Unapologetically Ambitious

Sharing my learnings from the book, Unapologetically Ambitious by Shellye Archambeau

Unapologetically Ambitious by Shellye Archambeau

Shellye Archambeau recounts how she overcame the challenges she faced as a young black woman, wife, and mother, managing her personal and professional responsibilities while climbing the ranks at IBM and subsequently in her roles as CEO. Through the busts and booms of Silicon Valley in the early 2000s, this bold and inspiring book details the risks she took and the strategies she engaged to steer her family, her career, and her company MetricStream toward success.

• Shellye Archambeau is one of the very few African American female CEOs (IBM) in Silicon Valley
• Shellye is raised to believe that people can create their own luck and increase their chances of success, regardless of where they start. By setting goals, strategizing effectively & developing the attitude & skills to take advantage of opportunities when they appeared, Shellye turned her ambitions into reality – and so can you
• don’t let impostor syndrome (the feeling of not belonging, or of not deserving success) hold you back from chasing your goals and living the life you want
• when Shellye feels intimidated, she feigns confidence and repeats the mantra, “act like you know what you are doing, listen hard and eventually, you will know what you are doing.”
• when combating impostor syndrome, it’s important to check in with your cheerleaders & believe them when they recognize your worth
• decide on your goals and create a strategy to achieve them
• be as strategic about choosing a life partner as you are about your goals
• Shellye practiced a skill that would serve her repeatedly throughout her life and career: self determination 
• self-determination is the ability to make responsible decisions about your life and stand firmly behind them – even if others disagree.
• to improve your self-determination, think of your levels of competence, autonomy & relatedness. Then determine which ones need improving & what steps you can take.
• know when you’re taking on too much & find harmony by integrating different aspects of your life
• the act of delegating not only frees up time at home, it also helps people move up in organizations and is good for overall well being
• work-life integration allows people to priories different things at different times. It also encourages creativity and getting multiple things done in one go
• be vocal about what you want career-wise and if something blocks your progress, find a way around it
• you never know who has the power or connections to make things happen. By broadcasting your intentions, you up the chances of finding opportunities 
• to increase your opportunities, stay flexible and be willing to take a few risks
• when contemplating risks, it’s useful to weigh the fears against the value of the opportunity. Shellye’s approach is to consider the potential rewards and then ask herself if she can live with the worst case scenario