Girls are Tomorrow’s Leaders TEDxNatick
    Ever wonder why many women fall short of their career potential? Victoria describes how the ladder of success begins at age 10 and teaches us how to help girls gain confidence to succeed in a competitive world.     Victoria Waterman TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk The secret root of our leadership problems TEDxLSSC
    In this talk, Nicole Duslak explores the root of our leadership problems and discusses ways in which authenticity and vulnerability can help us build the relationships necessary to overcome these problems.     Nicole Duslak TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Tackling Fear and Unleashing your Full Potential TEDxKanata
    Despite the reality of gender-based differences in leadership, women can unleash their full potential even in the face of fear and doubt. Imagine having an empowering tactic to push you through the paralysis of fear and give you the courage to make bolder moves and provide a greater impact as a woman in leadership.     Katherine Cooligan TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk How diversity makes teams more innovative
    Are diverse companies really more innovative? Rocío Lorenzo and her team surveyed 171 companies to find out -- and the answer was a clear yes. In a talk that will help you build a better, more robust company, Lorenzo dives into the data and explains how your company can start producing fresher, more creative *ideas* by treating diversity as a competitive advantage.     Rocío Lorenzo TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk What is Wrong with Women? TEDxTrinityBellwoodsWomen
    For too long, I have found that despite many corrective, remedial, and palliative measures advanced by government, corporate, and academic sectors, the gender barrier issue remains unsolved 40 years after Bryant identified the challenge. Why is this so scary?     Olutoyin Oyelade TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk The Currency of Language TEDxBartonSpringsWomen
    Women can own their power and brilliance by paying attention to this one thing- what we say. What we say impacts how we feel about ourselves, how we show up for others, our ability to influence, our ability to break the glass ceiling, and how much money we make.     Janet Zaretsky TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Shifting Gender Paradigms: Speak Up, Stand Up, Rise Up TEDxWilmingtonWomen
    By age 6, girls and boys may both associate brilliance to boys, and girls may begin opting out of activities that are deemed to require intelligence or brilliance, according to research published in Science Magazine.     Lauri Robbins-Ericson TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Picture a Leader. Is She a Woman? TEDxBartonSpringsWomen
    Women receive conflicting and confusing advice on how to rise in their careers. Typically this well intended guidance leaves us feeling like we need to change who we are at our core, act more like men in the workplace, hide our femininity, and adopt uncomfortable behaviors that don't reflect who we really are.     Carla Howard TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk How to break bad management habits before they reach the next generation of leaders TED@BCG
    Companies are counting on their future leaders to manage with more speed, flexibility and trust than ever before. But how can middle managers climb the corporate ladder while also challenging the way things have always been done?     Elizabeth Lyle TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk No, Hard Work Does Not Speak For Itself TEDxStLouisWomen
    Crystal Martin explains the importance of women being advocates for other women in business. Crystal is the CoderGirl Program Director at LaunchCode and a Co-organizer of Strange Loop Conference.     Crystal Martin TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk The real reason female entrepreneurs get less funding
    Women own 39 percent of all businesses in the US, but female entrepreneurs get only two percent of venture funding. What's causing this gap? Dana Kanze shares research suggesting that it might be the types of questions start-up founders get asked when they're invited to pitch.     Dana Kanze TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk How to find the person who can help you get ahead at work
    The workplace is often presented as a meritocracy, where you can succeed by putting your head down and working hard. Wall Street veteran Carla Harris learned early in her career that this a myth. The key to actually getting ahead? Get a sponsor.     Carla Harris TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk How to make stress your friend
    Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case.     Kelly McGonigal TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Developing a Growth Mindset
    Should you tell your kids they are smart or talented? Professor Carol Dweck answers this question and more, as she talks about her groundbreaking work on developing mindsets. She emphasizes the power of "yet" in helping students succeed in and out of the classroom.     Carol Dweck Stanford Alumni
  • Video - Penny de Valk Your body language may shape who you are TEDGlobal 2012
    Body language affects how others see us, but it may also change how we see ourselves. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy argues that "power posing" -- standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don't feel confident -- can boost feelings of confidence, and might have an impact on our chances for success.     Amy Cuddy TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk The power of believing that you can improve TEDxNorrkoping
    Carol Dweck researches “growth mindset” — the idea that we can grow our brain's capacity to learn and to solve problems. In this talk, she describes two ways to think about a problem that’s slightly too hard for you to solve. Are you not smart enough to solve it … or have you just not solved it yet? A great introduction to this influential field.     Carol Dweck TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Who am I? Think again TEDGlobal 2013
    How do we decide who we are? Hetain Patel's surprising performance plays with identity, language and accent -- and challenges you to think deeper than surface appearances. A delightful meditation on self, with performer Yuyu Rau, and inspired by Bruce Lee.     Hetain Patel TEDx Talks
  • Article - Penny de Valk How Our Careers Affect Our Children Stewart D. Friedman Harvard Business Review
  • Article - Penny de Valk The Top Complaints from Employees About Their Leaders Lou Solomon Harvard Business Review
  • Article - Penny de Valk “Office Housework” Gets in Women’s Way Deborah M. KolbJessica L. Porter Harvard Business Review
  • Article - Penny de Valk Why Women Volunteer for Tasks That Don’t Lead to Promotions Linda BabcockMaria P. RecaldeLise Vesterlund Harvard Business Review
  • Article - Penny de Valk The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why Deborah Tannen Harvard Business Review
  • Quiet Leadership: Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work
    Improving the performance of your employees involves one of the hardest challenges in the known universe: changing the way they think. In constant demand as a coach, speaker, and consultant to companies around the world, David Rock has proven that the secret to leading people (and living and working with them) is found in the space between their ears.     David Rock HarperCollins e-books; Reprint edition (13 Oct. 2009)
  • Women’s Salary Negotiation Guide – Beat The Gender Pay Gap
    According to AAUW, women currently earn 80% of what men earn. The gender pay gap continues to exist and while there are multiple theories regarding the cause of the gap, one of the most commonly heard is that women do not negotiate their salary (while many men do). This theory is backed by multiple studies, including a Mulberrys survey on salary negotiation that found 1 in 3 women have never asked for a raise while for men the figure falls to 1 in 5.     CompanyCompare.co.uk CompanyCompare.co.uk
  • Rookie Smarts Liz Wiseman Rookie Smarts Liz Wiseman
    Is it possible to be at your best even when you are underqualified or doing something for the first time? Is it still possible, even after decades of experience, to recapture the enthusiasm, curiosity, and fearlessness of youth to take on new challenges? With the right mindset—with Rookie Smarts—you can.

    In a rapidly changing world, experience can be a curse. Careers stall, innovation stops, and strategies grow stale. Being new, naïve, and even clueless can be an asset. For today’s knowledge workers, constant learning is more valuable than mastery.     Liz Wiseman HarperBusiness (20 Nov. 2014)
  • Conversational Intelligence Judith Glasser Conversational Intelligence Judith Glasser
    The key to success in life and business is to become a master at Conversational Intelligence. It's not about how smart you are, but how open you are to learn new and effective powerful conversational rituals that prime the brain for trust, partnership, and mutual success. Conversational Intelligence translates the wealth of new insights coming out of neuroscience from across the globe, and brings the science down to earth so people can understand and apply it in their everyday lives.     Routledge; 1 edition (8 Oct. 2013)
  • The Healthy Mind Toolkit: Quit Sabotaging Your Success and Become Your Best Self The Healthy Mind Toolkit: Quit Sabotaging Your Success and Become Your Best Self
    I can’t believe I just did that!
    Why does this always happen to me?
    I really should stop myself from . . .

    Sound familiar? Whether we’re aware of it or not, most of us are guilty of self-sabotage. These behaviors can manifest in seemingly innocuous ways, but if left unchecked can create stress and cause problems in all areas of your life.     Alice Boyes Tarcherperigee (1 May 2018)
  • Time to Think: Listening to Ignite the Human Mind Time to Think: Listening to Ignite the Human Mind
    The power of effective listening is recognised as the essential tool of good management. In this book, Kline describes how we can achieve this, and presents a step-by-step guide that can be used in any situation. Whether you want to have more productive meetings, solve business problems or build stronger relationships, this book offers you a new world of possibilities.     Nancy Kline Cassell (5 Sept. 2002)
  • Forget a Mentor Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor: The New Way to Fast-Track Your Career
    Who’s pulling for you? Who’s got your back? Who’s putting your hat in the ring? Odds are this person is not a mentor but a sponsor. Mentors can build your self-esteem and provide a sounding board—but they’re not your ticket to the top.

    If you’re interested in fast-tracking your career, what you need is a sponsor—a senior-level champion who believes in your potential and is willing to advocate for you as you pursue that next raise or promotion.     Sylvia Ann Hewlett
  • Win Win: When Business Works for Women, It Works for Everyone
    Getting men involved in the conversation about how life is in organisations for women, this book is a great summary of how women adapt to a working life designed for and by men. And is a rallying cry for men and women to really see what is happening and change accordingly.     Joanne Lipman John Murray (22 Feb. 2018)
  • How women rise
    An accessible and powerful guide to career progression for women looking at the 12 habits that undermine women’s success - from Failing to Enlist Allies to Letting Your Radar Distract You.     Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith Random House Business (12 April 2018)
  • Article - Penny de Valk You’re More Biased Than You Think JANE PORTER Fast Company
  • Article - Penny de Valk How (Un)ethical Are You? Mahzarin R. BanajiMax H. BazermanDolly Chugh Harvard Business Review
  • Article - Penny de Valk Four Ways Women Stunt Their Careers Unintentionally Jill Flynn, Kathryn Heath, and Mary Davis Holt Harvard Business Review
  • Article - Penny de Valk HBR Sept 2010 Why Men Still Get More Promotions Than Women Herminia Ibarra, Nancy M. Carter, Christine Silva Harvard Business Review
  • Article - Penny de Valk Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers Herminia Ibarra, Robin J. Ely, Deborah M. Kolb Harvard Business Review
  • Article - Penny de Valk Women in the Workplace: A Research Roundup Herminia Ibarra Harvard Business Review
  • Article - Penny de Valk The Authenticity Paradox Herminia Ibarra Harvard Business Review
  • What works for women at work What Works for Women at Work
    Williams and Dempsey (mother and daughter) distil decades of research to identify four patterns of behaviour that create obstacles to women’s advancement. And give pragmatic and well tested advice on how navigate them.
    Joan C. Williams, Rachel Dempsey NYU Press; Workbook ed. edition (9 Jan. 2018)
  • Drop the ball
    Tiffany Dufu’s engaging and practical book shows us how to embrace imperfection and prioritise our success in the face of overwhelming work and home obligations. Focussing on what’s going on at home and how we can negotiate that, she tells an inspiring story about how to use techniques from the Four Go-Tos to using the village to thrive.     Tiffany Dufu Penguin Life (22 Feb. 2018)
  • Video - Penny de Valk Charlotte Beers at TEDxWomen 2012
    Charlotte Beers talks about her career in advertising and business, and the experiences that shaped her leadership skills. She has served as CEO for Tatham-Laird & Kudner and Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, and was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2009.     Charlotte Beers TEDx Talks
  • Video - Penny de Valk Power and Influence Deborah Gruenfeld Stanford Graduate School of Business
  • The Confidence Code The Confidence Code
    An accessible and generous read Kay and Shipman take a sweeping view of women and their lack of self assurance drawing extensively on research and interviews to genuinely enquire into its' causes and effects. The book also includes macro and micro confidence building habits - both do's and don'ts!     Katty Kay & Claire Shipman HarperBusiness; International ed. edition (2 July 2015)
  • Why Don't Women Ask? Why Don’t Women Ask?
    Babcock and Laschever contend women need to negotiate now more than ever but they don't ask - for promotions, for recognition, for more help at home. Exploring the anxiety around negotiating they create helpful frameworks acknowledging the dual goals in negotiations - issue related goals and relationship goals.     Linda Babcock & Sara Laschever Piatkus; New Ed edition (4 Sept. 2008)
  • Resilient: Find your inner strength Resilient: Find your inner strength
    Rick Hanson brings an understanding of the plasticity of our brains with a deep understanding of how our minds can influence that. Steeped in neuroscience and psychology the book is rich with wisdom and daily practices that can grow and hard wire inner strengths as our best resources for resilient wellbeing     Rick Hanson Rider (29 Mar. 2018)
  • The Strengths Book: Discover How to be Fulfilled in Your Work and in Life (Concise Advice) The Strengths Book: Discover How to be Fulfilled in Your Work and in Life (Concise Advice)
    Sally Bibb has written an uplifting can-do book on strengths and how to identify them and make them work for us. Practical and accessible this book can be used at home and in organisations to fuel real learning, moving away from an energy sapping deficit mindset and instead focussing on what is possible.     Sally Bibb LID Publishing (26 Oct. 2017)
  • Women & Power: A Manifesto Women & Power: A Manifesto
    Mary Beard's classicist yet deeply contemporary view of how history has treated powerful women is a compelling and provocative read. All the more so by the personal reflections of her own experience as a high profile women of international acclaim.     Professor Mary Beard Profile Books; Main edition (2 Nov. 2017)
  • Pushback: How Smart Women Ask--and Stand Up--for What They Want Pushback: How Smart Women Ask–and Stand Up–for What They Want
    A book full of tools to help with negotiating when it can feel so intimidating. Women initiate negotiations 4 times less than men yet self-advocacy is critical to their success. A real skill builder, Rezvani challenges old assumptions and tentative approaches, from confronting an issue head-on without damaging a relationship, through to how to negotiate your own career advancement.     Selena Rezani John Wiley & Sons; 1 edition (19 April 2012)
  • Women Who Think Too Much: How to break free of overthinking and reclaim your life Women Who Think Too Much: How to break free of overthinking and reclaim your life
    Nolen-Hoeksema makes a strong case for the negative consequences of overthinking. Seeing women caught in their negative thoughts and emotions, what she calls a disease of 'morbid meditation' that women suffer from much more than men. And she shows how it doesn't have to be that way, outlining strategies to not allow our negative emotions rule our lives and undermine our efforts.     Susan Nolen-Hoeksema Piatkus; New Ed edition (29 Jan. 2004)
  • Mindset - Updated Edition: Changing The Way You think To Fulfil Your Potential Mindset – Updated Edition: Changing The Way You think To Fulfil Your Potential
    Carol Dweck explores the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset and the huge consequences of that mindset shift to our lives and careers. Individuals who believe their talents can be developed have a growth mindset and achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset, as they put their energy into learning. Working with our fixed mindset triggers to stay in the growth zone is hard work but reaps real rewards for our success and fulfillment.     Dr Carol Dweck Robinson (12 Jan. 2017)
  • Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
    Dr Brene Brown's insight and wisdom encourages us to be bigger than our anxiety and fear. That in fact protecting ourselves from vulnerability, telling ourselves we are in control, diminishes us. Leaning into discomfort and ambiguity we will be rewarded with living wholeheartedly and courageously.     Brene Brown Penguin Life (3 Dec. 2015)
  • Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges
    Amy Cuddy's Ted talk on Power Poses made a huge impact with women doing Wonderwoman poses in the bathrooms worldwide. This book looks at powerlessness and its' opposite presence. The book shows us how we can stop worrying about the impression we are making and change the impression we are making on ourselves, teaching us how to be more self assured in high stress moments.     Amy Cuddy Orion (28 Jan. 2016)
  • Clash!: How to Thrive in a Multicultural World Clash!: How to Thrive in a Multicultural World
    A beautifully researched and synthesised view of the binary nature of our changing world and cultures. The chapter on Gender Cultures, teasing out the mindsets and behaviours in male independence and female interdependence, is a helpful lens through which to see our default mechanisms - millennia in the making.     Hazel Rose Markus and Alana Conner Plume Books; Reprint edition (24 Jun. 2014)
  • The Next Generation of Women Leaders: What You Need to Lead but Won't Learn in Business School  The Next Generation of Women Leaders: What You Need to Lead but Won’t Learn in Business School 
    Rezvani distills extensive research and experience into this book full of concise and pragmatic advice for women early in their leadership careers, but relevant for all. From on the job rules to networking, negotiation, office politics and work/life balance.     Selena Rezvani Praeger (22 Dec. 2009)
  • Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader
    Turning on its' head the notion of 'think first and then act', Ibarra has rich and practical advice on how to become a high impact leader. Redefine your job, diversify your network and be more playful with your self-concept. This will increase your 'outsight' which will help inform what kind of work is important, how you should invest your time, what relationships are important, and who you want to become.     Herminia Ibarra Harvard Business Review Press; 01 edition (10 Feb. 2015)
  • Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career
    Herminia Ibarra challenges conventional approaches to careers and identity transitions. A book that speaks broadly to how we develop our leadership identities and how our working selves evolve. Pragmatic and reassuring, grounded in an apprenticeship model that requires us to act and do stuff while insisting on the benefits of experimenting and lingering to ensure we arrive truly reinvented with a sense of self renewal.     Herminia Ibarra Harvard Business Review Press (1 Jan. 2004)
  • The Politics of Promotion: How High-Achieving Women Get Ahead and Stay Ahead The Politics of Promotion: How High-Achieving Women Get Ahead and Stay Ahead
    Bonnie Marcus confronts our failure to see self promotion as a leadership skill that we have a responsibility to become skilled at, for our teams and our organisations. Acutely aware of the potential landmines in the political landscape she gives extensive practical advice on how to navigate those with integrity and authenticity.     Bonnie Marcus John Wiley & Sons; 1 edition (24 April 2015)
  • Break Your Own Rules - How to Change the Patterns of Thinking that Block Women’s Path to Power Break Your Own Rules – How to Change the Patterns of Thinking that Block Women’s Path to Power
    Based on extensive research and their experience of coaching and training over 5,000 women Flynn, Heath and Holt capture 6 faulty assumptions many women make that can get in the way of their success. (Focus on Others, Seek Approval, Be Modest, Work Harder, Play it Safe, It's all or nothing). They then turn them on their head and give practical advice on making the new rules work for you. Great insight and examples of how we can 'get out of our own way'.     Jill Flynn and Kathryn Heath John Wiley & Sons; 1 edition (21 Oct. 2011)
  • The Influence Effect The Influence Effect
    Faison, Holt and Flynn explore the challenge of navigating politics and women's deep ambivalence about office politics. The book reviews the challenges from how men and women define politics through to how women are judged harshly when engaging in office politics. Then they give their Big Five strategies from influence loops to scenario thinking designed for senior women to amplify their influence, acknowledging that what works for men wont work for women.     Diana Faison, Mary Davis Holt, Jill Flynn Berrett-Koehler Publishers (30 Oct. 2017)

  • “Penny’s compelling approach to leadership is steeped in her wealth of experience, knowledge and wisdom – she is an insightful and empowering mentor whose guidance has had a hugely positive effect on my approach to matters of presence, impact, self-awareness and authenticity.”

     Emma James COO Kamwell

  • “Penny for me is a stand out role model of women in leadership. She fought for my career, believed in me and showed firsthand what being a powerful woman in business can look like. For this especially I am eternally grateful.”

     Celine Floyd, Director of Leadership Assessment Capp & Co Ltd

  • “Penny was a catalyst for significant change, redefining the strategy and structure, developing the senior team to achieve their best through her coaching style and driving a more commercial approach. I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with such an inspirational, innovative and insightful leader.”

     Gaynor Lewis. Head of Commercial Development. ILM

  • “Penny is without hesitation one of the best CEOs I have worked with. …She is results focussed driven and challenging combined with an engaging style, an incredible sense of warmth and a clear passion for business.”

     Sara Barrie – Sara Barrie & Associates

  • “Penny is one of the most accomplished professionals I have had the privilege of working for and with…She has a real focus on results but creates an environment/culture that allows people to be their best”

     Stephen Randall Partner Melior HR

  • “Superb at managing stakeholders, calm in a crisis and always with her sense of humour close to the surface, Penny is one of the best CEOs I’ve ever worked with and I’d have no hesitation in recommending anyone take the opportunity to work with her if they get the chance”

     Kerry Simmons Marketing Director LHH

  • “Penny was my boss and inspiration for over three years…With Penny you want to work hard and be your best. And work hard we did, but we also had a great deal of fun and satisfaction in making a difference at ILM under Penny’s leadership”

     Helen Oldfield, Sales and Marketing Director, MRS

  • “She has a strong focus on customer experience and cutting through ‘stuff’ to deliver results. I can’t think of anyone better placed to provide first class advice on business and personal growth”

     Hilary Hall, Chief Executive, National Hairdressers Federation

  • “Penny is without doubt one of the most impressive senior professionals working in the people space. Her presence, intellect and stature dictate that Penny is a leading light in her field, bringing both a commercial and deeply wise approach to business. She has other rare qualities for a senior executive, genuine charm, authenticity and humility. It is always a happy experience when one gets the chance to work with Penny and a fabulous opportunity to learn.”

     John Renz, Director at Executive Action

  • “Penny was (and remains to this day) an inspiration to me and so many others. Working with her is a highlight of my career, and one that I sincerely hope happens again!”

     Rob Sayers-Brown, Customer Relationship Manager at Eliesha Training Ltd

  • “Penny is simply outstanding in the capacity of coach and mentor. She has a warm personality which coupled with her sharp business acumen, professionalism and generosity in the way she invests in others professional growth is something which I have rarely seen in leaders who have held positions such as Penny has.”

     Caroline Mellor, Global HR Director, Transformation and Effectiveness at Dentsu Aegis Network