Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg Review - Book Report/Review Example

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg In her book Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg examines why the progress of women in an attempt to achieve leadership roles, has stuck. She proceeds to explain the major causes of this stagnation and provides convincing solutions that can empower women to exploit and realize their full potential. Her message to women empowerment in the workplace is, in essence, a campaign that seeks to encourage women to support themselves as marketable consumer items for professional advancement. She argues that women should strive to embrace unity and avoid downplaying the detrimental effects of gender bias that women experience in workplaces (Sandberg 12). Sandberg is also sensitive and encourages mothering. She explains how mothering conflicts with work demands. Precisely, she has the touch of a superhuman. Similarly, Sandberg is susceptible to the difficulty women undergo in raising children even as they work hard. She expresses her thoughts with sophistication as well as thoughtful reflection of her personal experience. However, Lean In is not just concerned with the balancing act of working and parenting. It also explores the challenges that women face while trying to get ahead. She only devotes three chapters of her book out of eleven to family work balance. The remaining eight chapters describe how women can control their careers and rise to greatness at a period when gender bias is the order of the day. The book demonstrates careful research on how chauvinism still dominates workplace. She further adds on the strength of the book by admitting her self-doubt and own failings. In her book, Sandberg shows that it is extremely difficult to manage both motherhood and career, even before giving birth. In the opening anecdote of Lean In, she describes the terrible time she had when she was pregnant with her first child. She vomited daily for a period of nine months (Sandberg 7). In addition, she gained seventy pounds and her feet swelled terribly. Sandberg considers herself a feminist and a beneficiary of the struggles of the campaigners who fought for the rights of women. She says that they stand on the shoulders of those women who came before them. According to her, it is those women that fought for the rights that they, at the moment, take for granted. Sandberg also points out that the world is still run by men. She supports this fact with numerous statistics. For instance, she writes about only 22 women being heads of states out of 197 heads of states (Sandberg 109). She also mentions that out of the top 500 companies in terms of revenues, merely 21 companies are led by females. Similarly, in political spheres, particularly in congressional offices, women only hold 18% (Sandberg 109). Sandberg also talks about women’s compensation. She suggests that just like men women should negotiate. In addition, she has a belief that the feminist revolution has stuck. To justify this claim, she extensively writes about the challenges and barriers faced by women in the workplace. For instance, she mentions sexual harassment, subtle and blatant sexism, and discrimination. Moreover, Sandberg points out the significance of workplace flexibility and the importance of having parental leave policies and accessible child care. She also cites that while men get promotions on the basis of their potential, women have a plus on past undertakings. Sandberg persuasively argues that women are held back by internal obstacles. This seems to be the most controversial part of her book. She explains that women distance themselves from advancing because they lack self-drive and self-confidence unlike men (Sandberg 65). As a result, women lower their personal expectations of their ability on what they can achieve. She sees personal motivation as a very complicated thing. According to her, personal motivation is influenced by an individual’s internal will. She proceeds to add that there are other factors that affect personal motivation. These include the connections individuals make, the parenting they receive, the peer group that surrounds them as they grow, the prejudices and expectations of those surrounding them, and the educational opportunities that they get. Sandberg cites several studies that point out the obstacles faced by women. For instance, she gives a convincing study that rings true, despite being ten years old. She refers to this as Heidi study. This study involves two professors who had written a case study on the life of a businesswoman called Heidi Roizen (Sandberg 124). They described how Roizen became a successful business enterprise capitalist as a result of her vast professional and personal network and outgoing personality. The professors formed groups of students to read the story of Roizen with her actual name attached. Another group was also made to read the same thing, but this time with the name changed to Howard. These students then rated Heidi Roizen and Howard as per their undertakings and how attractive they appeared as colleagues. Although these students rated the two equally on the dimensions of success, they considered Howard likable. Heidi on the other hand was deemed selfish and the type of a person one would not wish to work for or hire. In relation to this study, Sandberg concluded that when a man is successful, most people will like him. On the other hand, when a woman attains success, people will not like her as much as the man. Sandberg addresses the puzzle presented by the study of women. Most people want to be liked. Therefore, if being successful makes others not somebody, most people would not get motivated to do well. Personally, she admits to undermining her personal accomplishments fearing that other people would not like them. She, therefore, calls encourages women to rise above this Heidi and Howard stereotype and believe in themselves. She gives this story to clarify her point. She tries to encourage women to always to be themselves and that their desire to be liked or praised by everyone only holds them back. She adds that, one will be unable to achieve anything by attempting to please everybody. Sandberg also tells women that they need to be comfortable with female leaders. In fact, Sandberg makes a very sharp point on mentors. She warns women against asking anyone to be their mentor. Instead, she feels that women should ask both junior and senior people to them for particular advice in order to solve problems (Sandberg 9). She argues that this has an effect of leading to more productive relationships compared to the general and simplistic appeal for mentoring. In her book, Sandberg suggests that women need to ask their partners to take care of at least half the task of parenting (Sandberg 10). On this point, she takes out a very controversial ground. She suggests that women should stop acting like maternal gatekeepers. They should not try to control the manner in which their partners carry out their duties. Although she acknowledges that this is not easy, she points out that it makes a logical case for how important it is when women start pursuing their demanding careers. Sandberg also mentions that fast-growing industries like Facebook and Google are vital in creating environments for career growth (Sandberg 18). She says that job supply exceeds the demand and, therefore, it is only those who are self-driven and have the capability to do these jobs that will rise to greatness. Of great importance is the myth of doing it all as addressed by Sandberg in her book. Sandberg maintains that women can be corporate leaders even when they are parenting. She writes about how difficult it was for her to attain a workable balance. It was tough restricting her office time daily, having supper with her children, and working at home after the children had gone to bed. Moreover, Sandberg is conscious of the fact that a majority of women do not prefer having both family and a career. Others, also do not care about rising to power positions. She maintains that a number of working women have to strain to meet their monthly expenses as well as to put food on the table (Sandberg 61). Therefore, Sandberg advises the few women privileged with education and connections to rise to positions of power. She argues that if the numbers of women in leadership positions are increased, there will be an increase in opportunities and status for all women. This implies that Sandberg urges women to come out and seek leadership roles. In conclusion, Lean In is a readable and a compelling book that aims to empower women. The book is less preachy and more substantive. It conveys a powerful message that is also packed with personal vulnerability, as well as first-hand anecdotes. Additionally, the book is full of footnoted studies and statistics that back the points being presented. Sandberg borrows from her personal life experiences to make her book more vivid and realistic. Through these personal vulnerabilities, she manages to show her readers how difficult it can be as a woman to balance between their professions and their parenting roles. The book predominantly talks about business leadership as well as how women can attain success in the workplace. Sandberg encourages women to take part, in order to succeed professionally. She advises women to have ambitions, speak up, and go for top leadership positions. In a nutshell, Sandberg says that we require more women in power. She believes that this is the only step that will stop the endless questions about whether or not women can be equal to men in terms of their professions. She calls upon every individual to openly acknowledge and look into the effects and pervasiveness of gender roles so as to move past them. Works Cited Sandberg, Sheryl, and Nell Scovell. Lean in: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. , 2013. Print. Read More