A review by afox98
Lean in: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
4.0
I have to admit I was skeptical going into reading this book. I'd heard people comment about it, but I wanted to read it for myself.
I was pleasantly surprised.
Sheryl Sandberg did a great job pointing out the issues facing women in the workplace today, both the issues caused by men and the issues caused by women. She talks about how both genders can help more women enter leadership and stay there. She also touched on how all women should be able to make the choice to do what they like - to work and be a leader in the workforce, to stay at home and raise kids, to work part-time, etc.
The book was very well-written, and thoroughly researched. I enjoyed the notes at the end with all the references.
Things I didn't like:
- I think she's somewhat blind to the fact that her wealth is a large contributor to her being as successful as she is. Nannies, private jets, and expensive dinners with big business names are not the norm for women in business, even the ones higher on a management chain, and most women won't be able to benefit from those perks and connections.
- The name-dropping and "Sheryl is amazing" anecdotes got a little old after a while. I do think she's very accomplished, and has obviously earned her position, but she probably could have left about half of those out and still made her point. It reminded me of Oprah. Oprah has accomplished amazing things, but when you read her magazine or interviews she has of others, she's always injecting something about how great she is, or what she did, and it's annoying.
Having said that, she is dead on with how some women intentionally lean away, thinking they're not good enough or won't be heard or don't have things to contribute. I wish more women understood that they're hurting not only themselves when they do this, but their organization is suffering because of it. We need those women's perspectives and problem solving skills.
All in all, I liked this much more than I thought I would. I had a hard time putting it down. While 95% of women can't do what she did due to her resources, we can all take pieces of what she advises and/or does and try those to help improve the situation.
I was pleasantly surprised.
Sheryl Sandberg did a great job pointing out the issues facing women in the workplace today, both the issues caused by men and the issues caused by women. She talks about how both genders can help more women enter leadership and stay there. She also touched on how all women should be able to make the choice to do what they like - to work and be a leader in the workforce, to stay at home and raise kids, to work part-time, etc.
The book was very well-written, and thoroughly researched. I enjoyed the notes at the end with all the references.
Things I didn't like:
- I think she's somewhat blind to the fact that her wealth is a large contributor to her being as successful as she is. Nannies, private jets, and expensive dinners with big business names are not the norm for women in business, even the ones higher on a management chain, and most women won't be able to benefit from those perks and connections.
- The name-dropping and "Sheryl is amazing" anecdotes got a little old after a while. I do think she's very accomplished, and has obviously earned her position, but she probably could have left about half of those out and still made her point. It reminded me of Oprah. Oprah has accomplished amazing things, but when you read her magazine or interviews she has of others, she's always injecting something about how great she is, or what she did, and it's annoying.
Having said that, she is dead on with how some women intentionally lean away, thinking they're not good enough or won't be heard or don't have things to contribute. I wish more women understood that they're hurting not only themselves when they do this, but their organization is suffering because of it. We need those women's perspectives and problem solving skills.
All in all, I liked this much more than I thought I would. I had a hard time putting it down. While 95% of women can't do what she did due to her resources, we can all take pieces of what she advises and/or does and try those to help improve the situation.