The Confidence Code
Katty Kay, Claire Shipman
Expands on Lean In's point that women hold themselves back. It draws on research and interviews to explain the confidence gap and offers concrete ways to act more boldly at work.
12 books to read next
Books Like Lean In
If you loved Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
Readers come to Lean In for its mix of candid personal stories from Sheryl Sandberg's career at Google and Facebook with research on why women stall at work. They value its practical advice on negotiating, finding mentors, speaking up in meetings and sharing work at home with a partner. The tone is direct and encouraging rather than academic. It also starts conversations about ambition, the confidence gap and the structural barriers that shape women's careers.
More career advice for women
Playing Big
Tara Mohr
Readers who took Sandberg's advice to sit at the table will find practical tools here for quieting the inner critic, taking visible risks and stepping into leadership.
Women Don't Ask
Sara Laschever, Linda Babcock
Gives the research behind Lean In's chapters on negotiation. It shows why women negotiate less and how that shapes their pay and careers.
Memoirs of women who led
Becoming
Michelle Obama
Like Sandberg, Obama is candid about balancing ambition, career and family. She writes with personal warmth about mentorship, self-doubt and finding her own voice.
Unfinished business
Anne-Marie Slaughter
A thoughtful counterpoint to Lean In from a high-level foreign policy official. She argues that real progress requires valuing caregiving and changing workplaces, not just individual drive.
Dare to Lead
Brené Brown
For readers who liked Lean In's honesty about vulnerability at work. Brown offers research-based guidance on courageous leadership and difficult conversations.
Data on systemic barriers
Invisible Women
Caroline Criado Perez
Takes Lean In's data-driven approach much further. It shows how a world designed around male defaults disadvantages women at work, in health care and at home.
Fair Play
Eve Rodsky
Builds on Sandberg's advice to make your partner a real partner. It offers a practical system for dividing household and childcare labour fairly.
Brotopia
Emily Chang
An investigative look at Silicon Valley, the industry Sandberg worked in. It examines why tech remains so hostile to women and what could change that.
Beyond the corporate ladder
Option B
Sheryl Sandberg, Adam Grant
Sandberg's more personal follow-up looks at resilience after loss. It keeps the same blend of personal story and psychological research that Lean In readers appreciated.
We Should All Be Feminists
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A short, sharp essay on gender expectations. It is ideal for readers who want Lean In's call to action framed in broader cultural terms.
Quiet
Susan Cain
Offers a useful complement to Lean In's encouragement to speak up. It explores how introverts can succeed and lead without forcing an outgoing style.
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