Lean In Women, Work, and the Will to Lead Paperback – January 1, 2013

Some books generate a storm of criticism as soon as they are published, much of which seems based on reading about the book, not actually reading the book itself. "Lean In" is one such book. The thrust of the book was no secret, since it is based in large part on talks Sandberg gave in 2010 and 2011. In those she stressed the need for women to "lean in" -- recognizing that many typical female behavior patterns hurt women at work, that those behaviors can change, and that motherhood doesn't have to mean "leaning back" at work. Those arguments, along with Sandberg's extraordinary success, sparked the aforementioned storm of criticism when the book came out. She was accused of blaming the victim by ignoring structural sexism in American business,and of elitism by discussing issues that had nothing to do with the problems of most working American women.When I actually read the book, I was far more impressed than the brouhaha suggested. "Blaming the victim" and "elitist" criticisms ignore the fact that Sandberg tackles them right from the beginning. The handicaps women face in the workplace, she argues, reflect BOTH external patterns of discrimination, and internal patterns that women bring to the workplace. She calls this a "the ultimate chicken-and-egg situation", and continues "The chicken: women will tear down the external barriers once we achieve leadership roles. .... The egg: we need to eliminate external barriers to get women into those roles in the first place". Both sides, she says, are right. Her book is mostly about the chicken, but she clearly thinks the egg is just as important, saying that "men still run the world" and demonstrating that with lots and lots of statistics. As to elitism, she address that head on as well, saying that parts of this book "will be most relevant to women fortunate enough to have choices". BUT, she adds, other parts "apply to situations that women face in every work place", and she is trying to offer opinions that will "resonate with women in a broad range of circumstances".So much for the criticisms: what about the book? It demonstrates convincingly that women as a group have plateaued in the American workplace for years now, after rapid gains in the 1970's and 1980's -- in terms of earnings, in terms of advancement, and in terms of home/work balance. It demonstrates that this has happened despite the fact that women are on average better educated than men, all the way up the ladder, and that women make up a growing share of the labor force. So what's the problem? Much of it, Ms. Sandberg shows, reflects workplace practices that disadvantage women, particularly women with children. And much of it reflects attitudes held (often unconsciously) by men AND by women in the workplace. Most notably, she cites studies showing that men tend to be better liked as they become more successful at work, while women become less liked as they become more successful. When you consider that success at work has something to do with how well liked you are, that's a great big Catch-22.But the key arguments in the book, I think, focus on the limitations women put on themselves. As a veteran (female) of almost 40 years in Wall Street, Ms. Sandberg's discussion of this made me think Right, Right, RIGHT again and again. She cites the same behaviors and attitudes I noticed over and over in myself, and in other women at work: Work hard and you'll do well! Don't make waves! Don't blow your own horn! Don't take on more than you can chew! Why do we women believe this? Largely, because we are conditioned from babyhood to do so. Yes, there are probably some modest innate emotional differences between the bell curve women and the bell curve man. Piled on top of that, however (as Ms. Sandberg makes clear), is an extraordinary weight of social assumptions. And Ms Sandberg has practical suggestions for dealing with these internal constraints. It took me a couple of decades to understand that waiting to be crowned Queen of the May was not a good career strategies, but I never really worked what to do instead. Ms Sandberg has, and it adds up to "lean in" -- don't step back, don't underestimate yourself (or if you do, act as if you didn't), don't refuse to speak up for yourself, and a whole lot more.All in all, this is an enlightening book, and is well worth reading. It's also a feminist manifesto, and that's nice to see after all these years during which no one seemed to want to admit to being a feminist.

The gap between the potential of women coming from college and the paucity of women in leadership roles is what concerns Sheryl Sandberg as well. By this point, she has spread her message of leaning in through many forums. Sandberg has a successful TED talk that has been watched almost4.5 million times; she has a national number one bestseller with the book "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead"; she has extended the franchise with a social network where women can form "Lean In Circles" where women can encourage each other; finally, she has put out a new expanded edition of her book branded for college graduates.Lean In has a basic message for women - lean in! But what is leaning in? In broad strokes it is accepting that the structural limitations for success of women exist and empowering women who by giving them a blueprint for growth both inside and outside of the workplace. It is about setting boundaries and working towards a more equitable world.There are twelve chapters, and they all speak an empowering truth that does not come across too much like a self-help book. In the introduction, Sandberg posits that we can have a more equal world, "one where women ran half of countries and companies and men ran half our homes" (Lean In 7). Chapter two speaks to the gap between college success and the amount of leaders in commerce and industry, which Sandberg inverts, saying that though there are the structural issues holding women back, there are in fact issues internal to women, in that there is a "Leadership Ambition Gap" (ibid 12). Though not included here in the book, this for me is well illustrated with one fact: "A recent McKinsey & Company study reported that internal research at Hewlett Packard found that women only applied to open positions if they felt they met 100 percent of the criteria, compared to only 60 percent for men." (Kenal) Men are not afraid to ask for a job even if they're not qualified because they think they can do the job or learn on the job. Women, conversely, opt out, since as Sandberg notes, "Most leadership positions are held by men, so women don't expect to achieve them and that becomes one of the reasons they don't." (22).After Sandberg describes what she sees as the problem, she has some concrete advice that can be applied more generally. Chapter two, titled "Sit at the Table," encourages women to do just that. Generally, women might exclude themselves from conversation by sitting back even when they are invited to literally sit at the table (27). Charisma has an important role in leadership, and getting people to like you can be a difficult battle for anyone in the workplace. Chapter three focuses on the paradoxical nature of success for women. Studies have shown that successful men are often well liked. The converse is true for women. The more successful a woman is, people of both genders will like her less (40). This is, Sandberg posits, because there are so few women in powerful roles and their otherness makes them a source for scorn. She is hopeful though, for a time when more women have leaned in so that "If women held 50 of top jobs, it would not be possible to dislike that many people" (50). Chapter four emphasizes that there are many ways to the top by bringing a metaphor about a jungle gym to replace the common perception of a ladder. Chapter five focuses on mentorship, the importance of finding on the way up, and of being one once you are at the top. She notes the potential weakness of this because there are so many more men than women at the top, so mentorship as existing reinforces the old-boys network (71). Chapter six, "See and speak your truth exhorts women to not hold back in communication, but to be smart about it, so that "Communication works best when we combine appropriateness with authenticity, finding that sweet spot where opinions are not brutally honest but delicately honest" (78). So once you have joined your place at the table, you need to speak up.Chapter seven, for me, is the heart of the book, mainly because I can relate to the situation. In "Don't Leave Before You Leave," Sandberg's message is simple - go full bore until you can no longer go. Take the opportunities that are presented to you and don't turn them away because of choices you might make in the future. Sandberg illustrates this well with a story of a women worried about work-life balance in the future with a child. The kicker being that the women was not even seeing anyone at the time (92). By disqualifying yourself because of these future decisions, you put yourself on the track to not have other opportunities in the future, ironically limiting your future options. Chapter eight focus on the home, making sure that your partner is a full participant at home. This has added benefits, as research shows that equality between partners leads to happier relationships (118). This is improving, since partnership is a micro-level issue that happens "one family at a time" and men of younger generations are more willing to be equitable partners (120). Chapter nine tries to break down the "Myth of Doing It All," where Sandberg recognizes that there are limits to how much one can do in the day when it comes to family, work, and personal time. She knows that you can't do everything and we should be able to accepts that "Done is better than perfect" (129) in terms of the accomplishing goals (a mantra I myself want to adopt). She tells a story of forgetting her son's green t-shirt on Saint Patrick's day to show that she herself can be fallible. The chapter closes with her definition of success: "Making the best choices we can...and accepting them" (139). The last two chapters are about naming the problem, starting a dialogue based on the recommendations in the book, and moving forward to creating a world where those fifty percent of companies and households are led by women in a more equal society. Importantly, Sandberg recognizes some of the limitations of leaning in, noting "I am fully aware that most women are not focused on changing social norms for the next generation but simply trying to get through each day" (169). Ultimately, the book is structured in a way that describes the problem, outlines solutions, and provides a way forward for people to make these changes. Thankfully, these are not those broad policy prescriptions that have no hope of being enacted, but instead they are actions most women can make so that they are not left behind.

ótima leitura.

Lectura fácil sobre la experiencia femenina. Súper recomendable!!!

Cadeaux jeunes managers femmes

I liked the book. It’s not exactly on leadership tools and strategies but about getting the essence and the right spirit to win and hold on that place of leadership.Quite feminist in a good sense of it, strong will book.

I really love this book. Sheryl Sandberg writes in a really easy way (it's quite easy to read the book also for non-native speakers like me) and points out themes and issues in which all women should be interested. She's just great and inspired me a lot. I thought "if she did so much and reached her objectives in spite of obstacles, I will be able to do the same, also thanks to her advice".