CloserQ readers, we have a management book club at Streamline Health, and we recently read, 'Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead' by Sheryl Sandberg. This is an interesting choice as the majority of our top leaders are male. I will admit that I was cautious when I started listening to on Audible, however, as you will see below, Lean In is a fantastic book for ALL leaders.
Below is an overview of this impactful book, however, I want to start with the story that surprisingly brought tremendous clarity to the ups and downs of my personal career. When Sheryl was evaluating multiple offers to leave government for the private sector, she interviewed with the then CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt. Sheryl explained the safety and clarity of her other options. Eric responded that only
one criterion matters when picking a job, 'fast growth'. Eric explained, when companies grow
quickly, there are more things to do than there are people to do them. When
companies grow stop growing, there is less to do and too many
people to be doing them. Politics and stagnation set in, and everyone falters. Eric told Sheryl, 'If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, you don’t ask what
seat. You just get on.' Personally, I have worked at both high and no growth companies. Eric and Sheryl brought clarity, when I reflect on my career, that my experiences at high growth companies are exponentially more fun and challenging, then my time at no growth companies. When my folks in my network call to get my opinion on jobs they are evaluating, I always tell this story.
Back to an overview of Lean In, Sandberg is the chief operating officer of Facebook and
is ranked on Fortune’s list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business and as
one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. In 2010, she gave an
electrifying TEDTalk in which she described how women unintentionally hold
themselves back in their careers. Her talk, which became a phenomenon and has
been viewed more than two million times, she encouraged women to 'sit at the
table,' seek challenges, take risks, and pursue their goals with gusto.
In her book, Sandberg digs into complex society issues of woman in the work place, by combining personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to cut through
the layers of ambiguity and bias surrounding the lives and choices of working
women. Sheryl recounts her own decisions, mistakes, and daily struggles to make
the right choices for herself, her career, and her family. She provides practical
advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career,
urging women to set boundaries and to abandon the myth of 'having it all.' She describes specific steps women can take
to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment and demonstrates
how men can benefit by supporting women in the workplace and at home. Written in 2013, Lean In has create a movement with #LeanIn and www.leanin.org.
Good Reading! Below is the link on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Women-Work-Will-Lead/dp/0385349947
Reader Feedback, please click the ‘comments’ below to give your feedback on 'Lean in'. Shaun Priest aka CloserQ. Have fantastic day.
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