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Why Sheryl Sandberg Thinks You Should Cry at Work


Stashed in: Emotion, Sadness, Empathy, @sherylsandberg

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I did not like that book, "Lean In".

When her husband, Dave Goldberg, died unexpectedly at the very young age of 47, we felt terrible for her. She admitted, after his passing, that her book had assumed a supportive spouse and didn't focus on the challenges faced by the single mom at work.

She understands a bit better now. (Although, in fairness, she can't possibly understand the challenges of the single mom in a low paying job. Sandberg can afford household help. Most single moms--and most married moms--don't have that kind of financial flexibility.) 

....

Sheryl Sandberg can cry now precisely because she didn't cry in the past.

Crying at work happens when something terrible, like the death of a loved one, happens. That's fine, and only a truly horrible person would hold that against an employee. But, crying at work also happens when it shouldn't, and I want to make it clear that, in most situations, crying at work isn't appropriate.

Because of tragedy she has more empathy now.

Yes, empathy helps - but the message of the book was, in my opinion, off,  not only for the lack of empathy. Or may be it was, of an empathy on the very grand scale - not understanding how other people - not college-educated (for a number of generations), not white, not white-collar workers - live. She probably still does not understand...

Well, she's writing a new book about "option B". Perhaps with more empathy this time around. 

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