Book: The Person You Mean To Be
In this instant classic, find out why the path to being a better person begins with letting go of being a good person
Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, Susan Cain and Daniel Pink picked the book as one of 6 new books to have on your bookshelf Fall 2018 (as part of the Next Big Idea Book Club)
Featured in the 25 Most Popular TED Talks of 2018
Recommended on Forbes, CNBC, Greater Good Magazine, goop, Quartz, and more
About the Book
An inspiring guide from Dolly Chugh, an award-winning social psychologist at the New York University Stern School of Business, on how to confront difficult issues including sexism, racism, inequality, and injustice so that you can make the world (and yourself) better.
Foreword by Laszlo Bock, the bestselling author of Work Rules! and former Senior Vice President of People Operations at Google
Finally: an engaging, evidence-based book about how to battle biases, champion diversity and inclusion, and advocate for those who lack power and privilege. Dolly Chugh makes a convincing case that being an ally isn’t about being a good person—it’s about constantly striving to be a better person.
— Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take, Originals, and Option B (with Sheryl Sandberg)
Dolly Chugh applies the power of a growth mindset to work on equity and inclusion at a time when it is much-needed. The Person You Mean to Be is essential reading.
— Carol Dweck, bestselling author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
This is a book for anyone who thinks of themselves as a pretty decent human being but who knows, deep in their heart, they could be better. A cocktail of stories and science that gets you thinking and, more important, gets you acting.
— Angela Duckworth, founder and CEO of Character Lab and author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Never has an author made it so easy to see our blind spots and the downsides of our best intentions. Dolly Chugh’s brilliant lens reveals the invisible, uncomfortable truths of ordinary privilege, yet offers a light that inspires and guides each of us to be the moral, inclusive leader we hope to be.
— Liz Wiseman, New York Times bestselling author of Multipliers and Rookie Smarts
Dolly Chugh helps us identify our ‘platform of privilege’ and guides us on how we can use this and other tools to create positive change. She encourages us to accentuate our strengths and to manage our weaknesses, and forces us to focus on being better and stronger in everything we do.
— Billie Jean King, social justice pioneer and tennis champion
Dolly Chugh has written the most important and actionable book on reducing bias that I have read. Using powerful and enduring findings from research on bias, she explains the reasons we fail to be the person we mean to be and provides prescriptions for managing the pitfalls of our humanness. This deeply personal book is a must-read.
— David Thomas, president of Morehouse College and author of Leading for Equity and Breaking Through
In authoritative yet accessible prose, social psychologist Dolly Chugh outlines how we can all make the indispensable shift from being ‘believers’ who live under the ideal of inclusion to being ‘builders’ who live up to that ideal. This book is both guide and gift.
— Kenji Yoshino, author of Speak Now: Marriage Equality on Trial and Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU School of Law