What Sheryl Sandberg's own 'Lean In' experience can teach us (and it's not what you think)

According to LinkedIn’s latest Workforce Confidence survey burnout is alive and well, and it's killing us.

I’m horrified by what I see happening to high achieving women.

If we don’t make major shifts in how we approach life now, women will burnout, losing all the advances we've made in the workplace.

And when good women burn out, societies will crumble.

Here’s the thing.

When high achieving women burnout it doesn't just hit close to home.

• Burned out women have an increased risk of heart attack and strokes.
• Their marriages suffer and the risk of divorce increases.
• Divorced women often struggle financially to recoup their financial losses.
• Children of burned out moms don’t get the best version of her.
• They get “the leftovers”... a short tempered, resentful version when she gets home from work.

Since her book, ‘Lean In’, was published in 2013, Sheryl Sandberg got women to join the workforce in record numbers. Glass ceilings were broken. Traditions were challenged and female leaders have been pulling their chairs up the table ever since.

We followed the message: Work hard. Achieve fast. Produce more.

And, we got what we were working for.

And yet, we were decidedly exhausted, overwhelmed and burned out.

It’s not that women don’t want to work hard. We are the masters of soldering on and making things work.

What’s troubling is that even though we’ve worked hard, and we've gotten what we worked for…it's proved to be unsatisfying for some, and deadly for others.

'Lean In' was problematically one dimensional.

Because our speed and productivity are being rewarded at all costs, we're no longer taking the time to think. Consequently, we've lost the ability to think critically.

But, in this knowledge era, our daily actions require just that... critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity.

In order to operate and succeed with a high level of cognitive agility, WE NEED TIME TO THINK.

Thinking time is not wasted time.

Taking a pause IS productive.

I contend in our knowledge era, we’re required to do more thinking than ever before!

When we pause to think, burnout culture can be a thing of the past.

Yes, there are systemic issues that contribute to burnout.

But, your wellbeing won't wait until those systems are fixed.

Sheryl Sandberg’s success, and eventual burnout, is a lesson in productivity at any cost.

'Lean In’ proved to be an unsustainable approach to life.

There is a more sustainable approach to life; one that honors both professional ambition and personal wellbeing.

It’s possible to be ambitious AND well at the same time.

When it comes to living a life you love, time to think will always trump time to work.

What to feel completely content at the end of a busy day?

The work I do teaches go-getters how swap the autopilot, hustle style of living, for a regular rhythm of reflection and because they're been willing to adopt a new approach, they're more effective, more productive and best of all, they're much more fulfilled.

Want to learn how you can be productive while honoring your personal wellbeing?

Sign up to own your day here and I'll send you a template to create your ideal day.

'Lean In' renounced "thinking time".

Let's bring it back together,

Lisa