Leaning In
Its hard to say when and how the problem of chauvinism will be solved in society. But one place where it can be solved in an easier manner is our corporate world. Its way more difficult to remove the rampant sexism in the villages of North India than it is to remove the casual sexism from the plush offices of Bangalore and Mumbai.
Yes its a low hanging fruit but we must rush to grab it.
Misogyny is a problem we see across society at large, but it affects the individual at a very personal level, and she must learn to deal with it in a very personal manner. In that sense, the problems that a female wrestler from Haryana faces are not more/less than the problems a female software programmer from Bangalore faces.
But the solutions for the female programmer might be more apparent and she may have more examples that she can follow to breakout in this male dominated world.
Sherly Sandberg is one such example.
She wrote a book in 2013 titled ‘Lean In’. It managed to get polar reviews across the board.
To her proponents, she is a role model, making a dent in the male dominated world of silicon valley, CXO club. To the other side, she is the elitist female CXO, who could use her influence to make organisations “Lean In” and enable more female inclusion, yet she chooses to blame women for not wanting enough.
While each of those argument may be true in their respective context, as a reader, it helped me as a practical guide to grow in a corporate structure. She talks about the perception that the society, and women themselves have about their abilities and how that holds them back. She talks about how to go about these perceptions in a more practical manner by citing her own examples.
One important analogy that stuck with me is the concept of “Jungle Gym”
The book talks about “Jungle Gym” as a better equivalence of corporate structure than a “ladder”. In a ladder someone has to step down for some one else to move up. Whereas in a jungle gym there could be multiple people at different levels, taking different paths to reach to the top.
This analogy gives you a lot of creativity in thinking about your role in an organisation and not restrict yourself to only one possible growth path.
“Lean In” is a quick and easy read. Its inspiring at best and elitist at worst. Sandberg comes across as a likeable reference for many of us trying to fit work and life together.
Check it out —
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
(240 Pages)
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