There was a lot of buzz surrounding this book, so being interested in professional women, I decided to grab myself a copy. I had watched Sheryl Sandberg's TEDTalk on youtube before and after reading this book it seems to me that Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead is more of an extended version of that. Before I continue with this review, I just want to mention that I personally am not striving to be the next Sheryl. I did however find this to be an excellent book. It is very inspiring and although the title reads 'Women' this would be a good read for men too.
In Lean In, the author points out the many barriers that women face when it comes to achieving leadership jobs that are at par with their abilities and education. She states that women are responsible for creating some of these hurdles themselves, mostly because they do not posses self confidence. Sometimes it is due to the fear of coming across as too aggressive in the workplace. She then does a good job at sharing motivational tips to help women win the war against these barriers. Sheryl goes on to offer a little insight into the most common ways that we as women tend to sabotage our own careers without being aware of what we are actually doing. She gives tips on how to get the most out of your own career.Throughout the book she utilizes simple stories to bring forward her points and then backs it up with well researched data.
She also addresses all the different roles that women have to play in their lifetime. Sheryl encourages us to be fully engaged in these roles and always 'lean in' be it emotionally, physically or even mentally.
Who is Sheryl Sandberg? She is currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Facebook Inc, which she joined in 2008. Before joining the world's biggest social media site she was Vice President of Global Online Sales & Operations at another internet giant Google Inc. In the past she has been chief of staff at the U.S. Treasury Department during President Bill Clinton's two terms. Sheryl is 43 years old and lives in Atherton, California. She has Bachelor of Arts and an MBA from Harvard University. She was listed in the tenth position on Forbes List Of Power Women in in 2012. I found Lean In to be very thought provoking and really enjoyed the fact that it was a short read. I also was pleased to see how honest the author was in terms of her strengths, her faults as well as her privileges. I thank her for giving us a glimpse into Silicon Valley. However I did notice that some of the stories she writes about are the same stories she has retold over and over again in the past. Personally I did not feel she was claiming to have answers to everything regarding women in the corporate world.
This is definitely not a 'do as I did' and you will succeed book. She clearly acknowledges that we all find ourselves in different situations, and she considers herself to have been very lucky. When you read her book you can take the lessons from her life and learn from them in order to have a more fulfilling experience. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead was enlightening for me. I suddenly realized the many ways I had been subconsciously limiting myself. The book is super helpful, very clear, a short read and Sheryl keeps it very simple. She does not sugar coat anything for you. This is a must read for everyone regardless of their age. If you are a career oriented woman, you will gain very useful insights from reading this book. As I have already stated above, even though the book targets women, men can learn a few pointers too.
Available in several formats - Lean In By Sheryl Sandberg now