It all started in 2010 with a TEDTalk Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg gave on women and leadership roles. Listening to the great feedback Sandberg got from her talk, she was inspired to write a book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, that hit the stores in 2013. Today, Lean In is trying to expand it’s mission by the creation of Lean In Circles.
For those of you that don’t know, Lean In is a nonprofit organization that works to inspire, encourage and empower all women to take chances, follow their dreams and become succesful.
Lean In Circles have been sprouting up all over the world – 20,000 Lean In Circles in 73 countries and on 350 college campuses, in fact! These Circles are small groups of usually 10 members (women AND men are welcome!) who meet up to discuss, learn from others’ mistakes and encourage each other to take the next steps toward success.
In a special Q&A for college journalists that took place on shindig last Monday, Sandberg made clear what exactly Lean In is working toward, “We want a world that is more equal. We want a world where men can support women and women can support men.” She said.
One college journalist asked the question: “Where do you see Lean In in 20 years?”
Sandberg’s response reflects her optimistic outlook for change: “Twenty years from now I hope there will be no need for Lean In because we will live in a society where people are no longer disadvantaged by being a woman.”
Sheryl Sandberg gave a final word for college journalists before signing off: “We need to believe the inequality that we see in our society is not good enough and have the expectation that we can fix it. You [college journalists] are our hope for a more equal future.”
For more information on Lean in and Lean In Circles visit Leanin.org.