Candid and insightful perspectives on the dilemmas and opportunities women confront as they take on leadership positions

Martha Piper and Indira Samarasekera had vastly different career paths on their way to becoming the first (and so far only) female presidents of two of Canada’s largest and most respected research universities and directors of some of the nation’s largest market cap companies, but what they had in common was their gender, their willingness to take risks when leadership opportunities presented themselves, and a work ethic second to none. It was not always easy, pretty, or fair, but it was always the result of choosing to answer the call to lead. A call that in the authors’ view, too many women still turn away from.

In Nerve: Lessons on Leadership from Two Women Who Went First, Piper and Samarasekera share their personal and professional stories, offering guidance for women leaders of every age and at every stage of their career. Nerve is a must-read for any woman who is leading today, considering leading, or thinking about life after leading.

Sales and Market Bullets

• Each chapter ends with practical lessons and advice for women who want to lead but feel as though they don’t have the skills, time, or experience to do so.
• The election of Kamala Harris as VP of the United States has certainly shone an even brighter light on the lack of women in positions of high power. Martha Piper and Indira Samarasekera are the only two women to lead their respective universities, and they want what they’ve learned in those positions to help other women achieve positions of power in their respective fields.
• Martha Piper was born in Ohio and did her undergrad at the University of Michigan. She did her M.A. at the University of Connecticut, and a Ph.D. at McGill University. She was dean of the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine and is a member of the Order of Canada.
• Indira Samarasekera was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and did her undergrad at the University of Sri Lanka. She continued her education at University of California as a Fulbright Scholar and the University of British Columbia. She is an Officer of the Order of Canada and received the Peter Lougheed Award for leadership in public policy, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Bessemer Gold Medal by the Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining.
• Foreword by former prime minister Kim Campbell.

Audience

• Readers of women’s leadership books like What It Takes, Lean In, and Dare to Lead
• Readers of women’s business memoirs like Resilience and Truth Be Told
• Professional women and academics, 30+
• Professional women looking for advice on furthering their careers while living full lives
• MBA students, particularly women