Edge: Turning Adversity into Advantage

A star Harvard Business School professor shows that success is about gaining an edge: that elusive quality that gives you an upper hand and attracts attention and support. Some people seem to naturally have it. Now, Huang teaches the rest of us how to create our own and keep it sharp. How do you find a competitive edge when you feel like the world is against you? How do you get people to take you seriously when theyre predisposed not to? Star Harvard Business School professor Laura Huang has come up against that problem many times – and so has anyone whos ever felt out of place or underrecognised. Many of us sit back quietly, hoping that our hard work and grit will speak for themselves. Or we force ourselves to fit the mold of what we perceive as successful, stifling the creativity and charm that makes us memorable. In this perfect guide for ambitious readers of Amy Cuddys Presence and Angela Duckworths Grit looking for the missing piece that will take them to the next level, Huang offers a different approach. She argues that success is rarely about the quality of your ideas, your credentials and skills or the effort you put in. Instead, its about how well you shape others perceptions – about your strengths, yes, but also about your flaws. Its about creating an edge by confronting the factors that seem like shortcomings and turning them into assets that persuade others to take notice. Drawing from her research on gut feeling, pitching and investment decisions, as well as stories about previously overlooked Olympians, assistants-turned executives and first-time entrepreneurs, Huang shows that success comes from knowing who you are and using that knowledge unapologetically and strategically. This book will teach you how to find your unique edge and keep it sharp.