Why Today's "Lean In" was yesterday's Self Esteem for Women

In the 1990s---twenty years ago--I flew around the country giving business seminars for a major seminar company. One of the most popular topics was  “Self Esteem for Women Professionals.”  

Now comes the new best selling book, LEAN IN,  by Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, which gives advice to women on how to become successful leaders. How to break the glass ceiling! 

• Be all you can be!
• Climb high! Dare to risk!
• Don’t be afraid!

Yes, says Sandberg, although women are sometimes held back by poor public policies and inflexible organizations,  mostly women hold themselves back. She gives tips on how women can rethink.

And guess what?  I was giving the very same tips in the 1990s. Can it really be that we haven’t progressed in the last 20 years? 

As I pondered this, it occurred to me that perhaps certain basic attitudes and actions are ALWAYS necessary; but that we forget. So, periodically, we need to be reminded.

It is important to affirm our own abilities; to “color ourselves visible” (as I once titled a business article), to risk stepping outside our comfort zones, to pick ourselves up after failure, to realize our own personal best, to go for the top job if that’s our dream. 

Ms. Sandberg’s ideas are good ones. Click here to look at http://www.leanin.org 
And also ask yourself, are you already following most of her ideas? I do think we should give ourselves credit where credit is due. 

What do you think?