Confidence at work helps define your ability to succeed. For women, confidence is sometimes hard to project for fear of looking too aggressive or being seen as rude. This book delves into the science behind confidence and defines the key factors that women should consider when trying to develop their confidence in the workplace.
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By clearly defining the components of confidence, the authors provide practical advice that women can use to become more confident, or project more confidence as the case may be.

The central topic of this book is fear, anxiety, and stress – all things that we, as human race, try to avoid at all costs. So, why read a book about it?

The answer is simple: we can all be more effective at achieving (insert your dreams and aspirations here) if we know how to better deal with fear.

The book starts by defining the difference between fear, anxiety, and stress and then continues with stories of people from all walks of life having to overcome fear. Each story is supported by an explanation of the science behind the fear and the technique used to overcome it. The stories are entertaining and easy to apply to your own life.
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On the last few pages, Clark summarizes the book with a set of ways to better cope with your fears, anxiety, and stress. If you’ve spent a sleepless night running over an issue in your head, you will learn something from this book to help ensure you don’t lose another night’s sleep.

Million Dollar Consulting The Professional’s Guide to Growing a Practice: Alan Weiss

The Consulting Bible: Everything you need to know to create and Expand a Seven Figure Consulting Practice: Alan Weiss

I’m reviewing both of these books together because I read them both within a three week period, and overwhelmingly they contain the same information.

The focus of the content is a very practical guide to running a solo-practitioner consulting business. This book is about the mechanics of a successful practice, not the theories or skills related to the delivery of the service.

There were several sections that I found to have very useful, practical information. For example, Weiss outlines in detail the contents of his proposals to clients. (He has also written a book Million Dollar Proposals focused on this topic, which I have not read.) In addition, he covers, in detail, his overall sales process, including very detailed tips on what works and what doesn’t.

I also enjoyed the section (and it is a theme throughout the book) on ethics in the consulting business.
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Obviously, this is not a book for everyone, because not everyone is interested in becoming a consultant. However, if you are, or if you are thinking about starting your own practice, I think there is a lot to be learned from this book.