Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg - Book Report/Review Example

? “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead Book Review “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead” by Sheryl Sandberg is a hit in the business field in 2013. A close reading of the book reveals that it contains useful advices and motivation not only for women but also for anyone who wants growth in career. After reading the entire book, one can conclude her advice in the following statements. First of all, women will not be able to reach anywhere if they continue giving excuses based on the age-old gender bias they face everywhere in the society. Instead, the scholar points out that a woman should “lean in”. In other words, they should press into what they want to achieve and show persistence. Admittedly, the advice is not coming from a woman who is exceptional but from a normal woman who is as perplexed as other women in some situations. Sandberg admits, “I still face situations that I fear are beyond my capabilities…find myself spoken over and discounted...” (38). However, the difference she achieved through the leaning in is “now I know how to take a deep breath and keep my hand up. I have learned to sit at the table.” (38). Giving no chance to allege that the story is exceptional, Sandberg narrates the life experience of Virginia Rometty, the first CEO of IBM. She was puzzled when she was offered the “big job” at such an early age and demanded more time to think over. However, in her case, her husband played the Good Samaritan, asking “Do you think a man would ever have answered that question that way?” (36). Thus, the message is loud and clear; everything lies in confidence and also that some are successful not because they have no doubts at all. In addition, the book contains a lot of practical advices on how to arrange family life for professional growth and vice versa. Sandberg claims in “The Leadership Ambition Gap: What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?” that though it is likely that females are more nurturing, and males are more assertive genetically, in the modern world where “we no longer have to hunt in the wild for our food” (19), culture shapes the desire for leadership. In other words, the scholar points out that society treats boys and girls differently from the very beginning of their lives. She asserts that this difference is visible everywhere in the society. While boys are considered to be ‘smart’, girls are supposed to be ‘pretty’. In other words, a girl who takes up a leadership role is considered ‘bossy’ and disliked as if it is against the concept of feminine. As a result of all these, even if the authority figures do not silence them, females choose to be silent in the workplace because they are supposed to be “pretty like Mommy”. Thus, what the scholar claims is, a woman can be as good as men in the leadership positions if they are ready to take the challenges and 'lean in'. The article “Global leadership: Women leaders” by Nancy J. Adler shows that many of the claims made by the scholar in connection with leadership in the modern world totally focus on males and females are a forgotten class. To illustrate, Adler reports a study by Rost (1991) that according to most of the leadership theories, leadership is “rational, management-oriented, male, technocratic, quantitative, cost-driven, hierarchical, short-term, pragmatic, and materialistic” (174). However, in the opinion of Hoyt, women are stereotyped as sensitive, warm, kind, and nurturing (5). Thus, according to the role congruity theory, there exists an incongruity between the feminine features and the leadership role. This is so because according to the existing concepts, women are more communal and are less likely to be ‘agentic’ (Hoyt 4). If a woman manages to struggle through the stereotypes, her behavior is considered inappropriate for the society. As a result, female leaders are likely to face less favorable attitudes than male leaders. This negative stereotype activation has a negative impact on the self-perceptions of women leaders. To prove this, the scholar reports the study by Spencer, Steele, & Quinn (1999). It is found in the study that the poor performance of women in math domain is linked to activation of the stereotype of female inferiority. In addition, Hoyt claims that such stereotypes will make the individuals psychologically disengage themselves from the relevant domain (3). However, there are still issues to be solved before totally appreciating the claim by Sandberg. To illustrate, there is the psychological reactance theory proposed by Brehm (1996). According to this theory, some individuals develop reactance response when they are presented with a negative stereotype. That means people tend to reassert their freedom when their freedom is restrained (Hoyt 5). An empirical explanation of this claim came from the study by Pennebaker & Sanders (1976); they point out that a greater amount of graffiti was found on the wall of a bathroom which strictly forbids writing as compared to a wall which nicely requests people to refrain from writing (266). Thus, the claim is clear; strong stereotypes are likely to invoke a reactance response in the subjects. Thus, the claims made by Sandberg falls into ambiguity for it is found that stereotypes have varying effects on various people according to the various theories. In order to check whether the claims made scholar are applicable only to exceptional cases, it becomes necessary to look into more studies. Stoddard, Kliengklom & Ben-Zeev (2003) studied this question further and found that when subtle stereotype is likely to evoke assimilation, blatant stereotype activation results in reactance or a heightened desire to assume the leadership position (Hoyt 4). At this juncture, it becomes necessary to find out in whom the stereotype activation leads to assimilation and in whom it leads to reactance response. It is found in the research conducted by Hoyt that the when there is stereotype activation, leadership self-efficacy can act as an effective buffer. In other words, females with high efficacy are likely to show reactance when they are met with the stereotype while the low efficacy ones are likely to becomevulnerable to confirming the stereotype. The article “Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change” by Bandura claims that expectations of self-efficacy can be derived from performance accomplishments, negative experience, verbal persuasion, and physiological states (191). Thus, the claim made by Sandberg that professional women have potential not less than men, seems correct. The male-dominated society deters them from achieving what they can through various stereotypes. This book will have a profound impact on my everyday life and my work life. Admittedly, living in the patriarchal society, I tend to believe that women are not suitable for managerial jobs as they lack leadership qualities. However, I realize from the book that females are as ambitious as men in career achievement and are as good as men in leadership positions. The only difference is that stereotype activation hinders them from achieving what they deserve. Firstly, they develop poor sense of self-efficacy, and secondly society criticizes them for doing any activity that does not suit their perceived feminine submissive, nurturing and caring features. This book will help me give up the biased view of gender-related roles. I gain the knowledge that both males and females are able to be good leaders and the main hindrance is the stereotypes in the present day society. The practical value of this book is that this will help females understand that the real reason for their underachievement is not lack of ability but social conformity. This realization will make them fight against odds and raise their voice even in male-dominated areas. Thus, the book will certainly boost the self-efficacy of women. The book is an eye-opener for males in managerial positions because it will help them appreciate the potential of their female colleagues and offer them a gender-neutral workplace. In total, the book “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead” by Sheryl Sandberg is one of its kind because it does not end up offering some impractical findings or suggestions. Instead, the author successfully introduces practical advices based on her own life. Instead of only claiming herself as a superhuman, she puts forward some simple suggestions which will help every woman better organize their lives to reach the top of the career. The book urges two things; removing misconceptions based on stereotypes and persistence. Also, the research works analyzed support what she claims. I would happily recommend this book to all professionals because it will help them see through stereotypes and create a better workplace with more understanding and equality. It will be useful to see leadership qualities as different from gender related features. Instead of complaining about or raging against the existing system, the book teaches females how to struggle through the conformity set by the mainstream society by showing firstly that stereotyping is the main reason and also that persistence is the to success. Thus, in my opinion, the book is the best motivational book for those females who want to achieve great levels in their lives. To sum up, I would like to say that the book is unique because it adopts a multifaceted approach. On the one hand, it reproaches the discrimination meted out to women in the society, and on the other, it educates women about the way the discrimination impacts their lives and believes both knowingly and unknowingly. Thirdly, it suggests practical ways for women to struggle through the barriers erected by the society to reach heights, and lastly, it provides a lot of motivation. Works Cited Adler, J. Nancy. "Global Leadership: Women Leaders." Management International Review, 37. SPEISS (1997): 171-196. Questia. Web. 22 Nov 2013. Bandura, Albert. "Self-efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change." Psychological Review, 84. 2 (1977): 191-215. Web. 22 Nov 2013. Hoyt, Crystal and Jim Blascovich. "Leadership Efficacy and Women Leaders' Responses to Stereotype Activation." Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 10. 4 (2007): 595-616. Print. Pennbaker, James W and Deborah Y Sanders. "American graffiti: Effects of authority and reactance arousal.." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2. 3 (1976): 264-267. Print. Sandberg, Sheryl. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. UK: Random House, 2013. Print. Read More