Have you purchased a copy of Lean In?  Mine is on the way.  The book - and its messages - is already causing a stir.  The backlash?  In a nutshell, so-called normal women (not billionaires) are asking Sandberg not to speak for them.  And, women are still blaming men for holding them back.

I think these women are wrong.  Take a step back.  Think of it differently, please.

From Time Magazine to Meet the Press to Entertainment Tonight...everybody seemed to be talking about Sheryl Sandberg this week.  I, unlike many, didn't take offense to Sheryl's "Lean In" movement.  Leaning in, as she calls it, has to do with the current generation of women entering the workforce having the ambition to run the world.   She wants women's voices to be heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.

The number one, biggest reason I hear from moms as the reason for not fitting in a workout is, “I don’t have time.”  I hear this from moms who are full time corporate employees, part time consultants and those who stay home with little ones not yet in school.  All of these women insert their day job into the round-the-clock job of being mom.  So between the morning madness of lunch prep, sock finding, driving to school and the evening madness of homework, dinner prep, bath time and bedtime, who can find time to fit in a 30 minute, let alone 60 minute, workout?  Doing so

Last week the New York Times reported that Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, ended the company‘s work-at-home policy.  That article spawned an eruption of response declaring her draconian and creating an environment that is hostile to working parents.  

By now, you have probably engaged in social media, water cooler or mom’s group talk about Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, and her infamous “no working from home” edict to her employees.  I have watched this debate and media coverage from the sidelines over the last couple of weeks and now want to share my two cents on how I lead.

When returning to work, we may select jobs based on location and/or flexibility.  We may pursue a certain industry or choose to work with someone we know.  But what about seeking a job you LOVE?

Do you know how to find a job you love?

Neither my husband nor I have had a single cold this winter. For some people, this might not seem like a big deal, but since our 7-year-old started preschool, I don’t remember either of us making it through this many months without a nasty, grumpy period of annoying congestion (I get the extreme runny nose; he gets the long-lasting coughs). What’s more, my 7-year-old has not had more than a couple of days of the sniffles either this entire school year. Maybe we’ve all finally built up a certain level of immunity to the most common schoolyard germs.

The media is pitching Sheryl Sandberg’s vs. Annie-Marie Slaughter.  One women describing in detail how “you can have it all” and another lamenting “women still can’t have it all”.

When returning to work, in addition to finding the right JOB, it is important to seek the right COMPANY.  And that means ensuring a cultural fit.  A cultural fit means both you and your company share the same values.  This could include career advancement, challenging work, flexible work arrangements, community involvement, etc.

Yikes!  Back at work, juggline working and the kids and NOW your employer wants you to manage people.  As a FT working mom, you MUST have the skills right?