Lean In - Must Read

I just finished reading Lean In and I love it.

Is it a guidebook for women in leadership? Not exactly. But that is not what Sheryl Sandberg set out to write. For me it is several important things and for any one of them should be read. In no particular order, Lean In is:

1. A summary for younger women of what has happened in the last 40 years to make possible today's opportunities for women.
2. A compilation of important research upon which policy and practice choices should rest.
3. A description of foundation skills that women (and men) need in order to be effective in business.
4. A call for gender equality outside the workplace to enable gender equality inside the workplace.
5. An unabashed feminist call for equality and a reminder of how far we have yet to go.
6. An education for managers - men and women - about many of the biases that create career barriers for women.
7. A source of helpful solutions for eliminating and minimizing some of these barriers.
8. A collection of personal stories that women and men can relate to, modeling how to draw on their own experiences to make choices and to address gender dynamics.
9. The voice of a new generation speaking to her peers who might not listen to those who blazed trails.
10.  A clarion call for women to make educated choices about their aspirations and not let unconscious biases or expectations (lowered) rule them.
11. And is the courageous voice of a successful F500 woman executive pulling the curtain back once again,  shining light on issues of gender in the workplace and enabling a revitalized dialogue.

I hope that every woman, man, manager and parent will read this book. While the advice to "lean in" alone won't get women to the top, it is an important part of the equation.

Lead ON!
Susan
Susan Colantuono, CEO and Founder Leading Women
Author of No Ceiling, No Walls and Make the Most of Mentoring. Underway is her new book, Network! What corporate women need to know about strategic relationships and success
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