A very clever friend of mine suggested I read Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg the COO of Facebook.

I loved it and think it’s a great book for both women and men.

Women will get some great tips and hints when it comes to negotiating, stepping up, asking for what they want and shedding doubt about their abilities.

Men will learn to appreciate how hard it is for women in the workplace and what battles we must endure that they don’t even think about.

The book has had many critics and as described at the very beginning of the book, Sandberg knew she would get a backlash.

The girlfriend who lent me the book has gone on to land herself a dream job at a Big 4 bank and is feeling invigorated.  Only two weeks ago I invited two ‘lower ranked’ women to a table discussion with a big retail CEO.  After a BrandHook presentation we were discussing the strategic options with the business leaders and these women assumed a back seat – their natural instinct.  Once they realised their contribution was valued, their confidence soared and their insight was key to the decisions we made.

There is a lot we can all do to enable a more diverse workplace – maybe start with the book.