Smart Thinking Books

Interview with Lauren Neal, author of Valued at Work: Shining a light on bias to engage, enable, and retain women in STEM

Interview with Lauren Neal, author of Valued at Work: Shining a light on bias to engage, enable, and retain women in STEM


Lauren Neal, author of Valued at Work: Shining a light on bias to engage, enable, and retain women in STEM recommends a useful selection of books! Before jumping into the interview, please check out Lauren's book:

Valued at Work: Shining a light on bias to engage, enable, and retain women in STEM

Valued at Work: Shining a light on bias to engage, enable, and retain women in STEM

Lauren Neal

Description from Bookshop.org:
Your gender stats are tumbling, women aren’t advancing, their feedback is poor, and too many are leaving. What’s going on?

Women navigating a traditionally male-dominated technical sector too frequently feel invisible, frustrated, and undervalued in the workplace. Lauren Neal has been there, and she’s developed tried-and-tested approaches that male-dominated organizations can take to motivate and retain women. Because only a truly empowered, diverse workforce can drive the best business outcomes and innovations.

Inspired by real-life stories, Valued at Work gives you the tools to take control and drive real change without alienating any of the workforce! Lauren Neal is an award-winning chartered engineer and chartered project professional in the energy industry. Having worked with men and women offshore, onshore and onsite on multimillion-dollar projects across the globe since 2005, she is a sought-after speaker and writer championing gender equity within STEM.

Buy On:

Bookshop.org UK £14.24 Bookshop.org US $20.45 Blackwells £14.99 Waterstones £14.99

(All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)

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Q. Do you have a favourite smart thinking book (and why that book)?

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey.
It was required reading when I was at university and over the last 2 decades, I find myself referring to it regularly - it’s an absolute gem of a book!

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Stephen R. Covey

Description from Bookshop.org:
Considered one of the most inspiring books ever written, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has guided generations of readers for the past three decades. Presidents and CEOs have kept it by their bedsides, students have underlined and studied passages from it, teachers and parents have drawn from it, and individuals of all ages and occupations have used its step-by-step pathway to adapt to change and take advantage of the opportunities that change creates. Now this thirtieth anniversary edition of the timeless classic commemorates the wisdom of the 7 habits with fresh insights from Sean Covey.

With penetrating insights and practical anecdotes, Stephen R. Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity - principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

Buy On:

Bookshop.org UK £16.14 Bookshop.org US $18.59 Blackwells £14.99 Waterstones £16.99

(All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)

Q. What's the most recent smart thinking book you've read (and how would you rate it)?

Coach Yourself Confident: Ditch the self-doubt tax, unlock humble confidence by Julie Smith.
I would definitely rate it 5 stars and recommend it to anyone spending far too much time questioning their abilities and actions at work.

Coach Yourself Confident: Ditch the self-doubt tax, unlock humble confidence

Coach Yourself Confident: Ditch the self-doubt tax, unlock humble confidence

Julie Smith

Description from Bookshop.org:
Want to be more confident at work? You're not alone. So many of us grapple with self-doubt.

Perhaps you’re an exhausted achiever? You’re delivering results and progressing in your career, but you feel utterly worn out. You’re compensating for a lack of confidence with excessive effort and punishingly high standards. Or perhaps you’re feeling frustrated and unfulfilled? Self-doubt is making you hold yourself back, you're avoiding challenges that could demonstrate how good you really are. This book can help. Distilling over a decade of real-life research into clear insights, practical tools and impactful activities, Julie Smith shows you how to Coach Yourself Confident.

Buy On:

Bookshop.org UK £14.24 Bookshop.org US $17.66 Blackwells £14.99 Waterstones £14.99

(All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)

Q. Do you have a favourite childhood book?

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
It was the first book I read cover to cover - really because my mum made me read it, but I loved it!

A Little Princess

A Little Princess

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Description from Blackwells:
Alone in a new country, wealthy Sara Crewe tries to settle in and make friends at boarding school. But when she learns that she'll never see her beloved father gain, her life is turned upside down.

Transformed from princess to pauper, she must swap dancing lessons and luxury for hard work and a room in the attic. Will she find that kindness and genorosity are all the riches she truly needs?

Buy On:

Bookshop.org UK £7.59 Bookshop.org US $15.80 Blackwells £13.99 Waterstones £9.99

(All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)

Q. Do you prefer reading on paper, Kindle or listening to an audiobook?

I’ve never actually listened to an audiobook. I do like reading on Kindle particularly when I’m travelling (e.g. on the plane), but the feeling of a paper book that has been read cannot be replicated on Kindle :)


Q. Do you have a favourite bookshop (and why that shop)?


I love any bookshop that has a cafe surrounded by books, and possibly games too. I’ve seen a few but not many. It’s such a great atmosphere where people can hang out, on laptops, reading, or playing games - just watching the world go by. These are normally independent bookshops where I love the vibe.


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Many thanks to Lauren for recommending a useful selection of books! Please don't forget to check out Valued at Work: Shining a light on bias to engage, enable, and retain women in STEM.
Daryl


Image Copyrights: (Valued at Work: Shining a light on bias to engage, enable, and retain women in STEM), Simon & Schuster (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change), Practical Inspiration Publishing (Coach Yourself Confident: Ditch the self-doubt tax, unlock humble confidence), Penguin Random House Children's UK (A Little Princess).

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Smart Thinking Books was born to shine a spotlight on books that can fuel your mind! Many smart thinking books have changed the way I look at the world for the better, so I started this site to help spread the word.
- Daryl Feehely

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