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lean in

portuguese - Portugal
<< Topic: Lean In. >>

This is the title of a book written by Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook´s COO, in which she defends women should assume more power positions in companies. I suppose she says they should «lean in» to this kind of positions, instead of pulling back. I want to give not an exact translation in Portuguese, but an idea of the meaning. Is «leaning in» more or less the same of «getting closer», or «getting involved»?

Thanks!
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Your guess at why the organisation and the book that Ms Sandberg heads are called "Lean In" is as good as mine.

As far as I can see, "Lean In" has no particular meaning, and, as it is the registered name of an organisation, you may wish to leave it unchanged.
Your idea that "Lean In" means "Get Involved" sounds reasonable, Maria Richards. If you are trying to translate the title, "Get Involved" would probably make more sense than "Lean In" although "Lean In" sounds catchier to me.

I suspect you're right that Sandberg wanted an antonym for "Pull Back/Away" when she chose that title.

PS I think you've already provided as much context as you possibly could for your question about the meaning of the title.
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From an article about the book found with a quick Google search:

"By ‘leaning in’ Sandberg is referring to risk. Leaning into situations that put us at risk of failing, of making a mistake, of looking foolish. Leaning into conversations that might ruffle feathers, garner criticism or put us at risk or rejection. Leaning into ambitions and aspirations that excite us, even if they simultaneously scare us."
From an article about the book found with a quick Google search:

"By ‘leaning in’ Sandberg is referring to risk. Leaning into situations that put us at risk of failing, of making a mistake, of looking foolish. Leaning into conversations that might ruffle feathers, garner criticism or put us at risk or rejection. Leaning into ambitions and aspirations that excite us, even if they simultaneously scare us."
Ms Sandberg has a strange idea of what lean in means...

"I am unable to see into the room. Fortunately, the window is open, so I lean in."

To lean - to incline at an angle.
My guess is her metaphorical usage meaning "to confront difficulties directly" comes from "leaning into the wind".
I think you'd get good odds on that. Had it been "Lean into" then the chances would have been higher, but "in" is usually "inside" whereas "into" is usually indicates motion. I should imagine that the book contains some explanation.
It's as Waltern says (post #5). Sandberg, who is COO (second in command) at Facebook, has been making a lot of promotional appearances and getting a great deal of press, including the cover of this week's Time magazine.
This article from The Denver Post () offers an interpretation of Sandberg's use of lean in.
"Lean in" is Sandberg's advice to women who are often conditioned to do just the opposite. Women are too reluctant to negotiate for higher salaries and other rewards, she says, while being too quick to "lean back" from their careers in anticipation of having children -- passing up promotions or additional responsibilities before they are pregnant or even married.
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Thanks very much for all your contributions!
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