Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

By Sheryl Sandberg

#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • “A landmark manifesto" (The New York Times) that's a revelatory, inspiring call to action and a blueprint for individual growth that will empower women around the world to achieve their full potential. 

In her famed TED talk, Sheryl Sandberg described how women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers. Her talk, which has been viewed more than eleven million times, encouraged women to “sit at the table,” seek challenges, take risks, and pursue their goals with gusto. Lean In continues that conversation, combining personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can. Sandberg, COO of Meta (previously called Facebook) from 2008-2022, provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career. She describes specific steps women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment, and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women both in the workplace and at home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9780385349956

Reviews for Lean In

[doingdewey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It’s not often I agree completely with the hyperbole found in book cover blurbs, but Lean In is in fact both “an inspiring call to action and a blueprint for individual growth.” After getting in on the ground floor of Google and working as the chief operating officer at Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg has plenty of experience as a working a woman. She’s seen firsthand the challenges women face in the workplace, including the way women sometimes hold themselves back. This book includes some great advice for helping women overcome their own fears and others’ steretypes to become stronger participants and potential leaders in the workplace.

This book had all the hallmarks of a great self-help book. As I’ve said before, to me that means solid research which teaches you something interesting and leads to actionable advice, all spiced up with some interesting personal stories. Lean In nailed it on all counts. Sheryl makes a very strong argument for why it’s better for everyone if more women become leaders. Even if you personally don’t want a high-powered career, it’s nice to have someone at the top who will think about things like pregnancy parking. Companies with women leaders are more successful and people are happier working in diverse teams. She presents a ton of studies showing the stereotypes women have to overcome to be successful and she also does an incredible job giving practical advice for dealing with stereotypes without perpetuating them.

Given the focus of the book, Sheryl talks most about areas where women are more likely to be weak in the workplace, but a lot of her advice seemed to me like it would be useful to anyone. She also includes suggestions that nearly anyone can implement, whether you are currently a leader or in a more junior position, male or female, business woman or academic. I enjoyed reading this book so much! I gained a lot of insight into myself and a lot of helpful suggestions for ways I can personally do more to push myself at work. This is one of the few books I’ve read that makes me want to just buy everyone I know a copy, because I truly think the world woudl be a better place if we were all aware of the insidiousness of stereotyping. For instance, did you know that women who negotiate for a higher salary are more likely to be disliked as a result than a man who does the same? Or that men are more likely to raise their hand in class? Or that women perform more poorly on math tests if they have to fill in their gender before doing the test? Because I think everyone knowing is an important first step in changing things. So, read this book. Then give it a to a friend.

This review first published on Doing Dewey.

[saudia89 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg is a professional development book that encourages women to take control of their careers. Sandberg acknowledges that women struggle in choosing between work and family and then goes on to explain how and why that struggle is benign. She encourages women to speak up and voice their opinions. Her book is full of anecdotes and her statements are backed up by hard facts. Lean In is not a book about feminism and how men are oppressive, but rather a book about how both genders have the ability to change the current reality we live in.

[ashleydavida-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sheryl Sandberg has received more than her share of publicity as being Facebook’s chief operations officer. With her new book out, Lean In, it’s becoming more difficult to not hear her name on a regular basis. She has made her mark in the technology world. She hit the book world with both feet running. The book also produced something else, an organization, Leanin.org which Sheryl encourages everyone to visit at the end of the book.The book starts off with Sheryl stating that her grandmother went to UC Berkley, her mother went to college, and Sheryl herself went to Harvard as well as Cambridge. This sent a message of “if you don’t come from a well-educated and financially stable family, you will not be as successful as I am”. Even though she puts it sweetly, it’s kind of a kick to the face. Sheryl Sandberg is what Peggy McIntosh would call “White Privilege”.The only thing lacking in this book is cultural diversity, or any diversity other than males and females. The American office corporation is mostly populated with white Americans. This is addressed once in the book when an African American business man spoke with Sheryl after she’s been quiet at a business meeting and told her to start speaking up as the only female in the meetings, just like he had to speak up as the only African American in the meetings. Along with needing more women in the workplace, we also need more diversity – more people of different backgrounds.Before I started reading, I thought the audience for this book were middle to late 20’s who either had an entry level position or for women who have been in the office for a few years. I was wrong. Even though the book offers insight and advice that everyone can use, the book is mainly for older women who are higher in the office work chain that, usually, already have a family and are being passed up for promotions.The overall theme of the book can be summed up as women’s lack of speaking up in the workplace. This generally covers everything from isolating yourself in meetings to not speaking up during meetings because you are surrounded by people who are higher in rank and of the opposite gender. Women also make sacrifices to their careers by having families and making time for their families. This makes receiving promotions more difficult for women, according to the author. While women need to lean in more at meetings, men need to lean in more at home and help around the house. Sheryl is talking about gender equality.There are many issues addressed in the book. Sheryl covers feminism, gender equality, business, family, career, leadership, and research. This book was put together beautifully. It flowed and had more than enough research to back up her opinions. She points out, however, that this book is not a self-help, directions on how to be successful, or a mentorship book. This is Sheryl’s manifesto. This is her life, her experiences and journey. With hard work, dedication, a few lucky moments, and some connections, she got where she is today. This book may be Generation Y’s The Feminine Mystique. No one has not tried to start a movement of this scale since, not until Sheryl Sandberg.The reason Sheryl starts out the book with her grandmother is not only did her grandmother go to college in the 1940’s, but to also illustrate that not much has changed for women since then. The things that have changed are due to women standing up for themselves and letting their voices be heard. We have more choices in life. We get more options for picking our careers, but we still get paid less than men. Men are still preferred for most high paying jobs or jobs with power such as lawyers, doctors, and government officials. This will not stop until we all make the conscious decision to treat everyone equally and end gender stereotyping.Overall, it was an insightful book filled with research and experiences – good and bad. It’ll be a good reference book one day for the future generations to look back to for life in the early 21st Century.

[jamiebh-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While I can relate to a lot of the issues and concepts addressed in this book and I'm most certainly within the target audience that the author was aiming to reach, I don't know how much I really took away from the book. The majority of the statistics and studies referenced in this book honed in on issues I already knew existed. I would have loved if the book had delved more into those studies and summarized in more detail why we are hardwired to treat men and women differently from early onset. I do appreciate that the author referenced the studies in footnotes but the reality is I likely won't follow up and read those studies to satisfy my curiosity. I did find certain chapters of this book to be useful, especialy chapter 3 which offers a few strategies on how to effectively negotiate for yourself as a businesswoman. Overall, the book made me feel better about my life choices and provided me the support and the "you're not alone" reassurance I figured it would but it wasn't life changing or masterfully enlightening. Perhaps I came into it with too high of expectations based on the million or so people (possible exaggeration) who recommended that I drop everything and read this now. I'm glad I read it, and even more glad that it was a book club read because I truly feel I gained more from book club discussion of this book than I did from reading the book itself.

[the_reading_swimmer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I had avoided it for awhile with my per-conceived notions of what Sheryl's message would be. Her message is much deeper and offers actionable advice for all of us.

In finishing the book, I found the message refreshing. No matter where you are in your career, you aren't alone and you should always strive for more. And whichever path you elect, you should aim to be the best and not judge others for their choice. I particularly appreciated the universal applicability of the message--for parents of either gender and single people at any point in our lives--we all have the ability and responsibility to question and bring change to the social norms that prevent our society from making continual progress.

[kimhooperwrites · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book riled me up, which I think is a sign of a good book. It got me thinking, it made me uncomfortable, it pissed me off in parts. Sheryl Sandberg does a great job of shedding light on lingering sexism in the workplace. Having been in corporate America for more than a decade now, I agree with everything she says on this subject. Women are way more concerned than men with being "nice" and liked, which can affect their status at work. The women who do rise up are often see as bossy and bitchy (even by other women, which is sad), while the men who rise up are powerful, admirable. I've seen it myself that women are way more tentative about speaking up in meetings, asking for promotions, and negotiating raises. All of this upsets me, of course. But I don't know how we change things, and I'm not entirely sure I agree with Sandberg's solution. Sandberg seems to think the way to improvement is having more women in management. And the way to get that is for women to act more "male" in the workplace. The problem with this is that women are still expected to be "female" at home. We're still expected to do all the usual duties with taking care of the kids and household. Whether that's fair or not, it's true. The result? Women get the shit end of the stick. We're not trading responsibilities; we're just adding more. And we're somewhat adept at multitasking, biologically, so we don't see a problem, at first. But, over time, we run ourselves ragged. This book kind of had a split personality for me. The first half of the book raised my blood pressure. Sandberg rightly says that women CAN achieve anything and everything, but I sensed a subtle implication that they SHOULD achieve anything and everything. I felt this expectation, like I'm letting down womankind if I want to focus more on things besides work. Not all women have passion for their jobs. For many, jobs are just jobs. Same for men, too, I'd assume. Reading this made me feel like kind of a loser for not wanting to be CEO of my company. I'm an accomplished person (I work a full-time job at a managerial level, I write novels in my rare free time, I have a family), but I kind of feel like I'm not "leaning in" enough after reading this. There's that familiar (and very female) feeling: Guilt.The second half of the book does a 180 and talks about how women can't (and shouldn't) "do it all." This part of the book was way more compassionate and realistic, but didn't really jive with the first part, which confused the overall message for me. And I still come back to asking, "What's the solution here?" Sandberg herself says that, in the workplace, if you express family needs, you seem less dedicated to your job. There's guilt with that. And there's perceived judgment from others. That is hard, as a conscientious woman, to ignore. Many workplaces still consider women "high maintenance" because they need to tend to child/home responsibilities more than men do. I can rarely get the one-hour lunch break I'm entitled to at my job (I feel like people think I'm a princess for even asking for my break), so I can only imagine how hard it would be pump breastmilk between meetings or leave early to pick up my kid from daycare. The problem, to me, is with overall workplace culture. The boundaries of yesteryear have disappeared, thanks to email and implied 24/7 availability. It's virtually impossible to function at the top if you have ANYTHING in your life that takes priority over your job.Many women (with or without children) have things that take priority over their jobs. So they're not moving up as much at work. I think many women see the writing on the wall. They see that they can't do it all (and they feel that damn guilt again), and they step back at work, proactively and self-protectively. Sandberg is right when she says that women don't really have a choice with this (just like many men don't have a choice about being the primary breadwinner in many families). They absolutely cannot keep up with their usual work demands AND take on everything else on the domestic front. If they try, they feel failure on all fronts (and there's that damn guilt again).The thing is, I think many women "lean out" of the workplace not because they think they can't reach the top; they lean out because they see that as the best life choice considering current expectations at work and home. I've never doubted my ability as a woman to achieve at work, but I just don't aspire to running the show because other things matter more to me. I get the sense that Sandberg is kind of disappointed in women like me. Maybe I'm projecting my own feelings, maybe I have my own guilt and insecurity about what I "should" be doing in my life, but that's just how the book hit me, overall. Yes, Sandberg is right that women may see other choices besides leaning out if things in the workplace changed. She says the only way for things in the workplace to change is if more women are in charge...and the only way for more women to be in charge is if they trudge through all the difficulties above. But, frankly, I haven't seen much change with more women in charge. The high-up women I know work EVEN HARDER, as if they are constantly trying to prove they are just as dedicated as men. It's the high-up women who work 16-hour days. Most of us below them don't aspire to that stress. I really think it's less about who's high-up and more about workplace culture. Like I said, my lunch breaks are considered a luxury (versus a basic human necessity). Until things like that change, I don't see how men or women are going to feel some relief from the strain of the work-life balance.

[michelleannlib · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. I found much of the book very useful and very true. It really helped me feel more confident in my career path and I will be suggesting this book to many people.

[emma_manolis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm a woman, who wants it all so I'm familiar with the many obstacles that stand in my way. What I hadn't realized were some of the very ways I had been sabotaging my own success. So many of the habits, like leaving before you leave and trying to map out your career before it even happens are mistakes that I have made. It's slightly comforting to know that I'm not alone, but also disturbing to think about how much we as a gender are holding ourselves back. I also really like that Sandberg took the time to discuss how important it is for men to lean in with their families, for couples to have equal partnership. This was an enlightening read that I would say should be recommended reading for anyone, especially men.

[annith-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sandberg?s discussion of the ways in which women often shortchange themselves professionally has led to strong reactions. Some have castigated her for blaming the victims in our still sexist society, while others have championed her call to arms to young (and not-so-young) women. I was inclined to be in the former camp, but also realized that many people had formed their opinion without actually having read the book, and I refused to make that mistake. Having now read the book, I am strongly in the second camp. Sandberg is very careful to say repeatedly that she recognizes that there are many factors that hold women back, and that many, maybe even most of these, are beyond their control. And she is also careful to say, again repeatedly, that she is not suggesting that all women need to become CEOs of major corporations, or even take other leadership positions: she is respectful of women?s?and men?s?right to choose different paths. But she provides what seems to me to be very good advice to women who do want to rise to leadership positions about how they can and should ?lean in? to their goals, avoiding mistakes that come from internalizing the implicit biases against women. My praise for this book is perhaps best captured in that fact that I am going to recommend it highly to my 25-year-old daughter.

[shadowbarbara · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Borrowed e-book from Anaheim Library 9/30/2014. excellent observations about how women are treated differently in the workplace. Some good ideas.

[pennydart · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sandberg’s discussion of the ways in which women often shortchange themselves professionally has led to strong reactions. Some have castigated her for blaming the victims in our still sexist society, while others have championed her call to arms to young (and not-so-young) women. I was inclined to be in the former camp, but also realized that many people had formed their opinion without actually having read the book, and I refused to make that mistake. Having now read the book, I am strongly in the second camp. Sandberg is very careful to say repeatedly that she recognizes that there are many factors that hold women back, and that many, maybe even most of these, are beyond their control. And she is also careful to say, again repeatedly, that she is not suggesting that all women need to become CEOs of major corporations, or even take other leadership positions: she is respectful of women’s—and men’s—right to choose different paths. But she provides what seems to me to be very good advice to women who do want to rise to leadership positions about how they can and should “lean in” to their goals, avoiding mistakes that come from internalizing the implicit biases against women. My praise for this book is perhaps best captured in that fact that I am going to recommend it highly to my 25-year-old daughter.

[ecb06c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book has struck a note with me, coming in the wake of the Women's March. The call to "Lean In" and support my fellow women has never been more evident, not more necessary. Enjoyed the message and I'm so glad to have read it.

[nosborm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting read for everyone. I particularly appreciated the tech related aspects. It also feels timely for someone at the cusp of "the real world" where I'll have to interact with gender issues in the workplace. I hope people take note and this improves things.

[moukayedr · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book makes many good points on women and leadership and the way they are perceived in addition to the absolute necessity of women standing up for each other.

Mostly anecdotal situation from Sheryl's own life, but given her powerful position in Tech companies like google and facebook, she is an example to be emulated for women wanting to break through in this male-dominated industry.

[darwa-3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book has been reviewed and discussed on EVERY blog I read over the past few months. A worthy read.

[brikis98 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found this to be an eye opening book. I think just about anyone, man or woman, would too. It's well researched, well written, succinct, and discusses many important issues: how successful men are perceived differently than successful women, the differences in self confidence between men and women, the need for more women in leadership positions and more men doing household tasks, and, perhaps most importantly, why we should all talk openly about these issues. I'm not a huge fan of the marketing style phrases ("sit at the table", "lean in"), but perhaps they make the message more sticky. I liked all the personal anecdotes that show Sandberg as a human being, vulnerable, imperfect, and learning many of the lessons in this book the hard way. Also, this book has a fair number of good lessons on leadership, career progress, and communication that go beyond gender relations.


Some good quotes from the book:

A truly equal world would be one where women run half our countries and companies and men ran half our homes.

While compliant, raise-your-hand-and-speak-when-called-on behaviors might be rewarded in school, they are less valid in the workplace. Career progression often depends upon taking risks and advocating for oneself--traits that girls are discouraged from exhibiting. This may explain why girls' academic achievements have not yet translated into significantly higher numbers of women in top jobs. The pipeline that supplies the educated workforce is chock full of women at the entry-level, but the time that same pipeline is filling leadership positions, it is overwhelmingly stocked with men.

Gymboree once sold onesies proclaiming "Smart like Daddy" for boys and "Pretty like Mommy" for girls. The same year, JC Penney marketed a T-shirt to teenage girls that bragged, "I'm too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me." These things did not happen in 1951. They happened in 2011.

Many people, but especially women, feel fraudulent when they are praised for their accomplishments. Instead of feeling worthy of recognition, they feel undeserving and guilty, as if a mistake has been made. Despite being high achievers, even experts in their fields, women can't seem to shake the sense that it is only a matter of time until they're found out for who they really are--imposters with limited skills or abilities.

The real issue was not that I felt like a fraud, but that I could feel something deeply and profoundly and be completely wrong.

Success and likability are positively correlated for men and negatively correlated for women. When a man is successful, he's liked by both men and women. When a woman is successful, people of both genders like her less.

If you're offered a seat on a rocketship, you don't ask what seat. You just get on.

An internal report at Hewlett-Packard revealed that women only apply for open jobs if they think they meet 100% of the criteria listed. Men apply if they think they meet 60% of the requirements.

Anyone who brings up gender in the workplace is wading into deep and muddy waters. The subject itself presents a paradox, forcing us to acknowledge differences while trying to achieve the goal of being treated the same.

The laws that protect women and minorities and people with disabilities, among others, from discrimination are essential, and I'm not suggesting they be circumvented. But I've also witnessed firsthand how they can have a chilling effect on discourse, sometimes even to the detriment of the people they are designed to defend.

Currently, only 24% of women in the United States say that they consider themselves feminists. Yet when offered a more specific definition of feminism--"A feminist is someone who believes in social, political, and economic equality of the sexes "--the percentage of women who agree rises to 65%. That's a big move in the right direction.

In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.

[ladyars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Helped me organize my thoughts about some pretty big questions. I liked how the author backed up her personal ideas with research (she got a social scientist collaborator just for that), but it's still a single POV from a highly privileged woman. I believe that looking at the same ideas from other perspectives will just enrich its message.

[acia-11 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A lot has changed in her life and in the world since this book was written. Today, in light of what Facebook has become I wonder what kind of real leadership and impact she has and her alignment or not with the company's decisions. Nevertheless, the issues and insights in the book are still relevant.

[weeta-3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

useful if you are a CEO who would like to be a mom, but hard to relate to if you wish to be neither.

[chris.bulin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Are there issues with this book? Yes. However, the "sit at the table" & "don't leave before you leave" content matched my experiences and have helped me be more mindful. It was also good to have a frank discussion about imposter syndrome & feminism.

[memccauley6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I am of two minds about this book. It is full of facts about women in the workplace in America and gave me a bit of the feeling of “I am Woman Hear Me ROAR”, but frankly, I have read all this before in other places, like Dee Dee Myers “Why Women Should Rule the World”. She gave some practical advice to women about how to deal with the gender divide in the workplace, what to expect from a mentor, even how to choose a good mate. My biggest takeaway from the book is “Don’t be an idiot, get on the rocket” - much like get the right people on the bus in “Good to Great” by Jim Collins.

However, I found this book overly long (which is ridiculous because it is actually short), I think it was because of the constant name-dropping which made it seem much more like a personal memoir. And, I thought a lot of her advice was completely impractical for those of us who can’t afford nannies, or don’t have a mister mom to pick up the slack.

[tfhetrick · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was like Sandberg untangled all my thoughts on the subject of working women(in and outside the home), then competently and clearly put them on paper. Many folks have made this about Sandberg and her having the resources to 'have it all.' Ironic criticism, since Sandberg's key tenet is to get as far along in your career as possible so you have more options when you do decide to have a partner and/or children - sound advice. She kept her foot on the gas and, when she had children, had the resources to better manage family and career. For her part, Sandberg makes this about all women (in developed world)and the need for women in leadership, and her personal story is surprisingly relatable. She's thoughtful, precise, scholarly, vulnerable, funny, and earnest. This is the perfect gift for the times; pay it forward and give a copy to all your gal pals, especially recent grads.

[lincolnpan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Better than most reviews I read on the book. The stories are telling when she gets personal but some of the tenets she subscribes to are cringe worthy. The chapter on mentoring in particular I found a bit unfair and a bit too harsh on young professionals.

[klmesoftly · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having read much of the criticism Sandberg and her concept of "leaning in," I was a bit chagrined to receive this book as a well-meaning gift from my mother, and it sat on my shelf for 6 months until I decided to give it a read-through to see whether it was as simplistic as I'd heard. It was, and it wasn't. I've heard this book summarized as a call to women to "just work harder than all the men, and then sexism will be over!" and actually I was pleasantly surprised to see that actually, she addresses head-on the systemic and ingrained biases that make things in the workplace so difficult for women (and other cultural minorities). She's quite frank in admitting, in the chapter where she gives advice to women about how to temper their displays of ambition with "niceness," that it's unfair that women have to be concerned about these perceptions in ways that men don't - but this is the way the world is right now, and her perspective is that while we need to work to end systemic oppression so that more women can get into leadership positions, we also benefit from getting more women into leadership positions so that they can work to end systemic oppression (she calls this a "chicken and egg dilemma," and on reflection I'm inclined to see her point). While I wouldn't recommend this book to people who've already consumed a lot of feminist lit (most of the territory in this book is well-worn), I don't think it's without value - especially for career-focused women who might benefit from strategies for dealing with sexism in the workplace and hearing personal anecdotes from someone who encountered sexism and succeeded anyway.

[cassandrat-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There are thoughtful pieces in here for everyone, and, for me, this book was very inspiring to think about the issue of work-life balance. Choose the balance that makes you happy, lean in to those roles, and allow others to lean in, too.

Pretty solid review of major topics regarding women in their careers and families. She focuses on topics regarding career advice for women in an unequal playing field, and family advice for women who may not realize what men go through to take the traditionally female roles. She discusses partnerships and sacrifices and ends by discussing the reputation of feminism as a bad word.

[govmarley-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to like this book. Actually, I wanted to love this book. But I didn't. I am all for more women in leadership. I love my job and feel businesses need to continue to cultivate diversity in all areas, including diversity of thought. I am a wife, and mother, and have been in leadership my entire career, so I thought this book would be amazing and inspirational. I hoped it would be one I could recommend to my peers. Unfortunately...

This book showed me that I think, and often act, like the men Sheryl Sandberg has worked with throughout her career. Rarely did any of her stories or perspectives resonate with me. I would read her anecdote, pause, and think, "Huh. Do most women in business feel that way? I have never had that thought." Or, "I can't believe that was her reaction. I would have lost respect for her in that moment." If most women have similar thoughts, feelings, and reactions, it's no surprise that they struggle to achieve high levels of leadership success.

On the flip side, it did help me gain perspective on how some of my female peers might feel in the workplace. I can possibly use this to encourage differently, or help other women leaders work through some of their career stallers and provide an alternate point of view.

Overall, too much hype and a let-down for me. Men, if you read this book, do not assume every woman feels, thinks, or acts this way. Please and thank you.

TL:DR--I might be a man. Or Sheryl Sandberg is a big baby.

[nnschiller · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a clearly written and cogent argument for how women can be more successful in business. I found Sandberg to have a clear voice and I enjoyed this much more than I expected. I think there is a lot to be gleaned from her book, it is full of insight for more people than just women who want to be at the top levels of management. I'm not a woman and I have little desire to manage, but I was captivated.

ALL of the answers to our gender troubles are not contained within. Sandberg has been criticized for focusing on things women can do to improve their lot and this has been seen as blaming the victims. I'm not convinced by this line of reasoning. Sandberg writes what she knows and it is good advice for people to focus on what they can change, not on what is out of their control. Society must change, but individuals can also make strategic decisions. Sandberg does us all a service by focusing on certain kinds of decisions that can lead to more women in positions of power. For that, I am grateful.

[carmenere_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ms. Sandberg, COO of Facebook, offers enlightening information from world renowned publications like this one from a 2011 McKinsey report..."men are promoted based on potential, while women are promoted based on past accomplishments." Hmm, interesting and thought provoking. Or there's this quote from Stanford professor Deborah Gruenfeld...."We need to look out for one another, work together, and act more like a coalition. As individuals, we have relatively low levels of power. Working together, we are fifty percent of the population and therefore have real power." Quotes like these and Sandberg's knowledge of the workplace and juggling a life beyond the office is sheer inspiration for women everywhere, not just women climbing the ladder of success but those who work in lower rung employment. The point of her book, I found, was stop thinking that you can't! Do not internalize every small defeat that comes your way but empower yourself to create change in the lives of women just like yourself. You are not alone, rather than claw for advancement accept mentorship and be a mentor to others like you. Personally, this book told me a lot of things I already know but haven't done anything about. This book will motivate the reader to press on and take action.This book would be an awesome book for high school and college graduates.

[parvita-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was sent this book by my management in Sydney because I am part of the Woman Leadership Team in my company. I am based in Jakarta, Indonesia, and I am an Indonesian. Being raised in an eastern culture where the majority of moslem is dominant, I find this book is more west-oriented in general. To apply this in a multinational company is probably much easier than in a national company, because not only the male domination but also challenging the eastern-moslem dominated culture. But I agree in lots of things in the book, such as let yourself being known, work together with your partner, etc. I think it is a good read for men as well if they have wives that are working.

[jnut1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a great book.

Sheryl did a great job talking about the difference the world see's between men and women.
And how we as women should not feel different than men in the work place even being the mom.

I hope more people read this.