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Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead Hardcover – Deckle Edge, March 12, 2013
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#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.
- Print length240 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherKnopf
- Publication dateMarch 12, 2013
- Dimensions5.99 x 1 x 9.53 inches
- ISBN-100385349947
- ISBN-13978-0385349949
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Review
“Honest and brave ... The new manifesto for women in the workplace.”
—Oprah Winfrey
“Lean In is an inauguration more than a last word, and an occasion for celebration ... Many, many women, young and old, elite and otherwise, will find it prescriptive, refreshing, and perhaps even revolutionary.”
—Anna Holmes, The New Yorker
“A landmark manifesto ... Fifty years after The Feminine Mystique ... Sandberg addresses 21st-century issues that never entered Betty Friedan’s wildest dreams ... Lean In will be an influential book. It will open the eyes of women who grew up thinking that feminism was ancient history, who recoil at the word but walk heedlessly through the doors it opened. And it will encourage those women to persevere in their professional lives.”
—Janet Maslin, The New York Times
“Lean In poses a set of ambitious challenges to women: to create the lives we want, to be leaders in our work, to be partners in our homes, and to be champions of other women. Sheryl provides pragmatic advice on how women in the twenty-first century can meet these challenges. I hope women—and men—of my generation will read this book to help us build the lives we want to lead and the world we want to live in.”
—Chelsea Clinton
“I approached it wearing two hats—one as CEO [and] the other as the parent of a nine-year-old daughter. In both capacities, I feel that Lean In is a must read.”
—Mohamed El-Erian, CEO of PIMCO, in Fortune
“Inspirational ... Sandberg offers concrete suggestions on how to make our work and home life more satisfying and successful.”
—Kare Anderson, Forbes
“What Sandberg offers is a view that shows 20-somethings that choices and tradeoffs surely exist, but that the ‘old normal’ of blunting ambition so that you can fit in one category or another does not have to be the way it is. And that each of us has a say in what comes next. And that includes men.”
—Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, The Atlantic
“Sheryl Sandberg has done a tremendous service with this work. It offers a vital and sharp message, for women and men. We need great leaders in key seats spread throughout all sectors of society, and we simply cannot afford to lose 50 percent of the smartest, most capable people from competing for those seats. Provocative, practical, and inspired!”
—Jim Collins, author of Good to Great
“Sandberg recounts her own experiences and dilemmas with great honesty, making it easy for women across cultures and geographies to identify with her. She spells out much that is well known about the problems working women face, but rarely articulated ... In every word she writes, Sandberg’s authenticity shines through.”
—Shweta Punj, Business Today
“Lively, entertaining, urgent, and yes, even courageous ... Lean In is both a radical read and incredibly accessible ... While it’s obvious that women have much to gain from reading Sandberg’s book, so do men—perhaps even more so ... Lean In is the beginning of an important and long-overdue conversation in the United States—but it will only be a national conversation, and one that endures, if men do their part and lean in, too.”
—Michael Cohen, The Guardian
“Grade: A ... a rallying cry to working women ... Lean In is the most cogent piece of writing I’ve encountered that speaks to the internal and institutional forces that can trip up an ambitious woman, whether she has a baby on board or not ... The wisdom she shares here is a gift that all women (and all partners who support them, in the workplace or at home) should give themselves.”
—Meeta Agrawal, Entertainment Weekly
“If you loved Sheryl Sandberg’s incredible TEDTalk on why we have too few women leaders, or simply believe as I do that we need equality in the boardroom, then this book is for you. As Facebook’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg has firsthand experience of why having more women in leadership roles is good for business as well as society. Lean In is essential reading for anyone interested in righting the injustice of this inequality.”
—Sir Richard Branson, chairman, the Virgin Group
“Sandberg’s message matters deeply: it has a shot at bringing about a cultural change that would improve the lives of all women.”
—Judith Warner, TIME
“A muscular manifesto on the gender inequities of the professional world ... Sandberg is making a disruptive, crucial observation that puts her very much in line with Friedan: All is not just in the gendered world, and we should be talking urgently about how to make it better.”
—Rebecca Traister, Los Angeles Times
“No one who reads this book will ever doubt that Sandberg herself has the will to lead, not to mention the requisite commitment, intelligence, and ferocious work ethic ... Sandberg is not just tough, however. She also comes across as compassionate, funny, honest, and likable ... Most important, she is willing to draw the curtain aside on her own insecurities ... Lean In is full of gems, slogans that ambitious women would do well to pin up on their wall ... I nodded in recognition at so much of what Sandberg recounts, page after page.”
—Anne-Marie Slaughter, The New York Times Book Review (cover review)
“Pivotal ... It’s probably not an overstatement to say Sandberg is embarking on the most ambitious mission to reboot feminism and reframe discussions of gender since the launch of Ms. magazine in 1971. The thing is, she’s in a pretty good position to pull it off.”
—Belinda Luscombe, TIME
“Important ... This is a great moment for all of us—women and men—to acknowledge that the current male-dominated model of success isn’t working for women, and it’s not working for men, either ... The world needs women to redefine success beyond money and power. We need a third metric, based on our well-being, our health, our ability to unplug and recharge and renew ourselves, and to find joy in both our job and the rest of our life.”
—Arianna Huffington, Forbes
“I’ll bet most [women] will be thrilled by Lean In. I suspect at least a few men will read this book and think, Oh no, they’re starting to catch on.”
—Michael Lewis, Vanity Fair
“A lucidly written, well-argued, and unabashedly feminist take on women and work, replete with examples from the author’s life.”
—Julia Klein, USA Today
“Having read Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, I can testify that it addresses internalized oppression, opposes the external barriers that create it, and urges women to support each other to fight both. It argues not only for women’s equality in the workplace, but men’s equality in home-care and child-rearing. Even its critics are making a deep if inadvertent point: Only in women is success viewed as a barrier to giving advice.”
—Gloria Steinem
“Lean In has plenty for feminists and all women to applaud—and learn from ... I’m glad Sandberg is speaking out. I’m glad she’s using her platform to help give women the tools to succeed, and to encourage all of us to go out and get what we want. The real strength of Lean In is in its Rosie the Riveter 2.0 message: ‘You can do it! Here’s how.’ ... A crucial call to action.”
—Jill Filipovic, The Guardian
“A call to live fearlessly ... Lean In is a memoir, a self-help book, a career management guide, and a feminist manifesto . . . Let’s hope this is a book that is read as much as talked about.”
—Marion Winik, Newsday
“Equality is a project everybody must work on together. For too long, achieving equality has been seen as women’s burden ... By knowing this story, men will become more sophisticated thinkers and actors when it comes to gender ... Lean In contains a whole lot for men to think seriously about ... Men just need to read it.”
—Patrick Thibodeau, CIO Magazine
“Unapologetic ... Sandberg is using her power and influence to try and improve the world ... Sandberg’s most powerful rhetorical device in the book is a saturation of stats that are sometimes shocking and sometimes reverberating—but always the kind that make you reevaluate what’s going on around us.”
—Nicholas Carlson, Business Insider
“Sandberg’s voice is modest, humorous, warm, and enthusiastic ... You don’t have to be climbing the corporate ladder—or, as Sandberg would call it, the jungle gym—to find her message useful. Don’t marry a man who isn’t egalitarian? Good plan! Be more confident? Excellent advice ... I’m buying a copy of Lean In for my daughter and one for my stepdaughter, too.”
—Katha Pollitt, The Nation
“Nuanced, persuasive, and brave ... All of us—women and men alike—who care about creating a more equitable America ought to take her message to heart.”
—Jane Eisner, The Forward
“After reading Lean In and listening to Sheryl, I realize that, while I believe I am relatively enlightened, I have not consistently walked the talk ... I believe we—together—need to drive a fundamental culture change and it is up to us as leaders to make this change happen. What we have been doing hasn’t worked, and it is time to adjust ... We have an opportunity to make a tremendous difference, and in so doing benefit our people, out culture, our company, and, just maybe, the world.”
—John Chambers, CEO, Cisco
“Tremendously relevant ... necessary ... Lean In is more about being bold than it is about being female ... Sandberg can reach beyond boundaries of age, success level, and gender to include all of those who have the privilege of playing on the jungle gym of corporations, academia, and government.”
—Sharon Poczter, Forbes
“A rallying cry for both genders to continue the hard work of previous generations toward a more equitable division of voice, power, and leadership ... Told with candor and filled with a mix of anecdote and annotated fact, Lean In inspires women to find their passion, pursue it with gusto, and ‘lean in’ to leadership roles in the workplace and the world.”
—Linda Stankard, BookPage
“I plan to buy Lean In for our three grown daughters and daughter-in-law ... In our family, and in families across the country, may the conversations begin.”
—Connie Schultz, Washington Post
“I’m guessing that the average boardroom doesn’t have much better gender equality than a team of cave hunters attacking a woolly mammoth 30,000 years ago. So what gives? A provocative answer comes from Sheryl Sandberg, who has written a smart book that attributes the gender gap, in part, to chauvinism and corporate obstacles—but also, in part, to women who don’t aggressively pursue opportunities ... there is something real and important in what she says.”
—Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times
“Giving women the tools and skills they need to take themselves and society—worldwide—to the next level.”
—Leslie L. Kossoff, Technorati.com
“Compelling ... Sandberg writes with sophistication and thoughtful reflection ... a book that has a powerful message but that is also full of personal vulnerability and first-hand anecdotes, packed with statistics and footnoted studies that back her points.”
—Susan Adams, Forbes
“Her ideas are reasonable, thoughtful—and necessary.”
—Michelle Goldberg, The Daily Beast
“When was the last time anybody talked this much about a women’s place in the world, period? Sandberg’s Lean In is opening up the dialogue—and, in true Silicon Valley fashion, she’s made it scalable ... It’s put words to what we’d long felt but couldn’t quite articulate; the insecurities, the self-doubt, the fear that causes us to keep our hands down. Because, whether we’d recognized it or not, each of us ... had been grappling with precisely what Sandberg aims to conquer ... She’s also managed to bridge a gap that has mystified many an activist before her: reaching women who both self-identify as feminists, and those who don’t.”
—Jessica Bennett, NYMag.com
“This is a book every young woman needs ... I see her as an inspiration.”
—Colleen Leahey, Fortune
“A lucidly written, well-argued and unabashedly feminist take on women and work, replete with examples from the author’s life. It draws on the ideas of no less an icon than Gloria Steinem, a Sandberg friend, and on recent research highlighting the double binds women face as they negotiate the corridors of power.”
—Julia M. Klein, USA Today
“To get a sense of how I reacted to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s new book, look no further than the stars and exclamation points that fill the margins of my review copy ... Among its merits is the way Sandberg doesn’t shy away from describing her own struggles to take risks at work, to ask for what she wants, to negotiate, to find an equal partner.”
—Alexandra Chang, Wired
“Sheryl provides practical suggestions for managing and overcoming the challenges that arise on the ‘jungle gym’ of career advancement. I nodded my head in agreement and laughed out loud as I read these pages. Lean In is a superb, witty, candid, and meaningful read for women (and men) of all generations.”
—Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. secretary of state
“To tackle society’s most pressing problems we need to unleash the leadership of both women and men. Lean In shows us the path and is an absolutely invaluable resource for the next generation of leaders and those who support them.”
—Wendy Kopp, founder and CEO, Teach for America
“For the past five years, I’ve sat at a desk next to Sheryl and I’ve learned something from her almost every day. She has a remarkable intelligence that can cut through complex processes and find solutions to the hardest problems. Lean In combines Sheryl’s ability to synthesize information with her understanding of how to get the best out of people. The book is smart and honest and funny. Her words will help all readers—especially men—to become better and more effective leaders.”
—Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO, Facebook
“Sheryl is a unique business leader because of her versatility and breadth. She has the two traits that are common in every successful leader I have known: curiosity and determination. Sheryl brings all of her insight to Lean In, an important new book that companies can use to get the most out of their talent. With her ideas and actions, Sheryl will help to define leadership in the years to come.”
—Jeff Immelt, CEO, General Electric
“The key to opening some of life’s most difficult doors is already in our hands. Sheryl’s book reminds us that we can reach within ourselves to achieve greatness.”
—Alicia Keys
About the Author
SHERYL SANDBERG served as chief operating officer at Meta (previously called Facebook), overseeing the firm's business operations. Prior to Meta, Sheryl was vice president of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google, chief of staff for the United States Treasury Department under President Clinton, a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, and an economist with the World Bank.
Sheryl received a BA summa cum laude from Harvard University and an MBA with highest distinction from Harvard Business School.
Sheryl is the co-author of Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy with Wharton professor and bestselling author Adam Grant. She is also the author of the bestsellers Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead and Lean In for Graduates. She is the founder of the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to build a more equal and resilient world through two key initiatives, LeanIn.Org and OptionB.Org. Sheryl serves on the boards of Meta, the Walt Disney Company, Women for Women International, ONE, and SurveyMonkey.
Product details
- Publisher : Knopf; 1st edition (March 12, 2013)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 240 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0385349947
- ISBN-13 : 978-0385349949
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.99 x 1 x 9.53 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #14,207 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #17 in Women & Business (Books)
- #290 in Leadership & Motivation
- #451 in Success Self-Help
- Customer Reviews:
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Sheryl Sandberg on "Lean In"
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About the authors

Sheryl Sandberg is chief operating officer at Facebook, overseeing the firm's business operations. Prior to Facebook, Sheryl was vice president of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google, chief of staff for the United States Treasury Department under President Clinton, a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, and an economist with the World Bank.
Sheryl received a BA summa cum laude from Harvard University and an MBA with highest distinction from Harvard Business School.
Sheryl is the co-author of Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy with Wharton professor and bestselling author Adam Grant, which will be released April 24, 2017. She is also the author of the bestsellers Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead and Lean In for Graduates. She is the founder of the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to build a more equal and resilient world through two key initiatives, LeanIn.Org and OptionB.Org (launching April 2017). Sheryl serves on the boards of Facebook, the Walt Disney Company, Women for Women International, ONE, and SurveyMonkey.

Scovell is a television and magazine writer, producer, director and collaborator on the #1 New York Times bestseller Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. She is the creator of the televisions series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and her TV writing credits include The Simpsons, Coach, Monk, Murphy Brown, Charmed and NCIS. She has directed two movies for cable television and an episode of Awkward. She has contributed to Vanity Fair, Vogue, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. She lives in Los Angeles and Boston.
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Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They appreciate the insightful and empowering content for women in business. The author's honest and relatable writing style is praised as genuine and believable. The book serves as a good conversation starter and provides valuable insights into how to connect with others.
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Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They appreciate the narration and writing style. The book is 178 pages long, suitable for reading on a transcontinental flight. Readers praise the author's articulate and likable writing style. Overall, they describe it as an enlightening non-fiction masterpiece.
"...But for those who do, and for their partners, it is a book well worth reading." Read more
"...All in all, this is an enlightening book, and is well worth reading...." Read more
"...truth with roots in biology, and is brilliantly explained in the amazing book, [..." Read more
"...regarding family and career that make the subject approachable and immediate. In doing so, Sandberg makes herself vulnerable, and `just like us.'..." Read more
Customers find the book insightful and empowering. They appreciate the thorough research and scientific data used in the book. The book is relevant and relatable, providing great business advice. Overall, readers consider it an important book for our century.
"...Well researched and documented, Sandberg uses statistics, personal anecdotes, and stories from other successful women to present her case...." Read more
"...it already has and will continue to bring about positive changes in business and in government...." Read more
"...that this has happened despite the fact that women are on average better educated than men, all the way up the ladder, and that women make up a..." Read more
"...] by Babcock and Laschever which in addition to being enlightening and entertaining, offers tons of strategies for preparing yourself to..." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's insights for women. They find it specific to women in business, but it also provides valuable advice for all women. The authors validate women's choices and provide solid advice for women at any professional level.
"...Or maybe it just is what she says it is. A way forward for women and their life partners...." Read more
"...It's also a feminist manifesto, and that's nice to see after all these years during which no one seemed to want to admit to being a feminist." Read more
"...She also gives marital and parenting advice, which is courageous for a 43-year old married barely 10 years, with children still in elementary..." Read more
"...Her ideas were really well thought out and helpful for a woman who is a part of any family unit-even those women who don't have long-term partners...." Read more
Customers find the book offers interesting insights and key concepts. It has personal stories, examples, and rigorous facts. They find it honest and touching on many topics they've thought about. The book covers a wide range of topics relevant to women's challenges, and provides actual solutions and examples of how they have worked.
"...Well researched and documented, Sandberg uses statistics, personal anecdotes, and stories from other successful women to present her case...." Read more
"...It is also filled with actual solutions and examples of how they have worked...." Read more
"...They are easy to follow and not boring. She couples the anecdotes with facts and statistics...." Read more
"...incredible accomplishment on many levels: the writing, the big and small issues it covers, the revelations it contains regarding assumptions we have..." Read more
Customers appreciate the author's honesty and authenticity in the book. They find it relatable, believable, and raw. The candor and humor are appreciated.
"...are problems common to all women and she speaks to them with amazing candor, self-deprecation and humor...." Read more
"...This book feels current, real, and strikingly honest...." Read more
"Lean In is thought-provoking, inspiring, motivating, honest, funny, and fair. Every chapter made me think...." Read more
"...fact that it is highly relevant, it is told with humor, humility, and honesty. Thank you for leaning in and writing this book, Sheryl!" Read more
Customers find the book helpful for starting conversations in their personal and professional lives. They appreciate the methods for dealing with people and finding ways to connect with others. The book provides advice on effective communication and improving relationships.
"...In any event, it's a good book, an easy read, makes for great conversations and perhaps sharing of advice from other readers. It's worth reading." Read more
"...Ultimately these messages come across and and they do so with charm and wit. There is a lot here for everyone - men and women alike - to reflect on...." Read more
"...Ultimately, one of her main messages is TEAMWORK...." Read more
"...I hope this book's message reaches everyone because it is a message worth spreading...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's humor, humility, and honesty. They find it entertaining and engaging, with a conversational writing style that is easy to read. The voice is described as humorous and kind.
"...Babcock and Laschever which in addition to being enlightening and entertaining, offers tons of strategies for preparing yourself to negotiate...." Read more
"...Ultimately these messages come across and and they do so with charm and wit. There is a lot here for everyone - men and women alike - to reflect on...." Read more
"...women and she speaks to them with amazing candor, self-deprecation and humor...." Read more
"...anecdotes -- combined with the extensive references, they were both entertaining and effective...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the narrative quality. Some find the stories relatable and enjoyable, offering practical advice intertwined with engaging stories. They appreciate the fresh look at an old story. However, others feel the content gets repetitive and frustrating toward the end.
"...That the book kept me turning pages, however, does not mean I agree with what it says...." Read more
"...never have made it to the top but I think where her path starts makes this book very unrelatable...." Read more
"...Every chapter made me think. Sometimes I had to put down the book in wonder because I identified so much with what she was saying...." Read more
"...Admittedly, the first 6 chapters are repetitive, focusing on being assertive in one's careers...." Read more
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2013I had heard the buzz about Sheryl Sandberg's Lead In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead that many of you may have heard as well. Written by an elitist with a double Harvard degree who was mentored by Larry Summers (gasp!) and is worth hundreds of millions in stock from Google and Facebook (oh no!), she couldn't possibly have anything to say to women in less fortunate positions. It was a vanity book designed to elevate Facebook (really?). I have to admit that it has been a long time since I remember a book being so roundly condemned by so many who hadn't even read it. The fact that a book authored by a woman about women was raising such a stink intrigued me. If I hadn't planned to read it before, I certainly looked forward to reading it now.
I should be used to pundits being wrong.
Honestly, there were some points in this book that almost had me wishing I were thirty years younger and still working. It takes a lot to do that. I am happy with my life (except for the grief part) and I don't generally envy the lot of today's working women.
Lean In is not so much a feminist manifesto, as it is a hands-on guide to how a woman can think about and alter her chances for success. From the cultural inhibitions that women internalize to the social judgments levied on our performance, Sandberg presents possibilities for change. She addresses many of the same issues I tried to deal with in my career. And although I did okay, I know that some of the advice she offers would have made it possible for me to do a lot more. (Of course in those days she could not have attended Harvard. Or Yale. And COO of Facebook? Not likely.)
Times have changed since Betty Friedan. Women can now attend Harvard. Women can become the COO of Facebook. But not enough of them do. And that is what Sandberg is trying to change with Lean In.
Well researched and documented, Sandberg uses statistics, personal anecdotes, and stories from other successful women to present her case. She then uses some common sense, more research, and creative thinking to propose solutions.
From the book:
"I am fully aware that most women are not focused on changing social norms for the next generation but simply trying to get through each day. Forty percent of employed mothers lack sick days and vacation leave, and about 50 percent of employed mothers are unable to take time off to care for a sick child. 21 Only about half of women receive any pay during maternity leave. 22 These policies can have severe consequences; families with no access to paid family leave often go into debt and can fall into poverty. 23 Part-time jobs with fluctuating schedules offer little chance to plan and often stop short of the forty-hour week that provides basic benefits. 24
Too many work standards remain inflexible and unfair, often penalizing women with children. Too many talented women try their hardest to reach the top and bump up against systemic barriers. So many others pull back because they do not think they have a choice. All of this brings me back to Leymah Gbowee's insistence that we need more women in power. When leadership insists that these policies change, they will. Google put in pregnancy parking when I asked for it and it remains there long after I left. We must raise both the ceiling and the floor."
Yes, Sheryl Sandberg has had a storied career, leaving her worth close to a billion dollars, named as one of Forbes top five most powerful women in the world, but then, who would want to read a book by a failure? Who wants advice from someone who hasn't succeeded in making a difference?
Maybe this is all just an evil plot to grow Facebook's audience and the value of her stock. Or maybe it just is what she says it is. A way forward for women and their life partners. (She devotes an entire chapter to how important a life partner is to anyone's success in life.)
Lean In doesn't have to have all of the answers in order to be pointing in the right direction. It is clear that the women's movement has stalled: on Friday North Dakota passed the most repressive anti-women laws the nation has ever seen, virtually denying women the rights guaranteed by Roe vs Wade, and we learned that NYPD officers have been ordered to run criminal record checks on the victims of domestic abuse. Clearly we need to do something. Until we have a greater share of power, our rights will continue to be dictated to us by others. It is time women started reaching for the levers of power in corporations, institutions and governments.
Lean In doesn't stop with the last page. In addition to her TED talk, she has set up, of course, a Facebook page, and a website looking to continue the conversation. She envisions women meeting in small (8 to 12) Lean In Circles to learn from each other and support each other's growth. Small circles that have been disparagingly referred to as a throwback to the consciousness raising of times gone by. What her critics forget is that those consciousness raising parties did a lot of good back in the day.
Jodi Kantor, of the New York Times, in an attempt to show how evil this plot is, published a copy of the document that is being circulated to potential corporate partners in the Lean In movement. (BTW, said corporate partners are only asked the use of their logos and endorsement, not funding, and their support for their employees who chose to join the circles.) I read the document, which I found here: [...] And wish that when my girlfriends and I got together during the 70s in an informal support group at a nearby watering hole that we could have had access to the material and format of the new Lean In Circles. We got the job done, and helped other women move along their career paths, but not nearly enough and not quickly enough.
All profits from her book go to LeanIn.org which is a non-profit public benefit corporation that runs the website of the same name.
Lean In is not for all women. Nor is it meant to be. Not all women want a high powered career and a family. But for those who do, and for their partners, it is a book well worth reading.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2015I hope that Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” will make the workplace a bit more rewarding for my daughters and granddaughters. Even though this book is somewhat flawed, it is getting a lot of attention for a lot of good reasons; and I believe that it already has and will continue to bring about positive changes in business and in government.
Ms. Sandberg states that women should continue fighting to break down barriers until the goal of equality is achieved. She uses the term ‘equality’ (or ‘equal’ or ‘equally’) 62 times in this book. She seems to define equality completely by results - equality will be achieved when 50% of businesses and governments are run by women and 50% of homes are run by men. I would think that equality will be achieved when there is a level playing field and women are not prevented by cultural obstacles from fulfilling their potential. With a level playing field, women might occupy 50% - or more or less – of all CEO positions. But the definition of equality should be based on the existence of equal opportunity and the absence of impediments, not rigid results.
In Chapter One, Ms. Sandberg’s use of the infamous 77% statistic is misleading. This statistic might imply that there is a 23% compensation gap between men and women working for the same employer in the same position. This is not the case. This statistic does not factor in position, experience, or hours worked. Of course, this is one of the author’s points – that women don’t choose fields, acquire experience, or work the same number of hours as men because of cultural or other barriers – but the author should have made this clearer in using the 77% statistic.
My group at work (8 men and 2 women) is reviewing this book at our monthly staff meeting – one chapter per month. At the first meeting, one of the women in the group made the point that there are innate differences between men and women that make Ms. Sandberg’s equality goal unrealistic and unattainable – not because women are less competent at work, but because men are less nurturing and less competent at home. I tend to agree. (And in chapter 1, Ms. Sandberg acknowledges that this might be true.)
Ms. Sandberg makes many reference to academic and other research from which the results support her themes. Does she exclude research that might contradict her themes? Perhaps. Chapter 3, “Success and Likeability” is based on a 2003 experiment conducted with New York business students. Based on this study, Ms. Sandberg concludes that successful women are unfairly considered less likeable than successful men. In a 2013 article in The Atlantic, Eleanor Barkhorn points out two problems with this conclusion: (1) The subjects are all students who were not active members of the full-time workforce when the survey was conducted, and (2) There was a 2011 study published in ”Human Relations” of 60,000 full-time workers on their attitudes toward male and female managers. The study showed that “people who actually had female managers did not give them lower ratings than people who had male managers.”
Ms. Sandberg had her writing reviewed by many skilled thinkers and editors, so it is surprising that the writing is sloppy at times. For example, in chapter 3, she compares her reaction to being one of seven business school students who won a Henry Ford scholarship to the other winners who all boasted about winning the scholarship. She claims that, unlike the other six winners, all male, she never went public. As though including this achievement in a bestselling book is not going public.
So, while some of the writing is unexceptional, I am impressed by the last paragraph, and more specifically the last sentence, of each chapter. My favorite is the conclusion to chapter 4: “And anyway who wears a tiara on a jungle gym?” Ms. Sandberg clearly knows how to close!
The subtitle of the first chapter is “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” Motivational posters at FaceBook carry this theme, which applies to both men and women. The author states that writing this book is what she would do if she weren’t afraid – and clearly she is not. And she should be commended for not fearing critics like this reviewer.
Top reviews from other countries
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PaulinaReviewed in Mexico on July 16, 20225.0 out of 5 stars Gran libro
Lectura fácil sobre la experiencia femenina. Súper recomendable!!!
PrathmeshReviewed in India on January 5, 20255.0 out of 5 stars Book
Fantastic book
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Cliente AmazonReviewed in Belgium on April 1, 20245.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring
Cadeaux jeunes managers femmes
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Cliente AmazonReviewed in Brazil on July 28, 20205.0 out of 5 stars Desafios da mulher no mundo corporativo
Livro muito bom! A autora fala sobre os desafios que as mulheres enfrentam no mundo corporativo, e desmistifica muito preconceitos que enfrentamos nesse contexto. Ela encoraja nós mulheres "a sentar na mesa", nos posicionarmos e mergulharmos em nossas carreiras. Leitura obrigatória para todos!
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Sara CucaroReviewed in Italy on September 5, 20175.0 out of 5 stars The most empowering book I've ever read!
I really love this book. Sheryl Sandberg writes in a really easy way (it's quite easy to read the book also for non-native speakers like me) and points out themes and issues in which all women should be interested. She's just great and inspired me a lot. I thought "if she did so much and reached her objectives in spite of obstacles, I will be able to do the same, also thanks to her advice".












