Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg - 2013

I read this via audio. This is an interesting book. It makes a strong case for more women leaders in the workplace. It partly blames men. It partly blames “the system”, and it partly blames women themselves. By blame I mean these things are declared guilty as to why there are not as many full time women in the workplace. It is a little dated by now as it was published in 2013. 

She makes a lot of valid points. Men should probably help their spouses more with childcare. Ambitious women are probably unliked sometimes because society says women are supposed to be nurturing first and not aggressive. Women should literally sit at the table during business meetings as a way of respecting themselves. Done is better than perfect. We had this problem all the time at IMF. She says it is better to complete a task instead of trying to be perfect all of the time.

I think minorities and women must live in a different universe than me. As a white male, I do not feel discriminated against at all. For example, at one board meeting there was only a male restroom. That’s crazy but that does not affect me so perhaps white males are blind to issues affecting other races and genders. Actually recently I hear a lot of white males complaining about the gender and inclusion movement going on in the workplace. Maybe this is how everyone else has been feeling for years. This book is liberal for sure and feminist as well. Although if you define feminist as wanting equal rights for men and women then I guess I am a feminist too. 

In other sections, there are cool stories about Mark Zuckerberg, google, and the office place in general. I found these highly relatable having worked in a hierarchal office before. Facebook and google both seem like great companies to work at. At least she describes them this way.

Probably the biggest issue I have with this book is that men and women are biologically different. A huge problem for women in the workplace is childbirth and guilt about not being around for the kids enough. She recognizes this issue but it is hard for me to quantify exactly how genetically/personality different men and women are. If you ask me I will say they are vastly different and this accounts for the way the workplace has historically acted. Perhaps I am wrong and we just need more allies for the women’s movement. In fairness, and as stated above, she notes that women have to advocate for themselves and for other women so they have a better chance on the career jungle gym.

Really good/interesting career advice in this book. For example, it is good to cry at work. Also when choosing a job she says the most important factor is the company’s growth potential (to be fair she was in tech).

If you are a career loving mother (her term) I say read this for sure. If you are pregnant and are thinking about leaving the workforce, read this for sure. If you are a male it provides some good perspective on issues you may not have thought much about (hence why I read it). 

I say worth reading/listening.