Unapologetically Ambitious, Shellye Archambeau
Unapologetically Ambitious, Shellye Archambeau
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Unapologetically Ambitious
Take Risks, Break Barriers, and Create Success on Your Own Terms

Author: Shellye Archambeau, Ben Horowitz

Narrator: Shellye Archambeau, Dan Triandiflou

Unabridged: 8 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/06/2020


Synopsis

Full of empowering wisdom from one of Silicon Valley's first female African American CEOs, this inspiring leadership book offers a blueprint for how to achieve your personal and professional goals.
Shellye Archambeau recounts how she overcame the challenges she faced as a young black woman, wife, and mother, managing her personal and professional responsibilities while climbing the ranks at IBM and subsequently in her roles as CEO. Through the busts and booms of Silicon Valley in the early 2000s, this bold and inspiring book details the risks she took and the strategies she engaged to steer her family, her career, and her company MetricStream toward success.

Through her journey, Shellye discovered that ambition alone is not enough to achieve success. Here, she shares the practical strategies, tools, and approaches readers can employ right now, including concrete steps to most effectively:
Dismantle impostor syndromeCapitalize on the power of planningTake risksDeveloping financial literacyBuild your networkEstablish your reputationTake charge of your careerIntegrate work, marriage, parenthood, and self-careEach chapter lays out key takeaways and actions to increase the odds of achieving your personal and professional goals. With relatable personal stories that ground her advice in the real world and a foreword by leading venture capitalist and New York Times bestselling author Ben Horowitz, Unapologetically Ambitious invites readers to move beyond the solely supportive roles others expect them to fill, to learn how to carefully tread the thin line between assertive and aggressive, and to give themselves permission to strive for the top. Make no apologies for the height of your ambitions. Shellye Archambeau will show you how.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Alexandra on November 01, 2020

For me this is another Lean in style book. BUT her narrative is just undeniably impressive. She has a direct approach that I haven't seen very often: "Why guess how to get from point A to point B when you can just ask somebody who's done it before?" Make sure everybody around you knows what you want. G......more

Goodreads review by Zoe on November 26, 2020

Fascinating, timely, and inspiring! Unapologetically Ambitious is the informative, intriguing story of Shellye Archambeau’s life, including her professional experiences, struggles, successes, and accomplishments as a university student, employee, wife, mother, and CEO. The writing is clear and precise......more

Goodreads review by Samantha on January 16, 2021

I’m having a hard time placing this one and what to rate it. There was some really great advice and I liked reading the author’s personal stories interwoven into the typical “self-help” information. I had a hard time relating to her life story and how she literally planned her entire life out. Maybe......more

Goodreads review by Rachel on February 02, 2022

This book was incredibly annoying. First of all, I just found this person's life story unrelatable. It's one thing to write a book about your life experiences and the things you've learned, but another to pass it off as a self-help book to others. For the people who say they wished they read this wh......more

Goodreads review by Kyle on December 30, 2020

I find many of these business books written by CEOs are self-aggrandizing ego boosters with a few helpful reminders sprinkled in. Sadly, this fits that mold.......more


Quotes

"In a world that too often tells women, especially Black women, to stay small, keep quiet, and know their limits, this book says otherwise. It's a celebration of women knowing their power."—Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and founder of LeanIn.Org and OptionB.Org

"Shellye has achieved amazing success through a clear strategy of setting goals, making plans, and intelligent risk-taking. In this book, she's now sharing these strategies with us: why to set an ambitious plan and how to achieve it. Highly recommended."—Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Start-Up of You

"Shellye's life story, and the lessons it carries, are powerful examples of focus and ambition that can shape your life for the better. If your goal is just to be famous, maybe this is not the story for you, but if your goal is to be a truly great leader of men and women, you have found your guide."—Ben Horowitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Hard Thing about Hard Things

"Unapologetically Ambitious is a treasure trove of strategic wisdom and practical tips, brought to life through amazing storytelling that will leave the reader inspired, empowered and appreciative. The book deals with the realities of setbacks, trade-offs and societal norms in an authentic way, while illustrating that strength and success often lie in mindset and the team you choose in life. The closing chapter serves as a master guide to navigating life, providing a penultimate takeaway for any reader early in their journey to put the wisdom and experience of the Archambeau's lessons learned into immediate action!"—Brad D.Smith, Executive Chairman of Intuit and Nordstrom

"Through a compelling story about her own journey, Shellye offers powerful tips for how to live life courageously and go after what you want. From investing in your financial health to integrating work, marriage, parenthood and self-care--each chapter lays out actionable strategies to help you achieve your goals. A must read for anyone looking for ways to grow and live their best life."— ThasundaBrown Duckett, CEO, ChaseConsumer Banking

"A successful career in any industry is always underpinned by a few important elements: focus, risk-awareness and drive. Shellye's book Unapologetically Ambitious underscores the importance these elements can play in your career and showcases brilliant strategies and approaches through her own career pursuits. "
John Thompson, chairman of Microsoft

"Shellye Archambeau is one of the most intelligent, hard-working and focused women I have met in my 40+ years of business. I was very pleased to have her join the Verizon board in 2013 and have watched her rise within the board to now head the Corporate Governance Committee. Her experience as an African American women rising through the ranks of both large global businesses and technology startups gives her a unique perspective to share with those entering the business world especially those people of color. Grab a pen a paper as you read this book. It is full of the guidance that will put you on a path to career success."—Lowell McAdam,Former CEO of Verizon

"There are lots of people who have the raw talent and ambition to be great successes, but lack a strategy and plan. That's what Unapologetically Ambitious is about! It reveals Shellye Archambeau's formula for developing your own talent and getting what you want out of life both professionally and personally. It's the book I wish I had read when I was in my 20s."—Eric Schmidt, Google CEO and chairman from 2001 until2011, Google executive chairman from 2011 to 2015 and Alphabetexecutive chairman from 2015 to 2018

"Archambeau's winning voice and refusal to countenance failure make for an appealing account of one woman's path to success."—Publishers Weekly

"Archambeau's book is essential reading for anyone seeking guidance on taking a strategic approach to increasing their odds for success in business and life. I especially recommend it to entrepreneurs and innovators who are early in their careers and focused on drawing down risk and achieving targeted milestones."—Clare Leinweber, Executive Director of TsaiCenter for Innovative Thinking at Yale