{"id":2892,"date":"2013-04-23T20:50:49","date_gmt":"2013-04-24T00:50:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=2892"},"modified":"2013-04-23T20:50:49","modified_gmt":"2013-04-24T00:50:49","slug":"sheryl-sandbergs-5-best-lean-in-tips-for-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=2892","title":{"rendered":"Sheryl Sandberg&#8217;s 5 Best &#8216;Lean In&#8217; Tips For Women"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_2893\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2893\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/sheryl_stanberg-300x2231.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"2893\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?attachment_id=2893\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/sheryl_stanberg-300x2231.jpg?fit=300%2C223&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"300,223\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"sheryl_stanberg-300&#215;2231\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Sheryl Sandberg, the founder of leanin.org and author of &#8220;Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead&#8221; Courtesy of Leanin.org&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/sheryl_stanberg-300x2231.jpg?fit=300%2C223&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/sheryl_stanberg-300x2231.jpg?fit=300%2C223&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-2893\" alt=\"Sheryl Sandberg, the founder of leanin.org and author of &quot;Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead&quot; Courtesy of Leanin.org\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/sheryl_stanberg-300x2231.jpg?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/sheryl_stanberg-300x2231.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/sheryl_stanberg-300x2231.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2893\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sheryl Sandberg, the founder of leanin.org and author of &#8220;Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead&#8221; Courtesy of Leanin.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div id=\"leftRail\">\n<p>Oh, my goodness. Talk about stirring up a flap.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ve no doubt heard that\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/profile\/sheryl-sandberg\/\">Sheryl Sandberg<\/a>, the 43-year-old chief operating officer at<a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/companies\/facebook\/\">Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and former<a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/companies\/google\/\">Google<\/a>\u00a0executive, has written a provocative, buzzy book,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Lean-In-Women-Work-Will\/dp\/0385349947\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The outspoken Sandberg tells women that they need to \u201clean in\u201d at work and assert themselves more. Hit the accelerator, so to speak.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Relevant Advice for Women Over 50<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Overall, I find her advice to be relevant for women in all stages of their careers, including those of us in our 50s and beyond, which I\u2019ll explain in a bit.<\/p>\n<aside data-position=\"7\"><\/aside>\n<p>She concedes that \u201ccritics will point out that it is much easier for me to lean in, since my financial resources allow me to afford any help I need,\u201d referring to paying for nannies and the like. But, she adds, \u201cmy intention is to offer advice that would have been helpful to me long before I heard of Google or Facebook.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(<strong>MORE:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/blog\/male-entrepreneurs-can-learn-lot-women\" target=\"_blank\">Male Entrepreneurs Can Learn a Lot From Women<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Her basic message: \u201cMore female leadership will lead to fairer treatment for\u00a0<em>all\u00a0<\/em>women,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Even with a message that sounds totally sensible, Sandberg has hit a tender spot, especially when it comes to the issue of combining work and family.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Critics Have Been Harsh<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Commentators writing in places like The New York Times, The Washington Post and the blogosphere have launched into her \u201cfeminist\u201d audacity and slapped Sandberg down for a wide range of misdeeds and elitism.<\/p>\n<p>I, too, initially felt a knee-jerk need to criticize Sandberg. She is smart, rich and successful. But I stopped myself.<\/p>\n<p>I read her book, then watched and listened to her interviews on\u00a0<em>60 Minutes, Good Morning America<\/em>\u00a0and NPR. (She also appears in the PBS documentary,\u00a0<em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.makers.com\/documentary\" target=\"_blank\">Makers: Women Who Made America.<\/a><\/em>)<\/p>\n<p>Both in\u00a0<em>Lean In\u00a0<\/em>and her media appearances, I think Sandberg comes off as genuine and passionate, someone who has taken a risk to speak out concerning a problem she cares deeply about \u2026 because she can.<\/p>\n<p>(<strong>MORE:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/blog\/tips-women-who-work-mean-girls\" target=\"_blank\">Tips for Women Who Work With \u2018Mean Girls\u2019<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where I Think Sandberg Erred<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I do have one quibble, though.<\/p>\n<p>Sandberg spends the lion\u2019s share of her book on the challenges facing working women with young children. But the plight of women without kids in the workplace is virtually ignored, even though nearly 1 in 5 American women exits her childbearing years childless.<\/p>\n<p>But since many of my friends and I have experienced quite a few of the career woes and setbacks that Sandberg discusses, I want to tell you about five steps Sandberg recommends and I endorse:<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Be more open to taking career risks.<\/strong>\u00a0Women tend to avoid stretch assignments and new challenges on the job, Sandberg says. They worry too much about whether they have the skills needed to take on a new, loftier role.<\/p>\n<p>When offered an opportunity, they fall back on the excuse that they\u2019re unfamiliar with that kind of work or it isn\u2019t what they went to school for.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt a certain point, it\u2019s your ability to learn quickly and contribute quickly that matters,\u201d Sandberg writes. \u201cWomen need to shift from thinking \u2018I\u2019m not ready to do that\u2019 to thinking \u2018I want to do that \u2014 and I\u2019ll learn by doing it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As More magazine editor-in-chief Lesley Jane Seymour wrote in\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.more.com\/news\/politics-opinion\/pity-poor-silicon-valley-execs-sandberg-and-may\" target=\"_blank\">her blog post on\u00a0<em>Lean In<\/em><\/a>, Sandberg is recommending women \u201cgrab for leadership roles even if we are only 60 percent certain we have the credentials for that step \u2014 because, after all, that is what men do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(<strong>MORE:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/blog\/why-women-get-smaller-raises-men-0\" target=\"_blank\">Why Women Get Smaller Raises Than Men<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Skip the people pleasing.<\/strong>\u00a0Sandberg confesses that during her first formal review at Facebook, chief executive\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/profile\/mark-zuckerberg\/\">Mark Zuckerberg<\/a>\u00a0told her that her \u201cdesire to be liked by everyone\u201d would hold her back.<\/p>\n<p>When I asked one of my working mom friends who lives in a small\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/places\/sc\/\">South Carolina<\/a>\u00a0town what she learned from\u00a0<em>Lean In,<\/em>\u00a0she said: \u201cIt comes down to stepping up and being willing to lead, getting some confidence, pushing back on things, challenging others\u2019 decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Visualize your career as a jungle gym, not a ladder.\u00a0<\/strong>This is my favorite of Sandberg\u2019s tips.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>(Maybe that\u2019s because when I was growing up I loved playing on the jungle gym in our backyard.)<\/p>\n<p>She attributes the analogy to<em>\u00a0<\/em>Fortune editor-at-large Patricia Sellers, who heads up the magazine\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fortuneconferences.com\/most-powerful-women-summit-2012\" target=\"_blank\">Most Powerful Women<\/a>\u00a0franchise.<\/p>\n<p>To me, it\u2019s a great image of the 21st-century career path. \u201cLadders are limiting,\u201d Sandberg writes. \u201cJungle gyms offer more creative exploration. There are many ways to get to the top of a jungle gym. The ability to forge a unique path with occasional dips, detours and even dead ends presents a better chance for fulfillment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Next Avenue\u2019s article, \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/article\/2012-08\/your-next-job-could-be-lateral-move-%E2%80%94-your-way-top\" target=\"_blank\">Your Next Job Could Be a Lateral Move \u2013 on Your Way to the Top<\/a>\u201d offers strategic advice on the subject.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Allow yourself to fantasize about your career.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cI believe everyone should have a long-term dream,\u201d Sandberg writes. She also believes you should have an 18-month plan to pursue immediate workplace goals, like learning new skills.<\/p>\n<p>In essence, Sandberg is saying, you need to constantly ask yourself, \u201cWhat can I do to improve myself at work?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I am afraid to do something,\u201d she says, \u201cit is usually because I am not good at it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Start a Lean-In circle.\u00a0<\/strong>This is a peer group of eight to 10 women who meet monthly, offering one another encouragement and development ideas. Her Lean In website offers<a href=\"http:\/\/leanin.org\/circles\" target=\"_blank\">downloadable circle kits<\/a>\u00a0that show you how to form and run one. There\u2019s also a growing Lean In community, where women share their stories online through Sandberg\u2019s site.<\/p>\n<p>As I wrote recently in\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nextavenue.org\/blog\/how-create-career-transitions-group-women\" target=\"_blank\">my Next Avenue post on career transition groups for women<\/a>, gatherings like Lean In circles can provide a safe space to express fears and draw strength from one another.<\/p>\n<p>When I asked one of my pals about the concept, she told me: \u201cI have had this conversation with many of my professional friends and I would actually love to start a Lean In circle. But then I get the same response from everyone, \u2018I would love to, but who has the time?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But, as another friend said, \u201cIsn\u2019t that really what the problem is to begin with?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s right.<\/p>\n<p><em>Kerry Hannon has spent more than 25 years covering personal finance for Forbes, Money, U.S. News &amp; World Report and USA Today. Her website is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">kerryhannon.com<\/a>. Follow her on Twitter\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/#!\/KerryHannon\" target=\"_blank\">@kerryhannon<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-small.png?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top:5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"small\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Sheryl Sandberg&#039;s 5 Best &#039;Lean In&#039; Tips For Women\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oh, my goodness. Talk about stirring up a flap. You\u2019ve no doubt heard that\u00a0Sheryl Sandberg, the 43-year-old chief operating officer atFacebook\u00a0and formerGoogle\u00a0executive, has written a provocative, buzzy book,\u00a0Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead. The outspoken Sandberg tells women that they need to \u201clean in\u201d at work and assert themselves more. Hit the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"http:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-small.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top:5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"StumbleUpon\",\"Digg\",\"Reddit\",\"Bebo\",\"Delicious\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"small\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Sheryl Sandberg&#039;s 5 Best &#039;Lean In&#039; Tips For Women\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2893,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,59,29,62,101,6,63],"tags":[332,350,191,68],"class_list":["post-2892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-boomers","category-careers","category-finances","category-next-avenue","category-personal-finance-2","category-second-verse-blog-on-forbes-com","category-women-and-money","tag-boomers","tag-careers","tag-forbes","tag-women"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/sheryl_stanberg-300x2231.jpg?fit=300%2C223&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3YFQS-KE","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2892"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3068,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2892\/revisions\/3068"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}