{"id":7938,"date":"2021-03-20T15:14:26","date_gmt":"2021-03-20T19:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=7938"},"modified":"2025-05-27T06:53:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T10:53:38","slug":"sage-book-club-women-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/sage-book-club-women-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"13 must-read books to inspire women on their leadership journey"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t13 must-read books to inspire women on their leadership journey\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2021-03-20T15:14:26-04:00\">March 20, 2021<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"13 must-read books to inspire women on their leadership journey\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/sage-book-club-women-leadership\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/author\/alexquiles\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"38\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/03\/Alex-Quiles-Headshot.jpeg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Alex Quiles<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s&nbsp; important to amplify and learn from the stories of women in leadership\u2014what their journey\u2019s look like, challenges they face, and ways to overcome them\u2014for a more inclusive and equal future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/hub\/sage-book-club\/\">Sage Book Club series<\/a>, business experts share their top must-read books to inspire women along their leadership journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn the workplace, we should all choose to challenge anything that does not seem right or promotes inequalities,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wifemomcpa100\/status\/1365004192604172296\">Nicole Davis<\/a> shared during <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/i\/events\/1365023129647652875\">our recent Twitter Chat<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019d like to see a ratio of women in tech and leadership that is more representative of the population.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SageUSAmerica\/status\/1364999098919575555\">Sage CEO Steve Hare<\/a> agrees, adding that \u201cIt\u2019s not just about providing the right opportunities, but also creating a culture in which women feel valued and empowered to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are 13 must-read inspirational books our experts recommended to help empower women on their leadership journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-recommended-by-nancy-tichbon-evp-and-managing-director-sage-canada\"><strong>Recommended by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/5-ways-cfos-can-keep-their-organizations-on-track-in-the-covid-era\/\">Nancy Tichbon<\/a>, EVP and Managing Director, Sage Canada<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/books\/unlocking-leadership-mindtraps-how-to-thrive-in-complexity-9781503609013\/9781503609013\"><em>Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps: How to Thrive in Complexity<\/em><\/a> by Jennifer Garvey Berger<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This must-read book explores five typical human quirks called \u2018mental traps\u2019 that hinder our personal growth when navigating complexities in today\u2019s world, offering practice tools to help us navigate new opportunities, create new solutions, and ultimately change the ways in which we think<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/books\/good-to-great-why-some-companies-make-the-leap-and-others-don-t\/9780066620992\"><em>Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don\u2019t<\/em><\/a> by Jim Collins<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Good to Great is an insightful management book that explores what it takes for average companies to become great and outperform their competitors in a progressive and sustainable way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-recommended-by-kay-dexter-marketing-strategist-sage\"><em><strong>Recommended by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/author\/kangelondexter\/\">Kay Dexter<\/a>, Marketing Strategist, Sage\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/books\/executive-presence-the-missing-link-between-merit-and-success\/9780062246899\"><em>Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success<\/em><\/a> by Sylvia Ann Hewlett<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This book serves as a blueprint on the journey to leadership growth and identity, uncovering the three most important qualities that aspiring top-tier leaders should have in order to embody the \u2018executive presence\u2019 they want those around them to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/books\/the-little-black-book-of-success-laws-of-leadership-for-black-women\/9780345518484\"><em>The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership for Black<\/em> <em>Women<\/em><\/a> by Elaine Meryl Brown, Marsha Haygood, and Rhonda McLean<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rich with wisdom, three successful Black female executives uncover the building blocks of leadership as women climb up the corporate ladder, sharing their top strategies on how to play the power of the game, despite racial stereotypes and obstacles they\u2019ve faced along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Recommended by Laurie McCabe, Co-Founder of SMB Group<\/strong><\/em><br><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/books\/alpha-girls-the-women-upstarts-who-took-on-silicon-valley-s-male-culture-and-made-the-deals-of-a-lifetime\/9780525573920\"><em>Alpha Girls: The Women Upstarts Who Took on Silicon Valley\u2019s Male Culture and Made the Deals of a Lifetime<\/em><\/a> by Julian Guthrie<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An empowering, untold story on how a group of female tech venture capitalists achieved success in a male-dominated industry and helped shape the tech landscape we know today\u2014detailing the prevalent issues of the gender pay gap and misogyny commonly experienced by working women around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-recommended-by-aqsa-zubair-co-founder-of-cryptocamp\"><em><strong>Recommended by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-ca\/blog\/what-does-the-future-of-fintech-look-like-csr-accessibility-and-gen-z\/\">Aqsa Zubair<\/a>, Co-Founder of Cryptocamp<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/books\/start-with-why-how-great-leaders-inspire-everyone-to-take-action\/9781591846444\"><em>Start with Why<\/em><\/a> by Simon Sinek<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Start with Why<\/em> is an inspiration book that encourages leaders to do more of what inspires them with actionable steps on how to adapt this practice to motivate others. \u201cIt helps shape the way you think and address problems,\u201d Zubair shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/books\/the-likeability-trap-how-to-break-free-and-succeed-as-you-are\/9780062838766\"><em>The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed as You<\/em> Are<\/a> by Alicia Menendez<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis book speaks about reinventing the pre-conceived notion of how women should behave,\u201d explained Zubair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/books\/lean-in-women-work-and-the-will-to-lead\/9780385349949\"><em>Lean In<\/em><\/a> by Sheryl Sandberg<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Lean In<\/em> examines common challenges women continue to face in a predominantly male workforce, with empowering tips on how to take charge of their own careers, balance work and motherhood, and push forward at a time when gender bias still exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Recommended by Nicole Davis, CPA and Co-Founder of Butler-Davis Tax and Accounting<\/strong><\/em><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/books\/never-split-the-difference-negotiating-as-if-your-life-depended-on-it\/9780062407801\"><em>Never Split the Difference<\/em><\/a> by Chris Voss<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Encouraging readers to not settle for less than they intended to negotiate, a former international hostage negotiator for the FBI recounts his stories of high-stake negotiations, revealing pivotal skills that helped him succeed in and outside of the boardroom. \u201cThe confidence our male counterparts have is admirable. Men ask for what they want and usually get it. Women should do the same and not feel any type of way about it,\u201d Davis argues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/books\/the-artist-s-way-anniversary\/9780143129257\">The Artist\u2019s Way<\/a> by Julia Cameron<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the perfect self-help book for artistic people who have the flair but lack the confidence in harnessing their creative talents, with step-by-step wisdom on how to re-connect your \u201cinner artist\u201d and succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/books\/why-not-me-9780804138161\/9780804138161\"><em>Why Not Me?<\/em><\/a> by Mindy Kaling<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A humorous collection of personal essays based on actor Mindy Kaling\u2019s life, with relatable stories centered around being a person of color in the workforce, entitlement, and approval from others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/books\/becoming\/9781524763138\"><em>Becoming<\/em><\/a> by Michelle Obama<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Written by former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, this deeply personal memoir walks us through her journey of finding her voice in a discriminatory society, relaying her life and helping women who dream big to live theirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/books\/you-are-a-badass-r-how-to-stop-doubting-your-greatness-and-start-living-an-awesome-life\/9780762447695\"><em>You Are a Badass<\/em><\/a> by Jen Sincero<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to learn how to stop doubting your greatness and live your best life? In this hilarious and thought-provoking book, you\u2019ll be empowered to transform the way you live your life and learn how to become the happiest version of yourself\u2014prioritizing what you want to do, not what others think you should do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-more-sage-book-club-reading-lists\">More <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/hub\/sage-book-club\/\">Sage Book Club<\/a> reading lists:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><p class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/sage-book-club-rieva-lesonsky\/\">Sage Book Club: 5 books to inspire you in 2021<\/a><\/p><br><br><p class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/sage-book-club\/\">7 must-read books to help you prep for the year ahead<\/a><\/p><br><strong>Do you have a book recommendation? Share it with us in the comments.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sage Advice offers actionable wisdom and insights to help you start, grow, and lead your business.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/sage-book-club\/#gate-ab515c6e-7e90-4c2f-a67e-113872516e8b\">Subscribe to our newsletter<\/a>&nbsp;to get the latest articles delivered right to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to our Sage Advice Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get our latest business advice delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-ab515c6e-7e90-4c2f-a67e-113872516e8b\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"Working from home with tea in hand\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s&nbsp; important to amplify and learn from the stories of women in leadership\u2014what their journey\u2019s look like, challenges they face, and ways to overcome them\u2014for a more inclusive and equal future. In the Sage Book Club series, business experts share their top must-read books to inspire women along their leadership journey. \u201cIn the workplace, we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1200,"featured_media":7672,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[138,206,201,279],"business_type":[40,312],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[57,58,55,54],"persona":[97],"imagine_tag":[222,230,231],"coauthors":[678],"class_list":["post-7938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","tag-leadership","tag-sage-book-club","tag-sage-colleagues","tag-sage-events","business_type-small-business","business_type-accountants","industry-financial-services","industry-nonprofit","industry-professional-services","industry-retail"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-us","author_name":"Alex Quiles","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/sincerely-media-BfriYg0iOCs-unsplash-SageAdvice.jpg","imagine_tags":{"222":"Accountants","230":"Small business","231":"Start up business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice US","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7938"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7938\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/7672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7938"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=7938"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=7938"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=7938"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=7938"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=7938"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=7938"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=7938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}