How can women become effective leaders in large organizations without sacrificing who they are, as women and as mothers? This book answers the question: They should live out the 10 characteristics of today's winning leaders. These characteristics — compassion, honesty, and authenticity, for example — were once seen as feminine weaknesses in the command-and-control corporate world. But today, in an inclusive and connected world, they define the leader who strengthens organizations rather than undermines them.

This book comes from the voices of experience: over 70 women who have participated in The Judy Project, a 16-year-old leadership forum for women leaders who are aiming for the top. In compelling, first-person stories, they talk about ambition, courage, and the hard choices they've made to manage personal and professional lives in the real world of business. They tell stories about how they put into action the 10 leadership traits, and they offer sage advice to young people — especially young women — about how they can move up in organizations while remaining true to themselves and to their families.

Alison Smith