Lean In

 Welcome to my 5th blog post!

I must admit that blogging gets easier the more you do it but that first step outside my comfort zone was a big one. If it was not for the leadership class I am taking through Troy University online, I don't think I would have ever tried blogging.

One of the requirements in my leadership class is to select a book based on leadership, read it, and write a review on it. Luckily, I really enjoy reading and I found a book that I find interesting and want to read.

The book I selected is Lean In - Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg. I must confess that I had not read this book, heard of this book, or heard of Sheryl Sandberg prior to this class assignment. Where have I been???

This is not a book written only for female audiences. It is a book that men would benefit from reading since the subject matter relates to any man's mother, sister, wife, or daughter.

I was only a few pages into the book when I realized that Sheryl Sandberg had valuable experience and insight to share and what she had to say needs to be heard by women and men. It is not a book that beats up on men or the treatment of women in the work world. Instead, the author provides insight into the roles women find themselves in the workplace, why they are viewed the way they are, and offers sensible advice on what needs to change.  Sheryl Sandberg describes experiences she has had and the lessons she has learned as a result. Her goal in this book is to educate, encourage, and hopefully, empower women.

In the chapter titled It's a Jungle Gym, Not a Ladder, Sheryl Sandberg suggests having two concurrent goals: a long-term dream and an eighteen-month plan.

•  The long-term dream does not need to be realistic nor specific. It is there to provide direction and to serve as something to move towards.

• The eighteen-month plan should address two separate areas: professional goals to accomplish and personal goals for learning new skills.

Makes sense, doesn't it? Have something long-term that you are working towards but identify things to accomplish or work on within the next eighteen months. Setting goals for the next eighteen months is less intimidating than trying to figure out the rest of your life based on where you are right now. Having a long-term dream allows you to change your direction and pursue other interests or opportunities that may come along.


Gone are the days of going to work for and retiring from the same company. The climbing of the "corporate ladder" is a thing of the past. In her book, Sheryl Sandberg mentions that "As of 2010, the average American had eleven jobs from the ages of eighteen to forty-six." Eleven different jobs in a span of twenty-eight years. Wow, no single company ladder climbing!




Instead, Sheryl Sandberg describes working and advancing in today's work place as more like a jungle gym. The jungle gym concept works well for women because it considers the reality of being a working woman today. Women today start a career, switch careers, have their chosen career path blocked by external factors, and reenter the workforce after taking a break, sometimes more than once. Viewing a career path with the jungle gym approach lets a person set a path that is unique for them and fits the events in their life. When I look back over my career path, it has been a jungle gym and it works for me. Do you agree with me that this is a terrific way to look at a career? I don't have to feel discouraged because I am not climbing a ladder. The path a started many years ago is no longer the path I am on and I do not have to feel bad about changing the course.

In her Ted Talk Why we have too few women leaders, Sheryl Sandberg gives three powerful pieces of advice to women that want to remain in the workforce:

1. Sit at the table.
2. Make your partner a real partner
3. Don't leave before you leave.

The video clip is just under fifteen minutes but, in my opinion, it is worth those fifteen minutes.

What do you think? Do you have the courage to "sit at the table"?