Mistakes I Made at Work

Koop, Kira
Z-Useful Entertainment


Bacal, J. (Ed.). (2014). Mistakes I made at work: 25 influential women reflect on what they got out of getting it wrong (1st ed.). New York, New York: Plume.


In this collection of essays, Jessica Bacal interviewed 25 women about their careers - not the bright, shiny spots, but the toughest moments. Divided into four sections, on learning to take charge of your own narrative, learning to ask, learning to say no, and learning resilience, the compilation covers a multitude of different industries and topics.

Included among these are some that are less relevant to the course content, and also some that are more relevant. For instance, in the introduction to Dr. Shirley Malcom's essay, Bacal writes that Dr. Malcom believes that science should be taught in a better way: that "children should have the opportunity to learn scientific concepts through coming up with their own questions, then conducting real research to try to find the answers." Malcom's essay focuses on the progression of her story through academia and professional life, with the crux being opportunity - or lack thereof.

Similarly, Dr. Carol S. Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford, writes about how perfectionism and validation can impact one's learning ability. The introduction for her essay concentrates on her refusal to describe anyone as "smart", in case it limits their potential.
I found this book to be quite interesting; I recommend it highly. Its Dewey Decimal classification, if you're interested, is 650.109252 MIS 2014. Enjoy!