Jenny Wood, author of *Wild Courage* and former Google executive, shares valuable insights on leadership and self-advocacy. She redefines selfishness, suggesting it can empower leaders while benefitting their teams. Guilt is a common pitfall, but focusing on meaningful work over busywork is essential. Jenny emphasizes self-care in the workplace, the importance of saying no, and prioritizing personal fulfillment over financial goals. Her journey encourages listeners to embrace self-leadership and make strategic career choices.
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insights INSIGHT
Redefine Selfishness As Courage
Jenny Wood redefines selfishness as the courage to stand up for what you want.
She warns that giving everyone a leg up at your expense leads to getting trampled.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Champion Your Agenda Shamelessly
Jenny Wood urges you to champion your agenda as loudly as you champion others'.
Be shameless about wins and metrics so allies see you're a team worth joining.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Feel Guilt, Then Act Anyway
Jenny Wood says guilt and fear are natural when you self-advocate.
Recognize them and take action anyway to become more successful as a leader.
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Over an 18-year career at Google, Jenny Wood grew from entry-level to executive, most recently leading a large operations team that helped drive billions of revenue per year. In 2021, she started a passion project within Google called Own Your Career, which grew to one of the largest career development programs in Google’s history. Her work has since been featured in Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, and Forbes, and she’s now the author of Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It*.
Leadership is about serving others – and it’s also ensuring that we take care of ourselves along the way. Sometimes leaders over-index on helping their organizations and teams, to their own detriment. In this conversation, Jenny and I explore where being a little more selfish might actually be better for everyone.
Key Points
Selfish redefined means having the courage to stand up for what you want.
People want to join a winning team, even if they don’t say that out loud.
Guilt is natural, but always caving to it is self-defeating.
Don’t do work that’s not actually promotable. There’s no prize for an empty inbox.
A belief like “I owe it to them,” may signal an over-commitment to the organization. They will not love you back.
Appreciate truth when you get it, but don’t sign up for a burned-out boss.
It’s inefficient to always be in the lead. Draft in another leader’s wake.
Coaching for Leaders 
