What would you do if you weren’t afraid? It’s the question that ultimately spurred Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg into writing her best selling book Lean In starting a national dialogue about the role of women in the workplace. I love this question and have found myself coming back to it again and again.

I frequently ask this question of the individuals I coach and mentor.

Recently, I had the pleasure of coaching a woman, let’s call her Eleanor, who while successful by her own admission, had not achieved as much as she had hoped during the nearly two decades at her company. After much in introspection and feedback from colleagues and friends, Eleanor realized her shyness coupled with her lack of confidence in her abilities was holding her back.

We reconnected a few weeks ago and she was a changed person. She told me she had committed to working on her executive presence and acting like a senior leader. She was working on everything from her body language to how she spoke up in meetings. But she didn’t stop there.

She had accepted a high-visiblity project to position her for the promotion that had eluded her for the last three years. She told me even though she felt the project was a stretch for her, she wanted the challenge and knew she needed to get out of her comfort zone.

She signed up for events that forced her to speak to large crowds in public. And even though she “felt like throwing up” every time (her words!), she was learning how to push aside her fear to pursue her passions.

I was inspired by Eleanor’s story.

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

Travel the world?

Quit your job and start a business?

Learn how to swim?

Maybe you would just have the courage to be yourself.

I’d like to think that it’s not just about being unafraid but being able to recognize that fear and act in spite of it. So go on, ask yourself what you would you do if you weren’t afraid.

Then go on and do it anyway.

 

 

 

 

“What I learned after years of scraping my way to the top, was there was no There There.”

These were the words uttered to me by one of the most successful business women in Kansas City. I was in my early twenties having lunch with a board member of the foundation where I worked as a program officer. I had gotten to know Linda and asked if she would be willing to have lunch with me so I could learn from her about how to manage my career.

I was in awe of her.

At the time she was the founder and CEO of a very successful legal temporary services company, one of the first of its kind in the country.  She had started the firm after a storied career at one of the city’s largest law firms where had become one of the only female managing partners of major law firm.

I was young, ambitious and hungry to learn from a woman who had achieved a successful career and status as one of the most influential executives in the city.

I had expected her to tell me about long hours in the office and the sacrifice of vacations and time spent with family. I expected her to tell me about the trials and travails of the glass ceiling and how she overcame those obstacles to succeed in a male-dominated industry.

I didn’t expect her to tell me that once she got to the top spot, she discovered that all that glittered wasn’t gold. Maybe I had heard her incorrectly.

I hadn’t.

During that hour lunch she broke it down for me. She shared how had been passed over for multiple promotions. She described the long hours in the office and weeks of travel working on complex legal cases. She spoke of her anguish of time away from her family.

After nearly two decades in the business she gave it all  up to start her own company. People told her she was crazy to leave her lucrative partnership at her law firm to start a business. This was after all before temporary work for white collar professionals had become commonplace as it is today.

She ignored the critics and started the firm anyway.

Her company became wildly successful and she eventually sold it for millions of dollars to a major temporary services company.

I’m reminded of that conversation now as the debate about women, career achievement and work-life balance once again dominates our attention.

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In is hot off the presses and has been hotly debated for weeks. In it she urges women to claim their power and confront their limitations to propel themselves further, faster in their careers. Sandberg certainly has plenty of critics and boosters. Regardless, I think she’s raised an important discussion around women, leadership and the delicate balance of work and life. I’ve held off weighing in on Sandberg’s manifesto until I’ve read the book. But I’m anxious to dig in and share my insights.

So over the next eight weeks, I plan to dedicate a blog post to themes raised in the book and some not covered but that I think are important. I’ll talk about the issues surrounding women and ambition, career planning and the fertility factor, the importance of political savvy, the connection between leadership and fitness, women and competition and the likability factor. I can’t wait to explore these issues with you and get your thoughts!

I’m also excited to be part of a group of working mom bloggers who participate in a weekly Twitter Chat hosted by Working Mom Journal. We meet every Wednesday at 9pm EST and tweet under the hashtag #WorkingMomChat. This week we’ll be talking about the debate surrounding Sheryl Sandberg’s book, her philosophy and what it means for women.

Are you ready?

Let’s get to work!