Lean In

By Sheryl Sandberg

Self-help books are increasingly becoming more readable, maybe because the chosen topics are quite specific and targeted. Well Lucky us! I remember earlier books on branding only spoke of products and advertisements and PR, now branding books are on specific, relevant topics like products, services, internal, external, employer branding, self-branding and morrre. I don’t read much of them-non-fiction, but as always if I find something that fits my life circumstances, and feel it helps or a close friend recommends I take a chance. Just like ‘What to expect when you are expecting’, I chose ‘Lean In’ after taking a short break from work to spend time with my little one.

Lean In is extremely relatable to most people who work for corporates. There are great advices in the book to follow, especially the chapter called ‘Lean in’ and ‘Don’t leave until you leave’ (there is a video available on TED as well on this which I had watched when I was pregnant). This book is all about how we can prepare the world to increase the number of women leaders and make a real difference to the world at large due to the diversity this mix of leaders lend. While the foreword is given by our very own, world famous woman leader Naina Lal Kidwai – we have a different scenario in India.

Women scream equality but refuse to marry a guy who doesn’t work. In India millions of unemployed women get married, but unemployed men are a curse to the family, to the society, to himself – they are disgraced from our society – even though (at closer look) he might be a good material for a stay-at-home father, a sensitive husband, a great cook but no all we want to know is ‘where does he work and how much does he earn?’ The sensitization alone in India will take more than a 100 years, and the process of course started at least 50 years back. This argument can go on and on, what with the employed men treating the house-wives like they are born to serve them!

So returning to the book, read it if you are a women who thinks that a career  has become too overwhelming, that family life is taking over your life or if you are on the verge of becoming a leader but intimidated by the very thought. Read it if you are a man who believes that diversity in leadership can really make a difference.

Sheryl sometimes sounds a bit like she is trying to justify her act by showing researches that shows she is doing the right thing, but hell it’s useful for us to know. From my own experience, my mom was always working, never cooked but I never felt inadequate in any way!