Sheryl Sandberg does not do things by half-measures. So when the chief operating officer of Facebook and the most high-profile businesswoman in the world publishes a book she does not sit back, give a few interviews and let the glowing reviews flow in. No, Sandberg tries to start a fully fledged social movement.
For the ambitious executive's tome, "Lean In," published this month, aims to be no ordinary book. Certainly it's been helped by a far from ordinary marketing campaign. Sandberg and her team want to create a network of "Lean In circles" all across America made up of women in their 20s and 30s eager to absorb the lessons and wisdom of the staggeringly successful (and fabulously wealthy) Sandberg.
They will watch video lectures at night-time meetings and read about the vast reams of data showing how the odds are still stacked against women succeeding. In what is an attempt at a mass raising of female consciousness, the Lean In circles will have membership requirements and a strict format of check-ins, updates, presentations and discussion. Corporate sponsors, such as Sony and Johnson & Johnson, have signed up as launch partners.