Some of you may remember I did an entry about Sheryl Sandberg and her ideas on women in the workplace last Fall on my other blog. Recently she has been all over the news and various media outlets promoting her new book, 'Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.' I just finished the book myself and it had quite an impact on me.
When I was in college and first starting out in my career, I used to think that women had to act just like men to be be successful and get ahead. There is a book called 'Nice Girls Don't Get The Corner Office 101: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers,' which basically tells you all the things you should not do as a female in the workplace. Don't bake cookies for the office, don't cry at work, don't sit with your leg tucked under you, etc. To be honest, the book makes a lot of valid points. However, I realized after reading Sheryl's book that a woman's place in the office doesn't necessarily have to be that rigid. Women are different and that's okay. It's okay if we get emotional. I've cried at work before and while it's not something I want to do on a regular basis, it happened and then I moved on from it. But we all have to lean in and understand that while men and women communicate differently, it doesn't make women any less effective as leaders. In fact, in many instances it probably makes us better.
While reading 'Lean In,' I found myself highlighting passages I wanted to remember, I was yelling 'yes!' in agreement out loud to no in particular and I have been talking about it to anyone who will listen. Sheryl's three main ideas are:
Sit at the table. Be an active participant. Keep your hand raised. Don't sit on the sidelines. Did you know that if there is a job opening, a woman will generally only put in for it if she feels she has 100% of the skills needed? A man will apply if he feels he has 60% of the skills needed. The problem is that this by doing this, we hold ourselves back because so many of the job skills needed are often acquired on the job. Pushy broads know this and are confident in their abilities to take on new tasks.
Make your partner an equal partner. Ladies, you absolutely can have a successful career and a family. But, while women have become much more active in the workplace, we still do the majority of the housework. Women must have the conversations with their partners, letting them know that if they are both going to work full time, the housework must be shared equally. And I fully admit that this is something Ralph and I have to work on, too. Especially when we have children.
Nora Ephron said: "It will be a little messy, but embrace the mess. It will be complicated, but rejoice in the complications. It will not be anything like what you think it will be like, but surprises are good for you. And don't be frightened: you can always change your mind. I know: I've had four careers and three husbands."
Don't leave before you leave. Women often start preparing to begin a family years before it actually happens. They sometimes pass up job opportunities because they think they might have children soon. But in doing so, women hold themselves back and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Take the opportunities now, because it will put you in a better position financially to handle family life later. Don't worry about whether or not you'll be able to juggle it all. When that time comes, you'll figure it out. Women always do.
I was in St. Louis last week at our corporate office for a Diversity Team meeting, which I'm part of for my division, Fleet Management. Having just read 'Lean In' and feeling very fired up about it, I asked to make it a part of our agenda and I presented the ideas to our team and our corporate leaders. I was delighted to find that they took to it even stronger than I expected them to. Having a discussion like this in a room filled with mostly men - there were only three women there, including myself - was interesting in that they often don't realize that we have these thoughts and that we worry about these things. While many of them know they have fantastic women working for them - strong salespeople and strong leaders - some of those women might need a little push occasionally in order to pursue that bigger opportunity.
As a result of the Diversity Team meeting, we are going to be starting Lean In Circles for our female Fleet Management salespeople and managers around the country and I have been tasked with making that happen. Lean In Circles are groups of women coming together to discuss different topics and also support each other in their success. More info about it is on the website www.leanin.org. Depending on how our company Circles go and if they take off, I'm considering starting one for friends I have outside of Enterprise here in Orlando. I feel very, very strongly about a woman's ability to lead and be successful in the workplace. It's imperative that we support each other and continue to lean in to our careers. So - after reading this, hopefully I have inspired you to pick up Sheryl Sandberg's book. I really think you will like it. I'm leaning in to my career...are you?
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