Hodder Studio signs 'vital' book on female leadership

Hodder & Stoughton imprint Hodder Studio has acquired Strong Female Lead: Lessons from Women in Power, the first book from Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi.

Editorial director Harriet Poland bought world rights direct from the author, to publish on 24th June 2021. 

The debut will explore female leadership around the world to show readers what they can learn from a new generation of woman who are taking charge. Mahdawi will use data analytics, cultural studios and interviews with women in power to build a picture of the essential qualities of good leaders. She will delve into crisis management, problem solving, team building and collaborative decision making to give readers a clear understanding of what works in leadership, and what doesn't. 

Poland said: "I’ve long been a fan of Arwa’s journalism, which is never less than incisive, engaging, and insightful. In a time of so much strangeness it’s therefore incredibly exciting to work with her on a project that will shed some light on what success looks like, and perhaps even offer some hope."

Mahdawi says: "It seems like we’ve spent the last decade telling women to ‘lean in’ and lead like men if they want to succeed. Finally, however, the world is waking up to the realisation that skills that used to be considered ‘soft’ and feminine are actually the skills of the future. We’ve been saying ‘now more than ever’ a lot during the last six months—now more than ever, we need to reassess what strong leadership looks like. And I’m excited to break these lessons down in this book."