Fear is at the root of so many barriers that women face. Fear of not being liked. Fear of making the wrong choice. Fear of drawing negative attention. Fear of overreaching. Fear of being judged. Fear of failure. And the holy trinity of fear: the fear of being a bad mother/wife/daughter
Without fear, women can pursue professional success and personal fulfillment- and freely chose one, or other or both
What would you do if you weren’t afraid – Sheryl Sandberg CFO Facebook
I am what is known as a big ideas person and sometimes I have a “big idea’ once a week and that’s a bit scary. Even I question my focus on a regular basis. Now it’s one thing to have a big idea it’s another thing entirely to bring it to fruition.
Every now and then I have a big idea that my gut tells me is winner and some very smart people tells me it’s a winner – yet I continually question and get very frustrated by lack of belief in myself to take it beyond the big idea.
As it turns out it appears I stand beside far too many women who are doing the same
My good friend and mentor Victoria Taylor is currently reading Sheryl Sanberg’s book Lean In
Little bit of background See here
Thirty years after women became 50 percent of the college graduates in the United States, men still hold the vast majority of leadership positions in government and industry. This means that women’s voices are still not heard equally in the decisions that most affect our lives. In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg examines why women’s progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, explains the root causes, and offers compelling, common-sense 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. In 2010, she gave an electrifying TEDTalk in which she described how women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers. Her talk, which became a phenomenon and has been viewed more than two million times, encouraged women to “sit at the table,” seek challenges, take risks, and pursue their goals with gusto.
In Lean In, Sandberg digs deeper into these issues, combining personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to cut through the layers of ambiguity and bias surrounding the lives and choices of working women. She recounts her own decisions, mistakes, and daily struggles to make the right choices for herself, her career, and her family. She provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career, urging women to set boundaries and to abandon the myth of “having it all.” She describes specific steps women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfilment and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women in the workplace and at home.
Written with both humour and wisdom, Sandberg’s book is an inspiring call to action and a blueprint for individual growth. Lean In is destined to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can.
That TedTalk
I just wonder how many women like me are afraid of success and just what will it take to give us the courage to take that leap of faith and believe in ourselves.
Sheryl says it starts with 3 basic rules
- always take a seat at the table – no-one gets where they want to be by sitting on the sidelines
- Make your partner your partner – successful people have partners who share their vision or are divorced
- Don’t leave before you leave – keep your foot on the gas pedal
So in my drive to achieve professional success and personal fulfilment I have made a start and downloaded Lean In on my iPad . Looking forward to Sheryl inspiring me to keep my foot on the gas pedal.
‘Don’t tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon’ Paul Brandt