Lean In to Sheryl Sandberg's book

Lean In - Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg is a call to action for women and a blueprint for growth. As the COO of Facebook, Sandberg has broken glass ceilings and also cut herself on the glass at times. She's a mother of two who recognizes that women can't do it all. She argues that women are not heard equally and she analyzes why that occurs. In discussing some of her career choices and giving personal examples of do's and don'ts, Sandberg demonstrates how she's achieved her goals while maintaining a successful marriage.

The concept of Lean In is that women should help other women. That women should plan further ahead than they do, and still factor in family and childrearing - that should not be a deterrent to having a job a woman enjoys. Often the key is choosing a partner who will bear the load of housework, child rearing, transportation, and the mundane aspects of life. She quotes Debora Spar, president of Barnard, "Feminism wasn't supposed to make us feel guilty, or prod us into constant competition over who is raising children better, or getting less sleep. It was supposed to make us free - to give us not only choices but the ability to makes these choices without constantly feeling that we'd somehow gotten it wrong."

P. 169. The goal is to work toward a world where certain social norms don't exist. Like moms OR dads can pick up after school. Moms OR dads can make school lunches. Work standards are still fairly inflexible and penalize women with children.

She discusses how often women don't raise their hands. Women often don't speak out or are confident in their decisions. Men tend to overrate their performance, where women tend to underrate. Too often women drop out of the workforce or stay below their ability just at their prime. They achieve higher education, get into the door, and then falter.

P. 172 In regards to her son and daughter - "I hope they both end up exactly where they want to be. And when they find where their true passions lie, I hope they both lean in - all the way."

Good advice for everybody. Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In is accessible, interesting, and worthy of a read and discussion.