Reddit mentions of The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow

My brother handed this book down to me and it was very inspirational.
http://www.amazon.com/21-Indispensable-Qualities-Leader-Becoming/dp/0785289046/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324493121&sr=8-1

You're very welcome! And I do hope you're able to find somebody who works, regardless of gender. =)

One of the best books I've read is http://www.amazon.com/The-21-Indispensable-Qualities-Leader/dp/0785289046.

It's a really short, easy-to-read book, but it's filled with great info and it applies regardless of industry. If you're looking for a starting point, that might help.

Also? Fuck networking events. As an IT professional I probably shouldn't say that... but I don't like them. I don't want to go into a room of random strangers who work somewhat in the same area as I do, and hope to make friends. I'd rather network through my friends. That's proven far more effective than anything else, in my experience. I've been to a couple of networking events and ugh. Just ugh. It's like an awkward middle school dance all over again.

When I was in my early 20's, and I first started in my current industry, I didn't know anybody. I made friends with a few people here & there, and those friends introduced me to new people, and so on and so forth. Strictly as a result of that, I'm now friends with several IT recruiters, have contacts in all sorts of industries, and keep meeting new people - all because I struck up a friendship with a couple of people. =) Don't discount making friends.

Plus - the fact that you're actively in pursuit of making positive changes and increasing your experience/knowledge... that is huge. That speaks volumes to how seriously people should take you!