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.

Work Like a Woman - Penguin Books UK

Once again, I feel as though I’ve just read a book that could have been great with the right editor. Or a better outline. The book is part memoir, part instruction manual, part argument for policy changes. In the beginning, it seemed as though each chapter would start with a bit of Ms. Portas’s life, following it with what can be learned from this vignette. But life isn’t neat and tidy, so about halfway through she seems to drop this layout, and the book suffers for it, I think. Why I chose it: I’ve been working from home since moving to the UK for my partner’s job, but just started a new office gig this week. I figured I could both use a refresher on how offices work and thought this one on how they could be improved would be a good place to start. I wasn’t totally wrong, but I wasn’t right, either. Worth quoting: “But the irony is that the whole thing is deeply emotional: wanting to smash the competition and be top dog isn’t exactly unfeeling, is it?” 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! 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.

Look, I’m not going to do an Arianna Huffington,” says Portas, with a grin and a camp eye roll. “I didn’t fall over and bump my head and wake up with these ideas overnight. It was a gradual process. But yes, it began after I went on the telly. I was in the public eye, I was making more money, it was extraordinarily exciting. But at the age of 48, I also found myself crying every day. Obviously, I thought: ‘What’s the matter?’” We don’t need suits to be part of the tribe, says Mary Portas in this extract from Work Like a Woman 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.” 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.

Work Like a Woman by Mary Portas | Goodreads

Inspired by her weekly ‘Shop!’ column in the Telegraph Magazine, Mary began her television career in 2007 when her efforts to rescue failing independent boutiques were documented by the BBC2 series Mary Queen of Shops. The show was nominated for two Royal Television Society Awards and a BAFTA. But let’s be clear here: women don’t get a free pass on all this. Alpha culture might have been put in place by men, but we’re also working alongside them and, in many cases, perpetuating the status quo.A lot of whats in this book is just common sense. But there is something missing - thats the single woman with no children. 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.

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

Really enjoyed reading this and recommending it to everyone. There aren't many books that can claim to change your life, but this one will. Clare Balding

Work Like a Woman: A Manifesto for Change is more memoir than instruction for any working woman entering the corporate world of work.