How reading the inspirational book How Women Rise changed the life of this Sotheby’s jewellery expert
- How Women Rise, written by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith, describes the different challenges women face throughout their careers
- Regine Ngan, head of the jewellery department at Sotheby’s Asia, found the book inspirational
How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, Or Job (2018), by women’s leadership coach Sally Helgesen and executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, examines how women face different challenges from men as they advance in their careers, and explains how the habits that help women progress early in their careers can often have the opposite effect as they become more senior.
Regine Ngan, head of the jewellery department at Sotheby’s Asia, tells Richard Lord how it changed her life.
I read it in November 2018, when I had just given birth to my second child. Where I used to work was right under a bookshop, and I would go in there and see what was on the shelves. The title and the cover of this book grabbed my attention. I’ve always had the habit of reading this kind of book throughout my career; I try to seek inspirational books at different chapters in my life.
Like a previous book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There (by Marshall Goldsmith, published in 2007), it describes habits that are hindering you from moving forward. It was inspirational to me. What are the things to look for internally if I want to improve my performance? Even though the title is How Women Rise, I feel it’s applicable to a general audience.
I was at a transitional time in my career. I was due to open a flagship shop for the brand I was working for (luxury Swiss jeweller Boghossian, where Ngan worked for nine years before joining Sotheby’s in 2021). I was working with a different team, in a format that I wasn’t used to: retail.
