Climb: Taking Every Step with Conviction, Courage, and Calculated Risk to Achieve a Thriving Career and a Successful Life

Written by Michelle Gadsden-Williams and Carolyn M. Brown

Narrated by Randye Kaye

Renowned as a diversity and inclusion strategist, Gadsden-Williams held C-Suite positions at major organizations for many years . . . and then took the off-ramp to probe a different career path, launching Ceiling Breakers LLC, with the primary goal to help women and professionals of color reach their full potential. As a woman of color and corporate executive who has worked and traveled the world for several Fortune 500 companies-all while managing a chronic illness-she provides insight into overcoming the barriers facing professionals in today's workplace.

In Climb, Gadsden-Williams combines her inspirational life story with pragmatic solutions to address problems facing women in corporate America, offering a professional playbook for tackling today's most pressing workplace issues.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ascent Audio
• Release date: Oct 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9781469070223

Michelle Gadsden-Williams

Michelle Gadsden-Williams is an award-winning global diversity expert, activist, philanthropist, and the managing director and North American inclusion and diversity lead at Accenture. She has more than twenty-five years of experience working in the consumer goods, pharmaceutical, financial, and professional services industries. She has held positions of global responsibility for corporations such as Credit Suisse, Novartis, and Merck & Co. She serves on several boards including the Jackie Robinson Foundation, Lupus Research Alliance, and the Women’s Leadership Board of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Gadsden-Williams has a BA in communications with a minor in marketing from Kean College, and an MS in organizational dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in New York City with her husband, David Jamal Williams.

Reviews for Climb

[juva_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A motivational memoir about the corporate career path and the various difficulties of navigating it for women and minorities. The author shares her own journey, struggles, and success as she sets her sights on the C-suite. She offers concrete advice, cautions, and hopes for the generations of women and minorities who will come after her. It's hard not to be intimidated by a woman so obviously driven and competitive. But her enthusiasm is so palpable that I began to examine my own reasons for believing why I could not achieve at a similar level. Don't get me wrong, I have no interest in corporate life, but I've always thought I simply couldn't make it. The author has clearly worked her fingers to the bone, but she is so encouraging that it allowed me to see myself doing likewise. Even though our careers are very different, I can still use a lot of her advice. A useful and inspiring book.

[begivens · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I honestly did not finish this book. I plan to, but I am in absolutely no hurry to do so. I found that her style of writing did not speak to me. I expected that as a woman of color with a driven attitude and the hope to climb a ladder in my career would carry me through this book. However, I found the advice to be absolutely nothing novel. There are so few African Americans in the C-suite, and the ones that are there leave. The issue isn't our dedication and our work, the issue is the oppression that exists. This book addressed that, but I do not feel like dealing with that was addressed, and ultimately that is what I believe was needed. I felt very early on that this book was mis-marketed; the content was more suited to be polished into a memoir than a self-help book.In praise for this book, I feel like the author sharing her story was great. I could feel her enthusiasm and dedication throughout and that was very impressive. I found it hard to identify with in my current stage, but easy to imagine what the rooms may have looked like, for example. I thought the writing itself was very well done and overall a good message for readers.

[stephivist · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I didn’t love it. Like some of the other reviewers mentioned, it was very deeply rooted in the corporate world and I just could not stay interested, as that is not my reality. There are still some good takeaways though and I expect you’ll get much more out of it if climbing the corporate ladder is in your future.

[startwithgivens · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I honestly did not finish this book. I plan to, but I am in absolutely no hurry to do so. I found that her style of writing did not speak to me. I expected that as a woman of color with a driven attitude and the hope to climb a ladder in my career would carry me through this book. However, I found the advice to be absolutely nothing novel. There are so few African Americans in the C-suite, and the ones that are there leave. The issue isn't our dedication and our work, the issue is the oppression that exists. This book addressed that, but I do not feel like dealing with that was addressed, and ultimately that is what I believe was needed. I felt very early on that this book was mis-marketed; the content was more suited to be polished into a memoir than a self-help book.In praise for this book, I feel like the author sharing her story was great. I could feel her enthusiasm and dedication throughout and that was very impressive. I found it hard to identify with in my current stage, but easy to imagine what the rooms may have looked like, for example. I thought the writing itself was very well done and overall a good message for readers.

[3wheeledlibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received this as part of the Early Reviewers program. The best way I can summarize my review is that I promptly requested that a copy be ordered for my library. This is an important book that should be read by young women of color, particularly those who are interested in a career in business.The author is a very successful career woman on the highest level, and speaks specifically to the unique stresses that still persist for young women of color. That being said, I think all women can appreciate the author's candor and courage, and can learn how to confront their own challenges, regardless of their ethnic heritage. Highly recommended.

[rmcox38111 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Displaying time-honored tactics of career development, Ms Gadsden-Williams provides a model for other women of color to follow up the corporate ladder. I was inspired by her story and the fulfillment of her ambitions presented in this book. The presentation, though, was less inspiring. I felt like I was reading a narrative resume without getting a flavor for the soul of the person who lived such a remarkable life. All the namedropping of people I've never heard of and references to Fortune 500 companies took away from the person behind the resume, and dulled the model for those who may not have the academic pedigree or opportunities possessed by the author. This book would be stronger if its focus was more about providing a model for others and less about selling the author.