Lean In- Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

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• Inspiring, a life-changing book

• The author’s comments: we can’t just mandate and legislate our way to gender equality. We have to substantially change our attitudes and behavior – both men and women!

1. Treat your career like a jungle gym.
   • there are so many ways to get to your destination!
   • plan both for the short and long term.
   • long-term dream can help you decide what kind of work to take on, even if it’s not entirely clear
   • short-term (e.g., 18-month) goals, make you have a solid sense of direction, without too much pressure.
2. Learn to strike a balance between ambition and appeal.
   • “women to cultivate the right public image to advance their career is like walking on a tightrope”.
   • “can’t be too ambitious, because others will just perceive you as rude, which often happens when women are assertive and go for what they want.”
   • ” If too nice though, people will not take you seriously,”
   • Be nice and accommodating, but draw clear lines when you notice others approach them.
   • “also helps to generalize and argue on behalf of a group, rather than yourself, as well as quoting other leaders and industry statistics and facts.”
3. Before you become a mother, lean into your career as much as you can.
   • “The one thing you should avoid at all costs is giving up before you have to, just because society tells you too.”
   • “go full throttle for as long as you can, take opportunities, give it a shot …”
4. Some concerning numbers / good tips from the book, e.g.
   • percentage of women works full-time 20 years after graduating college
   • self-doubting syndrome damages women’s confidence more than men’s
   • to get a mentor instead of asking for one
   • encourage dad’s doing their job in the house
   • Why guilt management is more important for women than time management