Work Like a Woman: A Manifesto For Change

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There are chapters dedicated to childcare. Towards the end of the book there is a statement that if you aren’t a mother by your 30/40’s don’t worry- we all come to these things in time. Or if you want to be successful choose who you spend your life with carefully - as you will need their support etc. Whilst I generally agree with most things she says, I'm more bothered with 80-90% of this book being her own story of a shopwindow decorator on path to business leadership. I did not (really) know Mary Portas before, so it may have startled me more than an English person would have been startled by it? It's about calling time on alpha culture and helping every one of us to be happier, more productive and collaborative.

Mary Portas: ‘It was a question of how do I want to work as a

I listened to the audio book and enjoyed it. I'm glad Mary Portas narrated it herself as she did so with vigour. I was entertained by the book, and enjoyed learning about her career journey. A force for good, for change. This book will make you change the way you think. Mary is my hero.' Scarlett Curtis, author of Feminists Don't Wear Pink

But we’re half the workforce and only a third of its managers, directors and senior officials. That’s rubbish by anyone’s standards. The workplace is still working against us and, as much as I respect Sheryl Sandberg, who argued that women need to adapt their behaviour to better suit the status quo, I’m more of a Gloria Steinem fan. ‘It’s not about integrating into a not-so-good system,’ she said. ‘It’s about transforming it and making it better. If women have to acquire all the characteristics of a corporate world, it’s probably not worth it.’ Too right, Gloria. I don’t want to lean into a system that is entrenched in a working world that’s quite frankly dated, limited and controlling. It’s bloody well time it changed. She also writes about the values in embracing typically 'feminine' qualities within work, steering away from the usual hierarchical alpha-style working practices of offices, businesses and boardrooms. She suggests (using examples from her own business practices) that being more flexible, more open minded and more supportive of each other could really transform the quality of employees' working experiences and could help to bridge gender gaps. Loved this book and Mary’s conversational style of writing - you can imagine her saying every line. Referencing her own experiences of work in an alpha-male world, Mary challenges the typical workplace and how ‘working like a woman’ and bringing equality into both the workplace and the home can have benefits for both women and men. Mary has got it spot on with what millennials in particular are looking for in their working life, and there’s very few companies taking into consideration sharing childcare, collaboration, letting people be their real self and standing up for what they believe in, I’d love to work’s at the Portas agency. I can only hope that every company moves to this way of thinking in the future and we create a more equal working culture. She sounds so confident as she tells me all this, even a little bullish. You would never know how bruised she still is by the press she received after the government asked her to look into the issues affecting Britain’s high streets in 2011 (the Portas Pilot Towns, where her ideas were tested, were widely criticised; shops in many of these places closed rather than opened, and some thought the budgets had been misused). “I was really hurt by it,” she says. “Of course I’m glad I did it. The issues did join the public agenda. I mean look at Margate now. It has totally changed. But… I went in with a touch of hubris when they said they’d call them Portas towns.”

Work Like a Woman - Penguin Books UK

Widely recognized as the UK’s foremost authority on retail and brand communication, Mary Portas has a multitude of expertise; business woman, advertising executive, retail expert, Government adviser, broadcaster and consumer champion. The British media crowned her “Queen of Shops”. a pioneer of change in her industry, Portas is a real inspiration for many women and men alike who work within fashion and marketing. however, I learned that she is also a huge ambassador for many charities and champions a lot of smaller charities who you may not have even heard of before, whilst she also set one up herself! Mary Portas is one of the UK's most high-profile and innovative businesswomen. After making her name transforming Harvey Nichols into a global fashion destination, Mary launched Portas, her own creative company, with the mission to transform businesses into brands, places and spaces people want in their lives. Today her team work with clients ranging from Mercedes to Sainsbury's. She has been a regular on our TV screens, advised the government on the future of high streets and developed a fashion label. Her proudest achievement to date is the creation of twenty-six Mary's Living & Giving shops for Save the Children. She is the author of Shop Girl and Work Like a Woman. As a self-employed woman it was great to read this. I don't work in an office/board environment but there were definitely parts of the book that I could take away and think about. And regardless of how much you can personally put the advice into practical every-day life it's still a fascinating, empowering read.Both womens' success can be attested to a combination of 'right-place, right-time', hard work, good sponsors/mentors, and so on. I'm happy they have both have had successful careers and I'm sure inspired many other women with their success. Portas writes in her typically uncompromising and unapologetic style about the need for a new model of leadership based on the values and whole of life perspective that are largely missing in the upper echelons of today's organisations. She is infuriated by the fact that even now only 10% of boards in the retail sector comprise women, and believes the high street would not be in such trouble were this figure higher. “You read the papers time and time again, and it’s always: here comes another man to save Marks & Sparks. Look at the stats, they say. He’s been at Asda! Give him a clap! What no one is doing is looking at women and what’s important in our lives. That’s what connected shopping is about.” Mary continues to present Channel 4’s annual December documentary, What Britain Bought in which she offers an eye-opening look into the shopping trends of the year.

Work Like a Woman: A Manifesto for Change Book - Oliver Bonas

A lot of whats in this book is just common sense. But there is something missing - thats the single woman with no children. But we all grapple with questions like these almost every day. Humans are tribal. Even if we’re not a complete fit for the group we’re part of, we like to create social groups with rules we understand and can work to. This book written by Mary Portas about her life is a memoir to feminism and all women who are fighting against alpha culture in the workplace✨ Will I fit into the tribe? Then I find I don’t care. It’s taken me a long time not to care, to come to understand who I am and feel confident enough to look the way I do. I leave the house knowing that what I’m wearing is a reflection of me: colourful, confident and slightly flamboyant. This is my kind of outfit and I’m good at what I do and sure of what I’m talking about. I don’t need a suit to impress people or feel part of their tribe.

Alongside her work with the agency, Mary has embarked on a number of personal projects. She has published three books, Windows: The Art of Retail Display, and How to Shop. In February 2015 she released Shopgirl, a memoir of her early years. Don’t be fooled by my read dates - I borrowed this on the Libby app, missed the return date and had to wait to reborrow 🤦🏻‍♀️. I *loved* this book, and would have sped through it if I’d started reading earlier during my first loan period. Clients shouldn’t expect me to have nice lunches with them because that’s a waste of time’: Mary Portas. Photograph: Jean Goldsmith/The Observer However. While she condemned Sheryl Sandberg's 'Lean In' for only advising women to navigate the patriarchal business system, and not dismantling the system itself, Portas' book seemed to share a similar tone with Sandberg's.