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Victorious Woman! Shaping
Life's Challenges Into Personal Victories
by Annmarie Kelly, Optimal Living Press; (January, 2005) Softcover,
$16.95
ReaderStrength Rating:
Focus 3
Build 4
Adapt 4
Overall Rating as a Leadership Resource 3.6
(Please see "How Do We Evaluate Resources?" in right column)
Personal leadership is the foundation for
organizational leadership. As you lead yourself, you attract people
around you who want to be led. The leadership process involves
overcoming obstacles. This month we look at a book that addresses both
personal leadership and overcoming obstacles.
Victorious Woman! Shaping Life's Challenges
Into Personal Victories, by Annmarie Kelly, begins with
the author's own soul-searching. As she waits for a call from her doctor
about the results of a medical test, she wonders... if she were faced
with something that seemed unthinkable - being told she has cancer - how
she would face the news? Would she choose to live the rest of her life
victoriously?
A question we leaders can ask ourselves is, "Are we leaders because
leading is natural to us? Or, are we leaders because we choose to see a
better future and do what it takes to live victoriously for ourselves,
our families, and our communities?"
Kelly interviewed nine women who overcame great challenges to be
victorious in their lives. Victory was not a goal that any of the nine
women set out to achieve. Instead, it was the result of a process like
leadership that people take one step at a time. Kelly writes:
"Being a Victorious Woman is something
of a double-edged tribute.
The circumstance that led to victory is one that each woman would have
preferred not to experience.
As life would have it, not one Victorious Woman had a crystal ball to
predict her outcome. With no way of knowing what life had in store, she
had no special motivation to prepare for her particular victory."
There is a good chance that the title might steer male readers to
another book. However, I believe there are leadership lessons and
insights for both men and women leaders. Therefore, I asked two of
ReaderStrength's male readers, Steve and Jim, to read the book in
preparation for this review. Both men had the same first comment. They
felt that the book was extremely well-written.
Steve explained, "I was able to see, feel and understand the nine
women's stories. The descriptive writing style kept me reading and
gathering insights into what it means to survive vs. to advance so I can
continue to achieve victories in my own life."
Jim said, "Reading about the different circumstances that each of the
women faced showed me that success or victory can be accomplished, in
spite of one's circumstances, if s/he keeps an expectant attitude and
perseveres."
Recommendation
The book is masterly crafted to reach each reader on his or her own
journey. The book leads you to discover within yourself an opening for
victory. We recommend this book because it delivers compelling stories
full of inspiration and insight. These stories offer you the inspiration
to focus on the future. One minute you will cry and the next minute you
will stand in awe at the circumstances these women faced. The way the
book is designed, with the coaching-style questions at the end of each
chapter, allows you to determine specific actions you can take to
achieve your own victory in your life. I suspect that this is a book you
will want to share with friends. Together you can ponder the
possibilities!
If you want to find out more about the book
click here
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About ReaderStrength |
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ReaderStrength is an e-publication that saves you time when looking
for books to fuel your inspiration as you lead yourself and others.
Each issue is archived at our website
click here
How Do We Evaluate Resources?
All of the books we review are evaluated on how they support a
leader’s progress in applying our working definition of leadership.
We teach leaders to: Focus, Build, and Adapt:
Focus: A leader is able to see
a new future
Build: A leader can build from
his or her strengths as a foundation, adding on new skills,
knowledge, and attitudes to create the new future.
Adapt: A leader is skilled at
using feedback from their own thinking, other people’s reactions,
and results/information from their environments to self-correct and
keep moving toward the new future they envisioned.
Here is our rating system:
Outstanding 4
Good 3
Satisfactory 2
Unsatisfactory 1
Focus- How well does this book
inspire a vision of a new future?
Build- How well does this book
teach new knowledge and skills?
Adapt-How well does this book
assist readers in examining and optimizing their own behaviors?
Overall Rating as a Leadership Resource:
We average the ratings in the above three categories.
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