Break Through
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley July 6, 2016
Author Marina Go
Distributor: Ventura Press
ISBN: 9781925183542
Publisher: Ventura Press
Release Date: May 2016
Website: http://www.venturapress.com.au
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Stereotyping is something that is as old as the hills, and when it comes of women in business this is something that is hard to change as it is as entrenched as ‘the old boys’ network.
This attitude is slowly but surely changing, thanks to women like Marina Go who set their course then work hard, effectively and efficiently to achieve their target.
In Marina’s case she was born into a multicultural family of refugees; her mother the daughter of a single parent Italian woman, her father a Chinese’s student escaping a violent and unhappy family life; both people hoping for a chance to make a fresh start in the ‘land of opportunity’.
The family grew up with hard work as a basis for achievement which has stood Marina in good stead as she has slowly but surely carved a pathway to the very top over the past 30 years.
As a young girl she has dreams of becoming the editor of Dolly magazine, commencing her career in media as a cadet reporter with the Daily Mirror in 1987, becoming the editor of Dolly at 23, moving on to become the general manager of the elite glossies, Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, and Cosmopolitan.
She moved on into the emerging market of foodie magazines, establishing Australian Good Taste, followed by digital media and then took on the seriously male dominated NRL to become the first female Chair of the Wests Tigers Club.
This has not come without hardship; the challenge of combining motherhood and family with a career that is both exciting, challenging and demanding, as well as learning the hard way, how to handle the many and varied ego’s that tend to populate the magazine and print industries, as well as the world of business.
In this work, she shares many of the tips and pointers that have helped her meet the challenges, carve out a successful career and raise, with the help of her beloved father and husband, two boys.
Each chapter focuses on one of what she refers to as the 20 most important points in business, all based on her personal experiences and all bringing with them irony, laughter, frustration and learning. Several chapters have dot point highlighting important areas such as Nine pieces of advice I would give my 20-something self, which is something we should all reflect back on, Chapter 10 deals with Act on Your Gut Instinct which is very important component when making difficult business decisions and as she points out, takes a lot of courage. Her pointers here are invaluable as are her Ten characteristics of a leader.
Five bits of advice I like to impart to the next generation of female leaders is reflective as well as motivational and should be noted down by any woman heading for the top of her career.
As a must read, it is both enjoyable and entertaining while imparting years of heard learned wisdom to anyone woman who wants to challenge the stereotypes, become a successful leader and most importantly, enjoy their journey to the top!