Lean In
Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg is a motivational book. I relate to her because, like her, I come from a privileged background. Like her, I did not face economic or social hardships while growing up. Yet, like her, there are other challenges I face that limit my growth. Sheryl Sandberg gives three tips to help.
- Raise your hand: Saying yes to opportunities.
- Make your partner a real partner: Share responsibilities with your partner at home and trust them to carry their share of load.
- Do not leave before it is time: You might have to leave the workforce some day to take care of family. But, until that day arrives, stay in the workforce and grow your career. That way, you have a better chance of coming back to work when you are ready.
Other than these, there was an opinion that for women, formal mentoring does work. While organically grown mentorship works best in all cases, there seems to be some benefit in the formal programs that removes the first hurdle - fear of reaching out. She also says that women want to be likeable at work. So, they fear conflicts and agree ideas other than their own more often. The solution proposed is to be "relentlessly pleasant"
A highlight for me was the acknowledgement to the fact that, when women negotiate, it is considered a bad thing. Such women are disliked more often. This does not help create good relations at work. To work around this hurdle, women need to provide legitimate reasons for the negotiation. Women need to "think personally and act communally". While negotiating, women need to show the cause for greater good or mutual benefit. That seems to do the trick. Of course, the age old tactic of handling under confidence is to fake it.