Good Reads: Leaning In to a Brighter Future for Women

My latest read was the amazing book by Sheryl Sandberg, LEAN IN. 

Read about the full synopsis here.

A bit on the synopsis: 

Sheryl Sandberg examines why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, explains the root causes, and offers compelling, commonsense solutions that can empower women to achieve their full potential. Sandberg is the chief operating officer of Facebook and is ranked on Fortune’s list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business and as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.

So basically this is a book that highlights why there are few women in the leadership posts of companies or careers, and how every woman and man can help to over come this matter. 

Watch her amazing TEDTalkDirector here: 

What drew me to this book was of personal reasons. I'll be entering my third year of engineering studies in a few short weeks and soon I'll be doing my internship, graduating and zooming off into a career I hope to love and that will benefit me in the long term. But I don't want to be just a chemical engineer who lowers her head, works hard and doesn't get the appreciation because she's too afraid of climbing the leadership ladder. I want to reach the highest potential that I can. It was my uncle's advice and I hold it dear within me to this day. 

So how can I reach the top when it has been proven difficult by society who are gender-biased and believe that men should control everything? Even in Malaysia there aren't many women holding leadership roles. There are few, but we could use more. Because as Sandberg states, when more women are in power, we can create an equal dynamic in the workforce, gain respect for ALL women, and be credited for our abilities and potential instead of our gender and face. 

I'd say the way she wrote her book was really awe inspiring and made me realise that women (and men) are doing so many things wrong to avoid becoming leaders! There are 11 chapters in the book and I won't bore you with all the details, my explanation here shall do no justice to this amazing book. 

But I do wish to highlight some points that I have taken note of from the book and from the video:

1. When promoting a staff to a higher position, did you know that men are promoted based on potential while women are promoted based on past achievements? If we want equal rights and justice, both men and women should be considered based on past achievements and potential to bring the company to a success.

2. It takes women longer to jump at an opportunity to lead projects or accept a leadership role because they tend to judge themselves to hard. It is called the imposter-syndrome where one believes that one is not good enough for the job, even though past achievements has sufficed for the job. Men are less to judge themselves and always take the opportunity for leadership, and women should too.

3. "If you want to change things, you can't please everyone. When you please everyone, you're not making progress" - Mark Zuckerberg, Creator of Facebook.

4. Did you know that men apply for jobs if they think they fit the criteria 60%? Women only apply for the job when they're certain they fit the criteria 100%. This is why we should be more confident in ourselves and not be afraid to apply for that job even if we think we're not ready yet.

5. There was a study done in Harvard where the sociologists handed out papers for the students to read. Half of them received a story of Howard's success in life, the other half of a girl named Heidi. Now, Howard and Heidi are the SAME person only with different names. But results have shown that the students took a more liking to Howard instead of Heidi. This is why women find it difficult to succeed in their careers and still be liked. Society's perception is that the guy is always the likable one, and if a girl becomes a leader it defers from the usual stay-at-home mom we usually see, which results in more people disliking Heidi. Shocking isn't it?

6. Women tend to quit the work force wayyyy before they start having children with reasons they want to start planning for a family. By the time their child is grown up and they want to resume their work, they have lost precious years and find themselves even stuck financially at the same pay roll years before. Sandberg's advice is plan when the time comes, but never quit because career and family life can go together if your partner is willing to help you out with the house work and child rearing responsibilities. An understanding and supportive husband will allow you to lean in towards your job without the stresses of maintaining a household.

And those are just the small things I learned from the book. I hope it sparked an interest in you towards this book. I highly recommend this book for all aspiring girls who have dreams and ambitions to make it to the top and make a positive impact in this world with the power that we have. 

Happy reading :)