Leadership & Laundry

 

Sheryl Sandberg and Debora L. Spar have given women of all ages big gifts.  Sandberg's  book, the blockbuster Lean In ..., and the next bestseller, Spar's Wonder Women:  Sex, Power & Quest for Perfection bravely take us where Mom never went.

Both authors are astonishingly honest about their own roads to becoming leaders, and genuinely reflect on what messages women have received since the '60s.  Actually, Spar outlines how women moved from being personal property to leading major corporations.

Alas, they acknowledge that laundry still needs to be done ... and guess who worries about it most?  Whether women do this to themselves, or male partners are failing to step up, the dirty fact is that many women blanch at the prospect of "doing it all."

My read is that Sheryl and Debora admit to having been naive about how feminist theory has not culturally translated into workable logistics -- that, like many women in the last two generations, they  unwittingly assumed the world  fundamentally changed.

Whether you subscribe more to the idea of leaning in -- pedal to the metal until all options are exhausted (ala Sandberg) or accept the imperfection of needing to muddle through (Spar), reading and talking about these two books helps make sense of our complicated lives. 

On a personal note, my mom worked full-time for 30+ years and once told me she remembered doing laundry at 11 pm -- and crying.  In one of my e-books (Are Your Star Performers Packing Their Bags?) I use laundry as an example about the importance of analyzing workflows.  I did note that if the reader was not familiar with the intricacies of doing the laundry, (he) should thank his lucky stars.