One sentence summary
Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead is an empowering and inspiring call to action for women to take control of their destiny, power and career success.
Book genre
Non-fiction; Self-help; Business; Feminism
Main topic of the book
Lean In addresses the challenges faced by women in the professional world, and how to overcome them.
Key ideas
- Overcome internal barriers: Lean In encourages women to first face their own internal biases and build their confidence in their own abilities and capabilities.
- Work smarter: Sandberg suggests strategies to help women rise to leadership positions and leverage their power.
- Find success and satisfaction: Instead of striving for “perfection”, Sandberg argues for satisfaction. She shows how to implement changes that can bring success and satisfaction.
Main parts of the book and a short summary
- Part I: What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid? In this section, Sandberg encourages women to establish their own boundaries and define their own roles. She asks women to take risks and strive for success.
- Part II: Sit at the Table: In this section of the book, Sandberg encourages women to take a seat at the table and speak up in professional settings. She explores strategies such as resiliency, negotiation, strength, and management.
- Part III: Don’t Leave Before You Leave: Sandberg focuses on the delicate balance between work and life for women. She covers topics such as relationships, parenting, guilt, and the double standard in the workplace.
- Part IV: Make Your Partner a Real Partner: In this section, Sandberg explores our culture’s expectations around gender roles in relationships. She discusses the importance of shared responsibilities.
- Part V: We Can Do Better: Through this section, Sandberg shows ways to improve the professional environment for women. She discusses the importance of policy changes and advocates for better representation in leadership positions.
Key takeaways
- Women must first overcome their internal barriers and build confidence in order to be successful.
- Women must stay at the table and take risks in order to build a successful career.
- Women must strive for satisfaction rather than perfection.
- Women must take steps to create a more equitable and balanced relationship with their partners.
- Societal and policy changes can help create a more level playing field for women in the workplace.
Author’s background and qualifications
Sheryl Sandberg is the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and the founder of the LeanIn.org movement. She is a New York Times best-selling author, a board member at several organizations, and a noted philanthropist. She was also a top executive at Google and an economist for the World Bank before joining Facebook.
Target audience
This book is targeted at professional women who are looking to advance their career and those interested in feminism and gender issues.
Publisher and first publication date
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead was first published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2013.