How Men Can 'Lean In' To Create A Diverse, Equal Workplace

It started with Sheryl Sandberg's book, "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead." 

Now, you can visit www.leanin.org to see the movement Sandberg spearheaded to bring women to the top, alongside men.

The book pushes women to work together to create an equal world and workforce, as well as to change the conversation from what we're not doing and can’t do, to what we are capable of doing and will do.

Her concept is simple: For the world to change and women to be equal, men need to “lean in” -- give a helping hand, stand up for women and push them to strive for their goals instead of trying to squash them. This also goes for women linking together and leaning in for one another.

To put it simply, Sandberg says it's time to close the gender gap once and for all.

Many of us witness these concepts of equality put to work, already, on a daily basis at work, home and in society. As a 20-something female in business, breaking into the information technology industry has not been easy, as males lead the field.

Not only that, many IT companies work with offshore resources that are not used to working with women, let alone for women.

As a manager to many of these resources, it is my job to provide work, have meetings and provide feedback on the work. There have been days when I have been disrespected and ignored, solely because of my gender.

When these instances happen to me, in particular, I look to a respected male colleague to stand up or “lean in” to set the record straight and show that such behavior is not tolerable.

Not only is there an obvious gender inequality in this field, a lot of it stems from the cultural differences between countries. America leads an independent tune when it comes to women in the workforce; whereas, other countries aren't nearly as progressive.

I can personally see why Sandberg’s view on what we need to do to see change has been so powerful and sheds light on an issue that has not gotten the attention it so desperately deserves.

Men need to be willing to step in and lend a helping hand where needed to set the precedent that women are to be treated equal. Having needed that assistance multiple times, I see the benefits and changes that ensue.

I have always preferred working in diverse groups because it allows for diverse input and feedback.

In college classes, it is encouraged to have a diverse group for projects; if the business world and all other industries were more open to gender diversity, imagine the ideas and solutions the world could possess.

I encourage everyone to research the Lean In movement.

Joining in on this effort is necessary in order to take the next steps in closing the gender gap.