Photo Courtesy: businessinsider.com
If you haven’t heard Sheryl Sandberg wrote a little book called “Lean In” well, actually little is the wrong word 140,000 copies sold in your first week of publication is far from little (Hillel, 2013). The book is sparking some much needed conversations among women. Conversations about salary disparities, motherhood , and todays feminist movement have women talking and discussing ways to tip the glass ceiling. There is another side of the “Lean In” conversation as well. Some women say that its author Sheryl Sandberg is quite rich and comes from a life of privilege therefore it is a lot easier for her to “lean in”. Others consider her insights phenomenal and long over due for the feminist movement. I personally understand both sides of the coin, but tend to side with the latter of the two ideas. I recognize brilliance when I see it and this woman is brilliant, this is a great book for emerging leaders in the beauty industry and is a must have for your leadership collection. Here are a few of my insights from the book and there applications to skin care professionals.
5 ways Beauty Professionals Should Lean In:
1.) Answer the Question: What Would You Do if You Weren’t Afraid?
The all important question of: If failure were not an option how would you spend your life as a beauty professional? Is the one question you need to answer right now. The answer to this question is a defining moment for your career. When I realized that if I wasn’t afraid I would fully engage in the field of esthetics. I left my job of nearly ten years as a school teacher. What would you do if you weren’t afraid? Would you open a spa, study ancient spa rituals in other countries, start your own product line, or cut your full time schedule to part time to pursue your dream? Answer this question and start on your way.
2.) Start Your Own Business
Glass ceilings, gender inequality, and salary disparities have made it clear to me, one way to shatter the glass ceiling is to start your own business. Once you start your own business create an equitable work environment that develops a culture that fosters promotes the growth of your female employees.
3.) Don’t be Afraid to Learn from a Male Mentor
It is possible for a woman to have a male mentor. In her book Sandberg suggests having a male as a mentor. Men are at the top of the leadership ladder, certainly we can learn a lot from them to develop and enhance our own leadership. Whether you choose a male or female leader the mentor relationship boils down to building a relationship based not only on what you can get but what you can give.
4.) Speak Openly About Your Weaknesses
Leaders are not afraid to share there weaknesses and failures with there team, sharing this helps the team to see how even as a leader you still make improvements to grow and get better.
5.) Don’t Let Lack of Capital Stop You from Leaning In
So you have read the book and answered the question What would you do if you weren’t afraid ? One problem: your dream requires the kind of money only Sheryl Sandberg has. So what do you do? Lean in by taking projects and leadership opportunities that will open doors for you to achieve your long term goals.
Did you read Lean In? Are Sandberg’s ideas transforming your leadership as a beauty professional?
Beautifully Yours,
Regina M. Tucker
Reference
Hillel, I. (2013) . “Lean In Book Sales Are Big Win for Sheryl Sanderberg“. Huffington Post (03-13) Retrieved July 4, 2013, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/20/lean-in-book-_n_2916051.html.
