Assignment:
Lean In
In her 2013 book entitled Lean In, Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg observes that too few women are reaching leadership positions in business because, among other factors, of women's choices to curtail their own career ambitions. To support women's professional success and leadership, Sandberg advises women to "lean in" to their careers and make themselves more visible and heard at the workplace.
Questions
1. Do you agree with Sandberg's observations? Explain.
2. What choices might women make that interfere with their career advancement? What other factors may blunt women's career growth? Explain.
3. A recent study involving fictitious chief executive officers (CEOs) revealed that women who are seen as "chatty" or talkative are viewed as less competent, whereas men who dominate workplace conversations are more likely to succeed. A quiet female is viewed far more favorably than her chatty female counterpart: Her competence is assumed to be about equal to that of a talkative male. What might this mean for women who "lean in" at the workplace? Explain.