MinuteRead
15 min
Loading…
The first time Tina Fey walked into her dream job at Saturday Night Live, she was terrified. Not of the pressure. Not of the live television audience. She was terrified of the hallway. Specifically, she was terrified of running into someone in the hallway and having to make small talk. So she developed a strategy. She would walk very fast, looking at papers in her hand, as if she were late for something important. She did this for months.
**By Tina Fey**
*Estimated Reading Time: 45 minutes*
**What You'll Learn**
The real story behind one of comedy's most influential voices. How an awkward girl with a scarred face and a sharp wit navigated the brutal worlds of improv comedy, Saturday Night Live, and network television. The unvarnished truth about being a woman in charge, a working mother, and a creative force in an industry that often prefers women quiet and agreeable. Practical wisdom on leadership, creativity, and refusing to apologize for who you are.
**Who This Book Is For**
Anyone who has ever felt like an outsider. Anyone who has been told they are too much or not enough. Anyone trying to build a career while maintaining a life. Anyone who leads teams or hopes to. Anyone who suspects that the secret to success might be staying relentlessly, stubbornly yourself.
The first time Tina Fey walked into her dream job at Saturday Night Live, she was terrified. Not of the pressure. Not of the live television audience. She was terrified of the hallway. Specifically, she was terrified of running into someone in the hallway and having to make small talk. So she developed a strategy. She would walk very fast, looking at papers in her hand, as if she were late for something important. She did this for months. This is the woman who would go on to become SNL's first female head writer. The creator and star of 30 Rock. The woman whose impression of Sarah Palin became a cultural event. The winner of more Emmys than most people can count. And she spent her first months at her dream job speed-walking through hallways to avoid eye contact. This book exists because the stories we tell about successful women are usually lies. They are stories of effortless brilliance, of overnight success, of perfect balance between work and family. They are stories that make the rest of us feel inadequate. Tina Fey wrote Bossypants to tell a different kind of story. A story about what it actually looks like to build a career in a difficult industry while being female, anxious, imperfect, and human. The problem is not that women lack ambition or talent. The problem is that the path to success is littered with obstacles that nobody talks about honestly. The impossible beauty standards. The double binds where assertiveness makes you a bitch and agreeableness makes you a doormat. The assumption that women are not as funny as men. The expectation that you should be grateful for whatever you get and never ask for more. The quiet terror of being found out as a fraud. Tina Fey's approach to these problems is different because she refuses to be…
Continue reading in the MinuteRead app
Get the complete 30-minute summary of Bossypants
Get the complete summary in the appYour supposed weaknesses are often your actual strengths, if you have the courage to use them.
Say yes. Build on other people's ideas. The instinct to say no is usually fear disguised as intelligence.
There are no mistakes, only unexpected developments. What happens is what happens. Work with it.
Competence is the foundation of everything. Be so good they cannot ignore you.
Hire people you trust and let them do their jobs. Do not micromanage. Do not be a jerk.
The beauty standards are impossible by design. Stop trying to meet them. Redirect that energy toward something that matt
"Bossypants" is a strong fit if you want practical ideas around memoir, humor, biography—especially themes like your supposed weaknesses are often your actual strengths, if you have the courage to use them; say yes. build on other people's ideas. the instinct to say no is usually fear disguised as intelligence. The MinuteRead summary distills these concepts into a focused read, whether you're deciding whether to buy the book or applying its lessons at work.
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer known for her work on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. She has received numerous awards, including Emmys, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Fey began her career with The Second City in Chicago before joining SNL as a writer and later becoming head writer and cast member. She created and starred in 30 Rock, a sitcom based on her SNL experiences. Fey has also appeared in films like Mean Girls and Bab…
View all summaries by Tina FeyContinue Reading
Access the complete 30-minute summary and thousands more nonfiction books in the MinuteRead app.
Continue reading the complete summary in the MinuteRead app.
