Power Up: How Smart Women Win in the New Economy

A lot of the great attributes and accolades for Power UP have already been said in these reviews but I want to add my own unique perspective and thoughts. I also wish to emphasize up front that Yesil’s book is filled with valuable tips and information not normally found in everyday business books - it’s a rich resource for any student or those in the workplace, or desiring to enter the workplace. What really touched me in Power UP! was not just the stories of the 27 women Magdalena interviewed, not just her amazing and fun personal stories of how she persevered, powered through situations and powered up her fearlessness, but the stories of her mother and father and the life lessons they instilled in her. Yesil’s parents provided a solid, loving foundation of intellect, trust, and freedom for her to dream, explore and make mistakes. Yesil learned and applied discipline, fierce resiliency, ‘unflappable’ self esteem and confidence which provided a beacon for her to navigate through life. I fell in love with Magdalen’s father in the first chapter with his powerful yet gentle support and unbound confidence in his daughter’s dreams and goals. He was able to tell his young, precious little girl that she would survive in the roughest part of Chicago, living in the United States all alone where she had never been before. My heart first ached then burst with elation for Magdalena’s incredibly talented mother, who like so many females, prioritized everyone else's needs over her own. She utilized her linguistic talents (seven languages!) to enrich people’s lives everyday through connection, laughter, joy and wisdom in her first job, and with it her independence at the age of 63!. What a magnificent woman - she makes us realize that it is never too late to get started nor to be a positive force in the lives of others. This is an important book for people of all ages, creeds, and race; for educators of children and adults, for parents, workers, managers and entrepreneurs - not just young girls and women. Power UP! is a lesson for us to believe in ourselves and persevere through hardships. It’s a lesson for all citizens in our society to work together to help make certain that our children and neighbors are provided the opportunity to shine. Parents and peers are a critical component in providing a positive influence in our lives and careers so that everyone wins. I hope readers come away with the inspiration to be a candle for and within ourselves, and to share this light with others to brighten lives.

Loved this book!!! From her early days as a little kid in Istanbul, Turkey dreaming of a life in America, all the way to the top floor of one of Silicon Valley’s most well regarded tech companies, Magdalena Yesil has seen it all. Hers is a Horatio Alger story. Although the book focuses primarily on well told war stories from a female point of view trying to run the gauntlet of a male dominated tech industry, her practical advice is applicable to men as well. As I read her book I kept saying to myself “Oh, why didn’t I think of that when I was younger”. The author shares a large network of successful female entrepreneurs whose stories are amazing. I highly recommend this book, especially for my daughters, who now have a SV roadmap in the inspirational book “Power Up.”

The book was uplifting, insightful, engaging and a powerful resource for both women and men in the business world, though the ideas are useful for life as well. As the author says, gender inequity is not just a women’s issue. The writing is engaging, and the ideas are presented in a way that holds one’s attention. “Like a motorcycle, I’ve never ignored the rocks and debris that could send me skidding, but I’ve never focused on them either.” The insights in this book are powerful, both for business and life. Whatever we focus on in business and in life, we create more of it. The ideas are deeply practical but not obvious, a big picture and long view perspective while addressing the nitty-gritty details of everyday business/life opportunities for growth. I’d read a section and think, “OK, that is so important, why didn’t I think of that before?!” The stories, all so very well told, are what drive the learning from this book. The personal accounts of success and ‘failure’ of all the people in the book are potent. Part of mentoring/sponsoring is encouraging, and this book is masterful in its encouragement. The stories take us outside ourselves to another perspective and help us get out of the weeds for an opportunity to make a better decision. The stories provide real life illustrations for the wisdom presented in the book. I had the good fortune to meet the author and her family on a vacation. She is as engaging, insightful and delightful in person as she is in her book. This book a great read and a powerful resource.

I'd bet pretty good money that anyone who doesn't both laugh (a lot) and cry (even just a little) within the first chapter of this book...is probably an android. I say probably because it's likely that even an android would still do both of those things. I am...somewhat familiar with Silicon Valley but, unlike the author, I am not a woman. I find her story and her advice to be very eye-opening but also very sincere, apolitical, and sensical. She clearly wants to help women succeed, but she's not interested in tearing down men in doing so, or anyone. I think most authors of these types of books identify lots of problems but don't offer practical solutions—they come off as posturing or self-righteous. Magdalena's story is, well, truly remarkable but she seems to have a knack for elucidating real issues facing women, presenting them in a way that is relatable to anyone, and then providing advice and solutions through her story instead of preaching. This makes it both easy and fun to read. She never falls into the trap of proscriptive lecturing or meaningless (often dangerous) platitudes that end up being VERY bad advice for real people in real situations who haven't already gotten to the top and have a LOT to lose. She even gave me a "EUREKA!" moment while reading, because her chapter on flowing like water around problems to find solutions instead of getting stuck on something—helpful advice for someone obsessive—applied directly to a problem I was experiencing. But it was how she related the advice to her life story, through a custom from her native Turkey of throwing water behind someone as they departed, so that they find their way, that really made the concept graspable and powerful. It stuck. She's very good at this. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to succeed in Silicon Valley, but that's really just a coincidence. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to succeed or even just read a really inspiring story and be motivated to improve.

This book has fantastic insights, relevant not only for women entrepreneurs but also for those trying to make their way in other male-dominated fields. Yesil describes her journey- starting with her move from Turkey to attend college in the United States through her remarkable success in the venture capital and technology industries- with dynamic and engaging prose. She deftly combines specific, memorable anecdotes with useful advice in myriad areas. I especially appreciated her honest coverage of the numerous turning points in her career and insights into her decision-making process. Her positive, can-do attitude is truly inspiring. Read this book and give a copy to a friend who would also appreciate it!

Though the subtitle of “Power Up: How Smart Women Win in the New Economy” clearly highlights an emphasis on women, let me begin by saying that this is a book that everyone (both men and women) will greatly benefit from reading. As a male, early-stage tech company founder, I found Ms. Yesil’s personal story highly inspirational, and her hard-earned professional advice directly applicable to my goal of trying to build a strong and diverse team. On the inspirational side, Yesil tells the story of a young woman from Turkey arriving in the United States with little more than a couple of suitcases but armed with a keen intellect and a highly-adaptable spirit. After turning down an early job offer from the two Steves (Jobs and Wozniak), she found herself in the male maelstrom of Jerry Sanders’s AMD (I’ll let you read the book to learn about some of the outrageous goings-on there). It was at this point that Yesil realized that the key to her future would be “gravitas” — the combination of dignity and seriousness that allows a person to gain power and control. The rest, as they say, is history, including Yesil’s more-than-pivotal role in the founding of Salesforce, a story about which Yesil shares considerable insider lore (which was particularly fun to read). Throughout the book, Yesil delves into lessons from not only her own personal experiences, but also those of more than two dozen other female tech pioneers. The result is a tightly-woven series of insights and practical information that never devolves into an “us versus them” narrative. Instead, Yesil offers a refreshingly positive approach about how we can all share and leverage each other’s best talents and experience. Yesil’s very personal and engaging style makes this an entertaining and informative read. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Very insightful and clever. Any person, man or woman should read this to learn about the ways to overcome obstacles. Kudos to the author!!!

The book is brilliantly written, easy to read and is inspiring. The book is a journey of a strong woman who was able to gracefully sail through the rough waters of the tech world dominated by men. Recommend to all women and especially those who aspire to enter careers in tech or managerial roles! It is hard to be a woman, especially, if you live in a patriarchal society. We are expected to look good, but our ideas are discredited when we are well-groomed and attractive. We are expected to be smart but not to express strong opinions as we are instantly labelled "dominant" and "opinionated". We are expected to take care of our families and be good housewives, but when we choose that path, we are constantly reminded that we depend on our husbands. We are expected to have a job, but if we do our job too well and try to get ahead, we are labelled as a "careerists". The journey of this strong woman who embraced her dreams and proudly made her way through challenges and failures is a reminder for every woman that instead of thinking about what others think and expect us to be, we need to look inside and walk our own walk without being swayed by the outside noise. "Focusing on what other think can waste a lot of time and energy that would be better used moving yourself ahead." In the meantime, she teaches us to respect and be grateful for everyone and anything that comes our way. Every woman should read this book as she will find herself in most of the situations that Magdalena describes in the book. This book is the experience of a strong and successful woman who is bold and generous enough to share her story with all the ups and downs with the rest of the world.