Fearless at Work: Using Our Fearless Voices

One of my biggest fears as a young woman was not being liked by other people. Nowhere did this come into play more strongly than in my writing career: It took me many years not to take the criticism of others personally. When I published my fifth book, Picasso: Creator and Destroyer, in 1988, I discovered that I'd angered the entire art establishment: how dare I criticize Picasso as a man? The fact is that an unconventional, self-assured woman is often seen as antithetical to her feminine nature--particularly when it comes to taking on an icon such as Picasso.

Has there been a time in your professional life when you held back out of fear that your assertiveness would make you unlikable? If you use your voice fearlessly, what would you say?

--Arianna Huffington