Review: Winning at Leading by Ronica Watkins, PhD

An outspoken, hands-on guide for women starting a journey to positions of authority, Winning at Leading: Women in Leadership – The Power of SHE by Ronica Watkins, PhD is an essential roadmap for women in all work positions to achieve their goals, whether they want to achieve a promotion, lead a group of volunteers, or handle family issues more efficiently.

Drawing from her extensive experience in positions of responsibility, Watkins offers the kind of know-how that is useful to tackle everyday challenges, while also helping readers to reframe their life and career in the long term. What Watkins offers is a pathway towards revolutionizing how woman think about themselves no matter their circumstances, rather than concentrating purely on the litany of the problems that women might encounter in office environments. As the author points out, “Leadership isn’t a title or a position; it’s a mindset.”

Watkins starts her treatise by reshaping the concept of success itself; encouraging her readers to abandon stale, often male-oriented stereotypes, she lays out an idea of leadership that is based on empathy, adaptability, and collaboration as much as self-assurance and decisiveness. By leaving behind counterproductive habits – such as refusing the help of a talented colleague for fear of being outshined or ending up overworked because of a refusal to delegate – women can aim at building a network of trusted people around them.

The book stresses that success is the fruit of team effort, not a solo enterprise. Learning to see the best in people and helping them bring it out can initiate a virtuous cycle in which everyone’s talents are put to full use, colleagues feel valued and gratified, and work gets done better and faster. This is true for working with both women and men – without laying blame, Watkins pins down many of the gender issues that still plague work environments, emphasizing the impact of structural problems, such as the pay gap. Her language, however, never takes a defeatist tone; with her lively and straightforward prose, the book encourages her readers to rethink their supposed weaknesses into strengths, using relatable and accessible stories to reinforce her points.

The book is structured so that each chapter builds on the knowledge and skills acquired in the one before, resulting in a highly instructive reading experience. Nevertheless, it is possible to dip in and out of the book thanks to its well-organized index, which makes it easy to retrieve specific information. As the book covers leadership in both women’s careers and their personal lives, it is made to be read and reread for different purposes, but it is much more effective when read cumulatively.

At times, Watkins’ pronouncements do get a little repetitive or on-the-nose in her encouragement, but she is generally trying to drive her points home, emphasizing that the world doesn’t just benefit from more women in leadership positions, it requires them. Candid, down-to-earth, and incredibly inspiring, this is the kind of book that readers will want to keep frequently on hand in their journey to success.