MAKE SPACE TO LEAD

A management consultant and former Facebook product designer discusses how to loosen up one’s leadership style in this self-help book.

At work, writes Taygerly, people typically check off items on their to-do lists, and at home, “we run through the familiar pattern of meal prep, chores, commuting, and perhaps a little bit of relaxation” while “preparing to repeat the pattern tomorrow.” Too rarely, she maintains, do people remember to take the time to simply be. Instead, people often berate themselves for no reason and worry when worry is pointless. In this book, Taygerly draws on her own experience as an overachiever—a former, self-described “control freak”—and urges readers to remember that everybody makes mistakes, but that they should not only accept them, but also “learn from them, and even actively celebrate them!” She asserts that most people treat themselves badly in the service of their own inner “achievement monster” that “keeps driving us to unhealthy, unsustainable behaviors.” Throughout, she offers various strategies for defanging such monsters, including asking a series of stark questions like “What’s the absolute worst thing that could happen?” or “What are you most afraid of?” When one treats oneself better, the book asserts, one can lead other people with a similar sense of compassion. Over the course of this book, Taygerly relates her concepts with the polished, smooth delivery that’s reminiscent of a practiced TED Talk-er.This approach has the common drawback of presenting truisms as innovative wisdom, as when she asks, “Have you ever done something spontaneous that felt amazing? Try bringing that feeling into your presentations.” Fortunately, this style also has a benefit: It makes for a consistently readable work, and it effectively emphasizes Taygerly’s buoyant encouragements as she describes ways for readers to work toward their very best selves.

A knowing, enthusiastic plan for moving past behaviors that keep one from success.