Power Up

How Smart Women Win in the New Economy

By: Magdalena Yesil, Sara Grace, Marc Benioff - introduction

Narrated by: Magdalena Yesil, Troy Wickett

With empowering insights to help women navigate the narrowest corridors of sexism, tech-industry pioneer Magdalena Yesil shares on-the-ground career advice that is as powerful as any MBA

Pioneering Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor Magdalena Yesil came to the United States in 1976 with two suitcases and $43, blind to the challenges she would face as a woman and immigrant in Silicon Valley. Today, she is best known as the first investor and a founding board member of Salesforce, the now-multibillion dollar company that ushered in the era of cloud-based computing.

In Power Up: How Smart Women Win in the New Economy, Yesil urges women to look beyond the alarming gender statistics of the workplace and feel confident entering tech or any field-but also to be prepared to deal with the challenges. She shares what she experienced as a woman in Silicon Valley with surprising candor and heart, relying not just on her insight but that of more than a dozen top women entrepreneurs to offer pragmatic takeaways on topics such as:

· Owning career choices while managing risk
· Getting credit for your work
· Managing sexual dynamics
· Recruiting allies in the movement toward a supportive workplace for everyone

Pragmatic, incisive, and full of highly actionable advice, Yesil prepares ambitious women to break glass ceilings and rise to the top in the New Silicon Valley -- and beyond.

Engaging, Inspiring, Powerful!

I was excited to pick up my next 'great' book. My purposeful research led me to "Power Up" by Magdalena Yesil, and having watched a few of her presentations and interviews where she generously shares hard-earned wisdom, I expected to learn quite a bit. Well, the book offered much more than that, I couldn't put it down. So glad that I opted for the audio version because by sharing her story and insights in her own voice, Magdalena made them even more inspiring, authentic, powerful!

Must-read

I bought this book in hardcover, then wanted to read it more quickly so also bought the audio. Magdalena reads the book herself on the audio, which can give you a clue into the overall generosity of this work. While the print book already is so warm and personal, the audio makes it even more so. Now I’m going to go back to the hardcover to reread and mark passages that felt especially pertinent to me.

I’m an entrepreneur and often struggle with the sheer exhaustion of “doing it all” and making something from nothing. Magdalena’s book gave me many tools not only to pick myself up and keep going but to be even more skillful along the way. This is one of the best business books and wise “pep-talk” books I’ve read, and I’m recommending it to all my friends. I recommend it to you too.

Insightful, fresh, and engaging

Magdalena knows her stuff as a long standing V.C. and Entrepeneur. This is a solid read for any ladies navigating male dominated industries that continue to be plagued by harassment, unfair wages, etc....I love her metaphor of water as a way to flow through difficult obstacles.

Highly practical advice that transcends gender

In Power Up, the author shares blunt but pragmatic advice applicable to any professional-minded reader regardless of age, sector, or gender. I myself am a male reader and out of the technology space central to the 'new economy' but often found myself pausing to better absorb the nuggets of wisdom sprinkled throughout the book.  I think the advice maintains relevance due to a straightforward framework to fight bias, whether real or imagined, centering around a core belief about the value of self and work product.  (For the male readers hesitant to pick up the book, it also does not hurt to be a little more sensitive to challenges faced by women in the workforce).  

The advice itself shines through a well-narrated collection of stories that reveal a charismatic and personable character. That said, I found the listening speed most comfortable at 1.25x. Highly recommend.

In Magdalena’s voice (on audible)

Magdalena’s PowerUp is a delightful combination of memoir and advice. People of all ages will enjoy it and benefit from the compelling advice.
It is particularly effective when it is read to you by the author herself-
Beth Stewart, CEO, Trewstar Corporate Board Services