Featured in Next Big Idea Club’s “84 Books Coming Out in the Fall That We Can’t Wait to Read”
“A solid and insightful guide to succeeding as a woman in business.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Lead brings a fresh voice to the often-challenging intersection of women, authority, and power. Ellen shares insights into how we become powerful agents of change and advancement at every step in our career. The chapters focus on concrete, proactive steps that can help us become more comfortable with assuming power and stepping up as leaders.”
—Sally Helgesen, author of How Women Rise, The Female Vision, and The Female Advantage
“Ellen, as a coach and a friend, has had a transformative impact on my career. Reading Lead is a little like having Ellen as a personal coach by your side— cheering on your efforts, sharing candid career stories you can relate to, and providing thoughtful end-of-chapter exercises that help you to apply the information to your specific career challenges and goals.”
—Yanbing Li, PHD, VP of Product and Engineering, Google
“Lead should be required reading for all women in business school and for those who want to name and claim their authority when exercising leadership. The power of female leaders is undeniable, and this book is an important resource for helping women seize their power.”
—Wendy York, Dean of Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, Fortune 500 executive, and successful entrepreneur
“No matter your career path, Lead gives useful applicable advice toward identifying and achieving your goals. Any leader will find value in the coaching offered. One of Snee's gifts is presenting masterful summaries that are easy to understand yet retain the inherently nuanced complexities of the original ideas. The well-organized compilation of a wealth of strategies for navigating leadership challenges alone makes Lead invaluable.”
—Laurie King, Ph.D., Professor of Computer Science, College of the Holy Cross
“As a member of the Society of the Sacred Heart and as a chaired professor of management, I can say with assurance that this is a wonderfully deep, practically useful, stimulating and inspiring book. It provides coaching that is based on scholarly research, Ellen’s reflection on her life experiences, and elegantly sketched examples that give advice we all can follow. It illustrates and encourages ongoing learning over a lifetime, rather than expecting us all to be perfect immediately in every encounter.”
—Jean M. Bartunek, Robert A. and Evelyn J. Ferris Chair and Professor of Management and Organization, Carroll School of Management, Boston College
“Lead is an essential part of your professional toolkit. Beautifully written, boldly comprehensive, and loaded with critical nuggets for navigating the professional world, Snee unpacks it all, from external biases to the limitations we place on ourselves—and, more importantly, provides great insights on what to do about it!”
—Robin L. Matlock, public and private board member and former software executive
“Drawing from her research in psychology, Dr. Ellen Snee starts this highly actionable book for women leaders by asking the most fundamental question: What do you want? She leads the reader on a journey to find their own path to claiming power and authority from the inside out in the face of persistent structural barriers.”
—Caroline Simard, PhD, Managing Director, Stanford VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab
“Ellen’s book is insightful and empowering. Her own experience from being a nun, corporate executive, and coach is unique in the business world. Ellen offers actionable advice on how to navigate systems and relationships and ultimately claim our authority in any situation; Lead is a must-read for aspiring women leaders!”
—Barbara Adachi, former National Managing Partner, Women’s Initiative, Deloitte (retired) and President & Board Chair, International Women’s Forum, Northern California
“A book that should be a graduation, promotion, and special occasion gift for every woman in business. Reading Lead is like having Ellen by your side—cheering on your efforts, sharing candid and relevant career stories, and providing practical end-of-chapter tools.”
—Jessica Parisi, President & CEO BTS North America
“Lead lays out a clear action plan to balance authority with leadership. But what gives this book its power are the stories about the women Snee has coached and led throughout her career. This book is a must for any woman seeking to claim authority while leading in today’s world.”
—Theresa Kushner, former Sr Vice President, Dell Technologies
“If you are ready to build your authority and use your power to effect change within your organization, this book is a must-read! Snee’s wisdom, depth of experience, and commitment to women leaders shine through on every page. I recommend it highly.”
—Denise Brosseau, best-selling author of Ready to Be a Thought Leader?
“I finished Lead and absolutely loved it! The content, writing style, and examples make it a great piece of work. It will great be for any female leader, aspiring or already in a position of authority. It should be compulsory reading at business schools. I wish I’d had it thirty years ago!”
—Susanna Harkonen, Founder and CEO, Innerwork
“As a woman leader, I honestly couldn’t put the book down; I wanted to capture the nuggets in each chapter. I loved the actions/next steps at the end of each chapter—I like to set goals, so it was perfect for me.”
—Laura Ortman, President, Cologix, Inc.
“Reading Lead was like getting a live coaching session with actionable insights. It lit a fire inside me! The topics Ellen touches on are very relevant to women striving to lead and succeed in today’s work environment.”
—Rashmi Gupta, CHRO, PRO Unlimited
“With Lead, Ellen Snee gives us a blueprint for leading and living in our power and influence by working with our inherent authority. Her coaching expertise shines through every page of this book, which is bound to help many women build a brighter future for themselves.”
—Julie Abrams, Founder and CEO of How Women Lead and GP of How Women Invest
“As an advocate for technical women, I realize the importance of learning leadership skills, and Lead provides a powerful tool for all of us. Snee covers essential topics such as listening to your inner voice, catching success, creating executive presence, and demonstrating your authority, and I couldn’t put the book down. The book will be an ongoing resource for many, and following its simple steps can lead to profound change.”
—Dr. Telle Whitney, cofounder of the Grace Hopper Conference and former CEO of Anita Borg Institute
“Lead is a distillation of insights, stories, and suggested actions steps based on Dr. Snee's conversations and coaching experience with women executives. It integrates her field research and work experiences as a nun, an entrepreneur, an executive, and a coach—a must-read for women leaders.”
—Homa Bahrami, Professor, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley
“In Lead, Ellen achieves the near impossible balance of offering practical, spot-on advice combined with brilliant research-based insights. Lead is a playbook for successfully navigating the workplace.”
—Lori Nishiura Mackenzie, cofounder of the Stanford VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab and Lead Strategist of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Stanford Graduate School of Business
