Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and one of a few handful of female executives in the US, tackles this subject with a mix of personal experiences, and numerous sociological studies and corporate surveys about women and leadership.
The book does not uncover any new epiphanies or solutions, but creates a stir because of Sandberg's professional title. If Sandberg was a mid-level manager, the book would have barely gotten any attention since the "Mommy War" theme has been played out.
People talk about this book though, even if they have not read it. She is bringing the conversation back in a positive way. For this reason, I am glad that I read this book.
Ambitious with an impressive resume that includes The World Bank, Google and Facebook, Sandberg's definition of "having it all" clearly includes advancement in the workplace, which is one of the reasons why she and the book have come under attack.
However, if Sandberg's definition of "having it all" includes taking a demotion to spend more time at home with her children, she would also have come under attack.
Bottom line, there is no point of view on this topic that will not be controversial, which is part of the problem that faces women when it comes to balancing their personal and professional lives.
Two things that I took away after reading this book:
1. Confidence - I need to work on my self-confidence and "lean in" at meetings and participate rather than leaning back and observing.
I am ambitious, have an MBA and am proactive, but my self-confidence needs work. A particular pet peeve is that I do not speak up in meetings, or Lean In, and tend to make statements in the form of questions.
Part of the confidence is changing my physical being and exterior carriage by straightening my posture and leaning in to change how I feel.
Similar to how Maisie Dobbs mimics the physical carriage of people to provide a better sense of what they are feeling, how one carries themselves is a reflection of how they feel, and vice versa.
2. Fulfillment - At times, I can see myself being a stay-at-home mom. Even if that is to be the case though, Sandberg has made me realize that I should Lean In while I am still working.
I need to keep my foot on the gas and decide to ease up and focus on becoming a mother if and when the time is right.
An analogy from the book that resonates with me:
"Imagine that a career is like a marathon - a long, grueling, and ultimately rewarding endeavor. Now imagine a marathon where both men and women arrive at the starting line equally fit and trained... The male marathoners are routinely cheered on: "Lookin' strong! On your way!"
But the female runners hear a different message. "You know you don't have to do this!" the crowd shouts. Or "Good start - but you probably won't want to finish." The farther the marathoners run, the louder the cries grow for the men: "Keep going! You've got this!"
But the women hear more and more doubts about their efforts. External voices, and often their own internal voice, repeatedly question their decision to keep running."
[I had read this book in 2013, but neglected to complete the write-up. Only after reading The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman and wanting to reference this book while talking about the former, did I realize that I never completed this post...!
Since it's never too late as they say, I am posting this entry now, a year later.]
No comments:
Post a Comment