Reference no: EM132721897

Sheryl Sandberg is the chief operating officer (COO) at Facebook.

Sandberg is second in command and is said to actually manage Facebook as an equal partner with CEO Mark Zuckerberg so that he can focus on what he likes to do: product development and engineering. There has never been an executive like her. Sheryl is the world's most famous COO and a billionaire best-selling author, and is ranked fifth on the Fortune Most Powerful Women list. She tends to use a participative leadership style as she spends much of her time e-mailing and in meetings, with an emphasis on influencing and motivating others to achieve the Facebook mission: to make the world more open and connected.

Sheryl Sandberg published a thought-provoking book on the role of women in the office and at their home. The book is Sheryl's attempt to help other women be successful in business. It was an instant best seller and has already generated meaningful discussion about the roles of men and women at work.

What is so controversial? Sheryl titled her book Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead. The book is being sold around the world under the following different titles to reflect the meaning of "Lean In" in each country. In France it is En Avant Toutes ("Forward All"), in Italy it is Facciamoci avanti ("Step Forward"), in Spanish it is Vayamos Adelante ("Let's Go"), and in Brazil it is Faça Acontecer ("Make It Happen").
What does "Lean In" mean? Sandberg is calling on other women, as she puts it, to "lean in" and embrace success. Sandberg feels that "if more women lean in, we can change the power structure of our world and expand opportunities for all. More female leadership will lead to fairer treatment for all women." She also feels the half of the companies around the world should be run by women and half of the houses run by men-which is far from the reality of the situation.

Sandberg also states that her success was not just because she worked hard-but that she removed internal barriers that often hold women back. These barriers that women creates are a lack of self-confidence, not raising their hands, and by pulling back when they should be leaning in. If women expect to crack the glass ceiling and access more powerful positions at work, they are going to have to Lean In.
When the book was released, many newspapers and television disputed the merits of her theory. The first reply was that it is easy for a woman that is wealthy and voted the fifth most powerful woman in the world to say that a woman can be a leader at work and at home.

Is a woman successful if she opts to Lean Out and just become a stay-at-home mom? Or, is she less successful if she just has a good middle-level job at work without the high levels of stress often associated with executive-level positions and decisions?

One of the goals of Lean In was to bring women together to discuss the issue. Facebook, and many other social media sites, already have a large number of groups formed that are meeting online and in person. You can join the lean in community at www.facebook.com/leaninorg or www.leanin.org.

1. How would you describe Sandberg's Big Five Personality, and do you believe she has the personality profile of an effective leader?

2. How would Sheryl Sandberg's leadership style be described based on the behavioral theories of leadership?