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I’ve been thinking a lot about ambition this week, and for two big reasons. The first is the conversation around the “quiet quitting” phenomenon, which is neither all that quiet nor actually quitting. As senior Forbes contributor Kathy Caprino explains here, quiet quitting is an assertion of boundaries in an attempt to avoid burnout.
This is an admirable (and, arguably, necessary) goal. However, I’ve been wondering how we can all balance being ambitious with setting reasonable work boundaries, especially when there are often unspoken expectations around taking on extra responsibilities in order to advance at work. Caprino has lots of advice in her piece, which I recommend reading in full, but the tip I like best is this: Don’t be quiet. Be clear and strong, and talk to your boss about the specific ways you’ve been overfunctioning and why this means you deserve extra compensation, a promotion or a break.
The other reason ambition is on my mind is because it was the subject of the first episode of Archetypes, Meghan Markle’s new Spotify podcast “about the labels and tropes that try to hold women back.” The episode dropped this week, featuring a conversation with Markle’s good friend Serena Williams, and predictably, has sparked a wide array of opinions and reviews.
I won’t review these reviews, but what I will say is that I appreciated Markle’s candor throughout the episode (for example: “I don’t remember ever personally feeling the negative connotation behind the word ‘ambitious’ until I started dating my now husband,” aka Prince Harry), and I appreciate her willingness to dive into the complexities and nuances of what it means to be an ambitious woman. After all, it’s long been one of my favorite compliments to give or receive—and to be clear, no matter what the speaker’s intent is, I take “You’re really ambitious,” as a compliment.
Cheers to ambition!
Maggie
Featured Forbes Analysis: Why So Many Women Relate To Sanna Marin
“I hope that in the year 2022, it’s accepted that even decision makers dance, sing and go to parties,” Marin told reporters after political opponents jumped on a leaked video of the prime minister dancing with friends.
Hannibal Hanschke/Getty ImagesAfter videos of Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin dancing and partying with friends leaked last week, some political opponents began questioning Marin’s competence to hold office while others demanded she complete a drug test (which she did, and it was negative). “I hope that in the year 2022, it’s accepted that even decision makers dance, sing and go to parties,” Marin told reporters. Unfortunately, research suggests that female decision makers may get more pushback from partaking in these activities, even in current times.
ICYMI: News Of The Week
“I know I have so much still to learn, and that actually excites me. I have certain convictions, and I’m living those out through my giving,” Melinda French Gates told Forbes.
Michael Short/BloombergThis morning, Forbes released its list of highest-paid tennis stars, and while mainstays like Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams populate the top of the list, newcomers include 19-year-old Emma Raducanu, who makes her debut on the Forbes’ tennis earnings leaderboard at No. 6 with $21.1 million.
President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel $10,000 in federal student debt could wipe out the entire outstanding balance of up to 14.6 million Americans. But the relief will be particularly acute for women and people of color: Black women hold the highest amount of student loan debt on average—and are also the most educated demographic in the U.S.
Online learning platform MasterClass announced the release of a new course on impactful giving taught by billionaire Melinda French Gates, and French Gates spoke exclusively with Forbes about what she hopes to accomplish with the new class.
Former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg married beau Tom Bernthal over the weekend in a Wyoming wedding. While some are wondering whether the couple signed a prenuptial agreement, one thing is clear: Sandberg comes into the marriage with a fortune that Forbes pegs at $1.5 billion and is in a rare position to ask her new husband to sign away his claim to half her fortune if they ever divorced.
Tiffany Craft became the mayor of Whitesburg, Kentucky, after her husband, incumbent mayor James Wiley Craft, died a little over a year ago. ForbesWomen spoke to Craft about how she is the first female mayor in the city’s 180-year history and the person chiefly responsible for helping her community rebound from the deadly flooding that devastated parts of eastern Kentucky last month.
The Checklist
1. Respect your learning curve. Learning is a gradual process that cannot be rushed. But psychologists caution that if you start beating yourself up for not “getting it” fast enough, you run the risk of disengaging with the very thing you’re trying to master.
2. Move your body. Regular exercise can reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19 or developing severe disease, according to a large study published Monday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that backs a wealth of research underscoring the numerous health benefits of physical activity as the world looks ahead for ways to live with Covid.
3. See “no” as a beginning, not an ending. “That ‘no’ inspires me,” says Nicci Levy, founder of the Drybar-meets-Botox concept Alchemy 43. “If I had let myself be shut down by No, I wouldn’t have made it through the first year.”
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