Lean In by Sheryl Sandburg Review

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.