If you’ve checked out National Public Radio (NPR), the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times over the past few days, you’ve likely encountered a story about the release of Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, the anticipated new book written by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. The book has already garnered reviews proclaiming it as recommended reading for feminists and CEO’s. Given the subtitle, this should not be surprising. But what about everyone else? There are a lot of folks out there who are not CEOs or feminists – is Sandberg’s book worth their while?

As I researched Lean In for this post, and read about and listened to interviews with Sandberg over the past year, I’ve become more and more intrigued. It’s not only Sandberg’s story that interests me, or even her beliefs about gender and women’s roles at home and at work (though each of those aspects is fascinating). For me, the pull toward this book is that reading it – as well as essays and novels by other working women in corporate leadership positions – is a way to empower myself as a working mother. Regardless of whose working-mom “Slaughter vs. Sandberg” camp you are in – if you are even in one – reflecting on what it takes to become a leader, has implications for all of us, as women, parents, or both.

In her NPR interview, Sandberg brought up some disturbing truths about how girls are perceived. On the playground, little girls are often labeled as bossy when they take on a leadership role, but the word is rarely used to describe boys. And let’s face it: being called “bossy” isn’t typically a compliment.

Sandberg also discussed the relationship between success and likeability for adults. While the correlation was positive for men (in other words, successful men were often seen as likeable), for women, the relationship was negative. As a woman’s professional success increases, her likeability decreases. And these were how likeable a person was perceived to be by both men and women.

We see this in our world every day. Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer has been under fire since her appointment last year. She was judged for the duration of her maternity leave, as well as some recent work-at-home policy changes at Yahoo!

This attitude of judgment and criticism is pervasive with women in positions of power. Many women (and men) describe women in power (think Martha Stewart, for example) as “cold” and “ruthless.” A less popular topic is the hard work and business sense that propelled them to success – the success they’ve earned.

This got me thinking about competition. Are women inherently competitive with one another, or has society pitted us against each other? Despite an increase in higher education for women and the high number of working moms entering the workforce, are the positions at the top truly available to us? And if so, and leadership roles are equally attainable, why do we feel the need to compete with one another? Sandberg feels that solution lies within the fact that women need to be more secure.

Lean In is on my list of must reads for the spring for several reasons. First, as a woman, I think it’s important to hear other women’s perspectives on leadership – regardless of whether or not I share them. Second, reading stories of working women and working mothers in particular allows me to intelligently discuss the matter with others, form my own opinion, and back my beliefs up with research.

Finally, reading Sandberg’s book is my way of supporting women like me. I’m not in a corporate leadership position, nor do I work in the technology industry. But I am a mother, I do have a career, and I’m a writer. I am raising a daughter (and soon a son), both of whom I want to encourage to pursue their goals without being limited by gender stereotypes or socially contrived competition.  

Knowing the stories of women leaders should empower us and make us think, not lure us into automatic judgment or criticism. What are your thoughts on Sandberg’s book? On writing by other women leaders? Do you think women compete with one another in an unhealthy way?