Women have just as much to contribute to a company as men do. (jurvetson, Creative Commons)

The chief operating officer of Facebook wrote this book to encourage women to pursue their careers with more zeal, to “lean in” and grab every opportunity to become more successful. She is bringing attention to feminism, gender roles, and how to be assertive when pursing success. Although noble in intent, Sandberg's work has been widely criticized.

Most of this criticism stems from the fact that Sandberg focuses only on ambitious women who have the types of elite jobs that require women and men to be more aggressive in the workplace. Although Sandberg talks a great deal about her experience and some of her friends’ experiences—most in top careers—this is not her target. Sandberg wants to make women's ambition and leadership as widespread and respected as men's.

This is not a new idea, but one that must reiterated again and again until women leaders aren’t a rarity anymore. This is Sandberg’s goal. By advocating for women to be in leadership roles through the use of assertive actions, she hopes to begin an era where women truly do run the world—or at least half of it.

I find myself agreeing with Sandberg’s message. After all, why shouldn’t women be in those leadership roles? Women have just as much to contribute to a company as men do. Sure, we aren’t all COOs of Facebook, but we still belong in positions of power, be they with companies, non-profit organizations or the Cabinet.

More than anything, we need to create a work environment that empowers women who are ambitious and strive to be successful. Women who are assertive don’t need to be called “bossy” or, worse, “bitchy” for wanting to pursue an elite career. After all, women need to be running the world alongside men, not beneath them, and they certainly should not be condemned for trying to be on equal ground.

Reach Columnist Kristy Plaza here.