Women, "leaning in," and more

Much is being made of Sheryl Sandberg's "Leaning In" book. At just 43 years old, she is COO of Facebook, a graduate of Harvard, formerly chief of staff for the Treasury Secretary, and an assistant at the World Bank for health projects in India. Oh, did I mention she's worth in the neighborhood of one billion dollars? Give or take.

This discussion, the discussion of women in the workplace, women in politics, women's style of leadership -- it is not new.  And that is the point I believe she is trying to make. With more women than men graduating college consistently over the last ten years, the numbers in top leadership are exactly the same.

I went to a statewide conference on "Women and Leadership in Government" 24 years ago and guess what? The same topics were discussed:

A man is assertive. A woman, using the same style, is called aggressive. Men are admired for success. Women are not. 

When applying for jobs, men consider themselves qualified if they meet 50% of the requirements, but women hold back if they don't meet 100%.  Yes, I have seen that as a hiring manager myself, looking across at a young man and thinking, "How the heck did you get through the screening process?"

As a woman, I appreciate Sheryl's work to keep the conversation going. The purpose is not to displace men. And the purpose is not to tear loving mothers from their homes, away from their children, and enslave us in the corporate world! The purpose is to ensure that options are left open for women to contribute equally. As she said, “It turns out men still run the world, and I’m not so sure that’s going so well.”

Oh, by the way, an aisle marker at Target still says "Boys Action Toys." Ponder that, please.