Lean
In By Sheryl Sandburg Review
Written
on 7/12/2015
I
first put this book on my kindle when I was looking for interesting
books to read back in the States. One of my friends had read it while
we were in college, and found it interesting, so I figured why not
figure out what the hype was all about too. Lean In has become one of
the books that brought about what I feel is another wave of feminism
(which, by the way, the fact that their has been waves or phases to
feminism shows how long genders have been inequitable...) I digress.
And Sheryl Sandburg is one of the leading ladies of the cyber world,
and recently a leader in new feminist conversations. So why not see
what her ideas are all about. Why not Lean In to the book, if you
will...
I
found Sandburg's perspective interesting, her book is less about how
the man brings us down! and how we should stick it to the man! but
more about what women can do for themselves, inside their own heads
and gender group, to improve the current situation for women in the
workplace and at home. To fight back against "barriers that
exists with in ourselves" causing us to lean back when we should
be leaning in.
In
a nut shell, how to stop focusing on 'doing it all' and focus more on
doing whats most important for you and for your family. How the
'balancing act' between work and family could (and should) be a
balancing act between the heads of the house hold, making sure each
is able to reach their fullest potential at work, and at home. It's
about not being afraid to have a family AND reach for the stars in
your career.
Some
specific ideas that I found interesting were:
Stop
making compromises on your professional life before a partner and
children even exist. When you start a relationship, start it on an
equal playing field so that you have a balanced relationship from the
beginning. It's easier to maintain a balanced relationship than
change an unbalanced one. When you start thinking of having children,
no that from the moment you get pregnant until conception, you have
(hopefully) 9 (healthy) months to plan.
Opportunities
are rarely offered. They are seized. Asking for a promotion or a
raise increases your chances of getting a promotion or a raise. Don't
be afraid to say you know that we (women) are often paid less, and
because you do as much (or more) work than your male counterparts,
you want to make sure your rank and your paycheck reflect that.
Think
personally, act communally. Studies show that women in leadership
positions aren't as well perceived by their peers because socially,
women are seen as more communal beings. When they are perceived as
thinking more about themselves, its seen much more negatively than a
man. So, its important to act communally as a woman. Use "We"
instead of "I", "Us" instead of "me."
For example: "We should get that done now so it's less work for
us later" is seen much more positively than "I need to work
hard now so I have less work later..."
Careers
are a jungle gym, not a ladder. In today's world, where job security
feels like a thing of the past, working at the same company for years
trying to get to the top may not work. Jumping around from different
positions, taking lower positions in fields/a company with a high
growth rate (think Sandburg starting at Facebook before it was
something everyone stared at all day long).
I
did, however, have one problem with this book. Aside from a short
blerb in the beginning, Sandburg rarely acknowledged her own
privilege. Throughout the book, it would've been nice to see this
position of privilege checked and acknowledged in anecdotes and data.
Does her advice change if you don't have those same privileges? I'm
not sure. It something that I feel would have been interesting, and
worthwhile, for Sandburg to explore.
