Career Forward: Strategies from Women Who’ve Made It

*USA TODAYBestseller*

＂A compass for those navigating their professional journeys＂ (Forbes) that ＂reveals often surprising work advice＂ (New York Post), this empowering guide, from former PepsiCo COO Grace Puma and former Nike President of Consumer Direct Christiana Smith Shi, shows how to prioritize a career path, build professional value, and enjoy a full life both in and out of the workplace.

At a time when many long-held workplace structures and beliefs are changing, Career Forward is a beacon for women aspiring to achieve success and satisfaction in rewarding careers. Drawing on decades of experience reaching the top of Fortune 500 companies, Grace Puma and Christiana Smith Shi show women how to maximize their career journeys, get paid what they’re worth, navigate the shifts that occur in any company, build a leadership identity, and have a full life in and out of work.

The authors challenge negative stereotypes about female ambition, and urge women to be bold, follow their dreams, and seize the chance to lead ＂big＂ lives. The secret is to focus on career first, job second. Instead of chasing a better job title or a salary bump, the goal should be a long-range career path that leads to success. ＂Career forward＂ means keeping a focus on the future and recognizing that being good at your job is often not enough--that you should take every opportunity to boost your connections, take on ＂difficult＂ assignments, and work actively to broaden your skills.

Packed with personal anecdotes and wisdom from women who’ve been there, and featuring quizzes and checklists for self-evaluation, Career Forward provides a wealth of valuable lessons, including the advice to think of yourself as a ＂growth stock＂ and, instead of chasing the elusive work-life balance, living a well-rounded 360-degree life that fully embraces both. Offering a refreshing response to anyone who wonders whether working hard is really worth it, Puma and Smith Shi’s emphatic answer is ＂yes,＂ because by correctly following the blueprint in Career Forward, the rewards will far outweigh the effort.

Grace Puma is the former executive vice president and COO of PepsiCo, and before that held senior positions with United Airlines, Kraft Foods, Motorola, and Gillette. She has been ranked on the ＂Most Powerful Latina＂ list by Fortune magazine and recognized as the ＂Executive of the Year＂ by Latina Style magazine. Puma holds a BA in business administration and economics from Benedictine University. She lives in Tampa, Florida.

Christiana Smith Shi is the former president of Nike’s consumer-direct division, where she led the company’s global retail and e-commerce business. Before that she was a senior partner at McKinsey & Co. Currently the head of Lovejoy Advisors, which is focused on digitally transforming consumer and retail businesses, Smith Shi is a graduate of Stanford University and has an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she graduated as a Baker Scholar. She lives in Portland, Oregon.