She has had a fascinating life and career where she had to work incredibly hard to get where she is now. I did not (really) know Mary Portas before, so it may have startled me more than an English person would have been startled by it? I would have liked to know more about what she meant by leading by intuition and more interesting and original examples of what ‘feminine’ leadership looks like in theory and in practice.

Mary Portas: ‘It was a question of how do I want to work as a

Widely recognized as the UK’s foremost authority on retail and brand communication, Mary Portas has a multitude of expertise; business woman, advertising executive, retail expert, Government adviser, broadcaster and consumer champion. I’ll keep reading back over this book throughout my own career and hope I can make changes in my own workplace to bring Mary’s points to life. The Government, retailers and the public supported her plan, and Mary’s work has been a catalyst for community regeneration, and the re-visioning of high streets across the country. 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. This Last is really important, because as a working class woman who made it into some of the top board rooms in the retail industry, Portas has had her fair share of fuckwittery and bias to face down, and while she doesn’t pull any punches in sharing it, she always does so with a good lesson and often a killer punchline attached.Her book is full of advice for working women, some of it practical (she has much to say about improved flexible working and how it might best be achieved) and some of it – as even she admits – just a touch Oprah Winfrey (there’s quite a lot of goofy stuff about taking your “whole self” to work). I've always admired Mary Portas, as she has made such an influential name for herself within the retail industry and has had a fascinating life at home and at work. She isn’t always in the office these days, but her new book is about work, and she wanted me to see the light, airy, strictly non-hierarchical space she describes in its pages. She makes well reasoned pleas for a change in attitudes in all walks of life to lead to equality both in and outside of the workplace. I found this book to be accessible and engaging, but it was (naturally) drawn from her own experiences and often felt very much directed at women who are in similar careers and with similar backgrounds to her own.

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

At its heart, however, lies a personal crisis, one born of fame and success – and it’s this story that will perhaps most pique the interest of the reader, however much you might be looking for advice as to how to secure a hefty pay rise and a seat on the board. Her honesty about the high street project is, I think, all of a piece with her straightforwardness and warmth.I am eager to read Rebuild, to know what a post-Covid, post-divorce and now podcasting Mary has planned for the world of retail.

Work Like a Woman by Mary Portas | Goodreads

Two years later, she lost her father, too, at which point she and her younger brother, Lawrence, became homeless, their stepmother having thrown them out. Examining practical issues – including flexible working and equal pay – and also cultural ones - such as gender bias - Mary will argue for a revolution in the way in which we work.

If you're looking to emulate Portas' career journey then this is a good quick introduction on how to maybe do that.

Work Like a Woman by Mary Portas | Waterstones

Clients shouldn’t expect me to have nice lunches with them because that’s a waste of time’: Mary Portas.For me this isn't a book to sit down and read in one session - I tried and my brain just went to pieces. I *loved* this book, and would have sped through it if I’d started reading earlier during my first loan period.