lean in sheryl sandberg - executive book...
TRANSCRIPT
Blue Sky Leadership Consulting LLC 2014
Lean In – Sheryl Sandberg
VOL. # ONE ISSUE #6
A Book Review
“”It has been more than two decades since I entered the workforce, and so
much is still the same. It is time for us to face the fact that our revolution
has stalled. The promise of equality is not the same as true equality. A truly
equal world would be one where women ran half our countries and
companies and men ran half our homes.” (P.7)
“Conditions for all women will improve when there are more women in
leadership roles giving strong and powerful voice to their needs and
concerns.” (P.7)
“Fear is at the root of so many of the barriers that women face. Fear of not
being liked. Fear of making the wrong choice. Fear of drawing negative
attention. Fear of overreaching. Fear of being judged. Fear of failure. And
the holy trinity of fear; the fear of being a bad mother/wife/daughter.” (P. 24)
“As former secretary of state Madeleine Albright once said, ‘there’s a special
place in hell for women who don’t help other women.’” (P. 164)
Lean In. Braeuler Consulting works with organizations to leverage Strategic Thinking and Execution Planning and we
encompass many of these principles into our Four DecisionsTM methodology and development of company’s One Page
Strategic Plans. Whatever system or systems you decide to use, I encourage you to understand them fully, implement them
slowly and completely and maintain the discipline and rhythm necessary to see concrete results. Employees tire of “Flavor
of the Month” initiatives. They also thrive on organizational alignment, execution of plans and achievements that garner a
sense of accomplishment.
In 2011 she delivered the commencement address for Barnard College – an all-women’s
liberal arts school in New York City. It was the first time she openly discussed the leadership
ambition gap. Read the conclusion to that speech on Page 25.
“The phenomenon of capable people being plagued by
self-doubt has a name – the imposter syndrome. Both
men and women are susceptible to the impostor
syndrome, but women tend to experience it more
intensely and be more limited by it. ” (P. 29)
Braeuler Consulting
Peter Braeuler Telephone 210.219.9934
Book in a Bite
Key quotes
Blue Sky Leadership Consulting LLC 2014
The Chapters ❖ 2: Sit at the table
o Impostor syndrome
o Shake off self-doubt; fake it – feel self-confident –
smile for an hour and you will feel cheerful
o Grab opportunities and take risks
o Keep your hand up (P. 36)
❖ 3: Success and Likeability
o Positively correlated for men and negatively
correlated for women (Heidi/Howard study P. 40)
o The desire to be liked will hold you back…if you
please everyone, you aren’t making enough
progress.
❖ 4: It’s a Jungle Gym, Not a Ladder
o Ladders are limiting – up, down or off…there are
many ways to get to the top of a jungle gym.
o Eric Schmidt “only one criterion mattered when
picking a job – fast growth. If you are offered a
seat on a rocket ship, you don’t ask what seat. You
just get on.”
o HP study – Men apply if they think they meet 60%
of requirements; women apply only if they think
they meet 100%. “Women need to shift from
thinking “I’m not ready to do that” to thinking “I
want to do that – I’ll learn by doing it.” (P. 62)
❖ Belief 4: I choose to succeed
o Committed vs. compliant
o I choose to change causes a disconnect – the more
we believe something is true the less likely we are
to believe the opposite is true. (p.24)
❖ 5: Are You My Mentor?
o If you have to ask, the answer is
probably no.
o “We need to stop telling them, “Get a
mentor and you will excel.” Instead, we
need to tell them, “Excel and you will
get a mentor.” (P. 69)
o “Any male leader who is serious about
moving toward a more equal world can
make this a priority and be part of the
solution. It should be a badge of honor
for men to sponsor women.” (P. 71)
❖ 6: Seek and Speak Your Truth
o “Communication works best when we
combine appropriateness with
authenticity, finding that sweet spot
where opinions are not brutally honest
but delicately honest.” (P. 78)
o There is my point of view (my truth)
and someone else’s point of view (their
truth). Rarely is there one absolute
truth.
o Speak openly about your own
weaknesses; use humor to deliver an
honest message; share emotions;
Introduction
Keys
A truly equal world – women ran half our
countries and companies and men ran half
our homes. This book talks about how to
get there.
Book in a Bite
Lean In…..
• Leadership ambition gap
• Sit at the table
• Success and likeability
• It’s a jungle gym, not a ladder
• Are you my mentor?
• Seek and speak your truth
• Don’t leave before you leave
• Make your partner a real partner
• The myth of doing it all
• Let’s start talking about it
• Working together toward
equality
The Chapters
LEAN IN – In a nutshell:
We need more women in power. It’s the only
thing that will stop the constant questions
about whether women can and should be
professionally equal to men. We’re all
socialized from birth for women to be sweet
and nurturing and men to be tough and
aggressive, and for women to be valued for
the care they give while men are valued for
their external accomplishments. It’s not fair
to either men or women. We need to openly
acknowledge and discuss the pervasiveness
and effects of these gender roles so we can
move past them.
(MagicCookie Blog Aug 1, 2013)
Blue Sky Leadership Consulting LLC 2014
❖ 10. Let’s Start Talking About It o “…there are differences between men and
women both in their behavior and in the way
their behavior is perceived by others…I could
see these dynamics playing out in the
workforce, and that, in order to fix the
problems, we needed to be able to talk about
gender without people thinking we were
crying for help, asking for special treatment,
or about to sue.” (P. 145)
o Talking can transform minds, which can
transform behaviors, which can transform
institutions.
o All of us, myself included, are biased,
whether we admit or not. (P. 152)
o Every job will demand some sacrifice. The
key is to avoid unnecessary sacrifice.
o Social gains are never handed out. They must
be seized. (P. 157)
Braeuler Consulting VOL. # ONE ISSUE #6
Book in a Bite
❖ 7: Don’t Leave Before You Leave
o “Of all the ways women hold
themselves back, perhaps the most
pervasive is that they leave before they
leave.” (P. 93)
o The time to scale back is when a break
is needed – not before, and certainly not
years in advance. The months and
years leading up to having children are
not the time to lean back, but the critical
time to lean in.
❖ 8: Make Your Partner a Real Partner
o “When mothers care for their children,
it’s “parenting”, but when fathers care
for their children, the government
deems it a “child care arrangement”.
o Have you ever heard men saying they
are heading home to “babysit” their
children? Or list their children as
hobbies?
o We need to encourage men to lean in to
their families.
o “We need more men to sit at the
table…the kitchen table.” (P. 120)
❖ 9. The Myth of Doing It All o Tina Fey says the worst question you
can ask a woman is not age or weight
but “How do you juggle it all?”
Everyone has multiple responsibilities.
o The best way to make room for life and
career is to make choices deliberately –
to set limits and stick to them.
o Done is better than perfect.
o The secret is there is no secret – just
doing the best you can with what
you’ve got.
“Staying quiet and fitting in may have been all the first generations of women who
entered corporate America could do; in some cases, it might still be the safest path.
But this strategy is not paying off for women as a group. Instead, we need to speak
out, identify the barriers that are holding women back, and find solutions” (P. 146-7)
Born: August 28, 1969
Raised in Miami Beach Florida
BA, MBA – Harvard University
Lives in Northern California
Married to David Goldberg – 2 children
Worked for Google
COO of Facebook since 2008
Became 8th member of BOD in 2012
The Chapters
Blue Sky Leadership Consulting LLC 2014
Book in a Bite
Chapter 1: The Leadership Ambition Gap -
What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
❖ 36% of men want to reach the C-suite, compared to only 18% of the women (2012 McKinsey survey) ❖ Millennial women were also less likely than their male peers to characterize themselves as “leaders,”
“visionaries,” “self-confident,” and “willing to take risks.” ❖ Professional ambition is expected of men but is optional – or worse, sometimes even a negative – for
women.
❖ “Writing this book is not just me encouraging others to lean in. This is me leaning in. Writing this book
is what I would do if I weren’t afraid.” (P. 26)
Take Aways
THERE NEED TO BE MANY VOICES
CALLING FOR SUCH EQUALITY –
FEMALE VOICES, MALE VOICES –
THIS IS ONLY ONE BOOK OF MANY!
True equality
The Chapters …..
1. People with power will not
give it up, or even share it
willingly. It must be seized by
those who do not yet have
such power. 2. Women have to lean in – but
like women, not like men…
this is a very delicate tightrope
to walk. 3. Some men are going to have
to become mentors to some
women. And these men are
going to have to be very
intentional about this… 4. Seize your opportunities – find
a rocket ship and get on board.
Source: 15MinuteBusinessBooks.com
❖ 11. Working Together Toward Equality o All of us- men and women alike – have to understand and
acknowledge how stereotypes and biases cloud our beliefs
and perpetuate the status quo. Instead of ignoring our
differences, we need to accept and transcend them. (P. 159)
o Queen Bee phenomenon
o Mommy wars (working inside and out of the home)
o There is always an opportunity cost in every decision