Becoming Leaders

A couple of weeks ago, Zuska reviewed and recommended Becoming Leaders: A Practical Handbook for Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology, which is a joint project of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Society of Women Engineers. It covers many aspects of a successful career, including time management, work-life balance, and networking, and includes chapters on improving workplace diversity.

From her review:

An underlying assumption throughout the book is that you must actively promote yourself and your career. You cannot wait around for someone to show you the way and recognize your brilliance. Self-promotion sometimes runs against our instincts as women, or our training as scientists which tells us our work should speak for itself. Unfortunately, women's work doesn't speak as loudly as the same thing done by men, so you have to work all available options to make sure others can see your worth.

I would recommend this book for women at almost any point in their career trajectory, and it certainly should be on the shelf (and in the minds) of every dean, department chair, or manager. It provides a welcome emphasis on not just surviving a STEM career, but actively managing it with the goal of becoming a leader who can influence institutional behavior. It's time for women in STEM to claim their role in leadership.

You can order the book directly from the American Society of Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, or from Amazon.com.

Tags: women in science, women in engineering, Becoming Leaders