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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Mistakes I Made at Work summary
Jessica Bacal
25 Influential Women on Lessons Learned from Mistakes
20 mins
Brief summary
Mistakes I Made at Work shares candid stories from accomplished women, highlighting their career missteps and the lessons learned. It provides invaluable insights to help navigate challenges and grow professionally through resilience and reflection.
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Mistakes I Made at Work
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Taking the leap
Women frequently face unspoken expectations to choose stable career paths – climbing traditional ladders, collecting impressive titles, holding tightly to hard-won security. This proves especially true for those who’ve overcome barriers in male-dominated industries or elite spaces. Research indicates women tend to stay in unsatisfying roles longer than men, wary of perceptions that changing course signals unreliability. Yet staying put isn’t always the wisest choice. Bold moves toward meaningful work often mean leaving comfort zones behind.
Consider Rachel Simmons’ story. Simmons, now a best-selling author and leadership development specialist known for her work on girls’ social development, graduated from Vassar College, a prestigious liberal arts institution, and thrived in New York’s political scene – city hall roles, senate campaigns, a Rhodes scholarship. By outward measures, she’d mastered society’s playbook for success. But in Oxford’s storied halls, surrounded by peers strategizing their next career chess moves, she felt hollow. The achievements meant little without personal resonance. Though leaving such a prized opportunity meant risking judgment from others – particularly for a woman expected to prove her dedication – she chose departure over dissonance.
Returning home brought challenges: confused parents, quiet doubts, the sting of stepping off a prestigious track. Yet this space allowed reflection. Childhood memories of playground exclusion resurfaced, sparking curiosity about relational aggression among girls. Conversations with an editor focused on youth psychology led to unexpected clarity. Her resulting book resonated deeply, creating opportunities aligned with purpose rather than external validation.
Another example comes from Corinna Lathan’s pivot. Lathan, a trailblazing biomedical engineer and entrepreneur, secured a rare faculty position in engineering before noticing troubling patterns. Colleagues faced disproportionate demands – endless committees alongside research quotas – making career shifts feel perilous. But seeing her robotics work confined to labs troubled her. Families needing adaptive technologies deserved real-world solutions. When a startup hub opened nearby, she traded academic stability for entrepreneurial unknowns.
Early hurdles tested this choice. A promising therapy robot exceeded production budgets despite grant support. Instead of retreating, Lathan’s team adapted. Their revised product succeeded, aiding children globally. She attributes perseverance to STEM training – viewing setbacks as data points, not defeats. Now her journey inspires others contemplating unconventional paths.
These accounts share a common thread: meaningful impact rarely follows rigid scripts. For women conditioned to avoid missteps, releasing the need for perfect linear progress can spark unexpected growth. Security matters, but so does alignment between daily efforts and deeper values. Whether through writing, innovation, or other channels, fulfillment often lies beyond the safety of checkboxes and gold stars.
By prioritizing curiosity over convention, both Simmons and Lathan discovered work that transcended superficial measures of achievement. Their paths remind us that growth sometimes demands releasing the rungs we’ve clung to, trusting our capacity to reach for new ones.
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What is Mistakes I Made at Work about?
Mistakes I Made At Work (2014) gathers candid stories from women who turned career stumbles into stepping stones. You’ll hear firsthand how setbacks – from miscalculations in high-pressure roles to moments of self-doubt – became pivotal lessons in leadership and growth. It explores how missteps become tools for building resilience, reshaping priorities, and forging paths that honor ambition without sacrificing authenticity.
Who should read Mistakes I Made at Work?
- Women reconsidering traditional definitions of career success
- Professionals navigating male-dominated industries or workplaces
- Individuals seeking the courage to prioritize authenticity over external validation
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