Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make that Sabotage their Careers, Revised 3rd Edition

by Lois P. Frankel

Since 2004, Dr. Lois P. Frankel’s New York Times bestseller has been an essential resource for women seeking advice and empowerment to stop sabotaging their careers and get ahead in the workplace. This completely updated and revised vital new 3rd edition is everything a modern working girl needs to get what she wants.

We’ve leaned in, we’ve girl bossed, we’ve untamed, and it’s still challenging to be a woman at work. Though the workplace looks different than it did twenty years ago, women still face considerable challenges that men do not.

In this new 3rd edition of Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office, Dr. Lois P. Frankel teaches you how to reject the "nice girl" mentality, which manifests as a distinctive set of behaviors learned in girlhood that ultimately sabotage you as an adult, and still exists in today's modern workplace. Dr. Frankel provides tools and guidance for eliminating these unconscious mistakes that could be holding you back in your career. Mistakes such

Mistake #4: Believing Negative Self-Talk. Counter negative messages with positive ones.
Mistake #26: Fear of Coming Across too Strong. Don't dumb down, shut down, or tone down—be assertive!
Mistake #55: Poor Boundaries. If you're going to work from home, set boundaries.
Mistake #85: Doing Instead of Leading. Picking up others' slack becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You have the power to take control of your career without being controlling, to speak your mind while still being respected, and to chase your ambitions without fear or shame.

Genres: Nonfiction

368 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2026

About the author

Dr. Lois Frankel, President of Corporate Coaching International, a Pasadena, California consulting firm, literally wrote the book on coaching people to succeed in businesses large and small around the globe. Her books Nice Girls Don’t Get The Corner Office and Nice Girls Don’t Get Rich are international bestsellers translated into over twenty-five languages worldwide. Stop Sabotaging Your Career, a book based on her experiences as a pioneer in the field of business coaching working with everyone from CEOs to entry-level professionals, is a must-read for both men and women.

Reviews

[Bec (becbingesbooks) - sorry, behind with lots of catching up to do]

Not sure if it is due to Aus vs U.S. differences but this really was not for me. It felt like a lot of generalisations and sexism, with standards of expecting women to go above and beyond to succeed etc.

Some useful messages at times but largely just sad if that's how women in the U.S. have to live at work (and this is supposed to be an updated to the times edition!)

Read by audio and narrator was fine.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 *** This books contains a great variety of tips and advice for women to take space and develop professionally. The tone and content feels like something a good mentor or a cool (professional) aunt might share. The new chapters on remote work and modern issues are helpful to keep things current. Some of the gender-based generalities and stereotypes felt uncomfortable and old-fashioned (such as tips on appearance or not playing into the role of the nurturer), but I can’t disagree because I’ve found them true to my experience.

As a mid-career millennial in lower management, this book is a helpful recitation of career tips a mentor might share. I wish I read this earlier in my career. Not everything will be applicable for every role or work place, or they might not work for your personality. But this is an excellent starting point for newer, women professionals, and highly recommended for new grads.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC for an honest review.

[Lia’s Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a banger. I learned so much from this as a 27 y/o just embarking on her career. Every woman should read this, I learned a lot but also felt validated when some of my perspectives that are taboo in my company culture were validated here. So glad I found this when I did. One of my favorite lines is, “Jump. The net will magically appear under you”.

[Julie Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Life is too short to read stuff that I roll my eyes at every other page. DNF'd at 31%. I learned two things from this book. First, DESCript. This was the only coaching tip that stood out to me in the first third of the book. Second, this book taught me there is no right way to do anything. All the mistakes contradict or muddle each other. Be assertive and speak up. But don't hog conversations. And don't make yourself dislikeable. Be friendly, but don't smile too much, because no one will take you seriously. And socialize with coworkers, but remember that the company owns your time and you should utilize all of that time and skip lunch breaks if company culture is to break your back. But know your worth. But also say "yes" to every project ever. I've beyond lost interest.

[Blessing Okwuofu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office by Lois P. Frankel is an oldie but goodie guide for career woman, to help women identify and avoid common unconscious mistakes women make in the workplace. This is the revised third edition with updates in context of the aftermath of COVID and the changes to the work environment since then. This book remains practical and relevant, with short and concise chapters and coaching notes. You may not agree with every tip and context matters, but I recommend this book to every career woman. As a mother of two girls, I liked the bonus chapter on raising a self-confident daughter.
I got the ARC from Grand Central Publishing | Balance via Netgalley. This is my honest review

[Danielle Chance · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to listen to this as an audiobook and unfortunately, I cannot finish. 

I'm interested in reading the physical book because I think the information is valuable but I've come to dislike the author by listening to her read it to me. 

She comes across as lecturing and tough to relate to. I think in our current climate, there is room for frank discussion within a professional setting and oftentimes the reality of the situation is less than diserable but the harsh nature of the narration has turned me off.

I truly do intend to pick up a hard copy of the book to take in bit by bit but do not see myself coming back to the audio.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook, and Kitty does a great job narrating. I really appreciated how the author broke everything down into clear “rules” and then provided examples of how to apply them in real life.

Even though I’ve been in a professional workspace for 15 years, I still found the information valuable and relevant. I especially liked how the author modernized the content by including a chapter on working from home.

Overall, this book would make a great gift for any career-minded woman looking for guidance and support in her professional journey.

Thank you Net Galley for providing me with this ARC!

[SplkdancerReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Updated, post-COVID19 Pandemic version of the original.

Great reference for women in the workforce at every level. Definitely a perfect gift for a college graduate and something I wished I had read when I started working. The updates are good - some of the COVID specific examples are already starting to feel a little out of date, but the working from home and video call policies are a great inclusion for the modern employee.
Not every tip is relevant for everyone, but the author acknowledges this and encourages you to hop around and try things vs. trying to implement everything.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley. This is my honest, unbiased review.

[Marit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Possibly more helpful on paper than in audio. I struggled to 86%, but did not manage to finish is. Maybe culture differences between US and Europe also makes it feel less relevant to me. Still maybe useful for people early in their career in the us setting.

I can see there may be useful tips here, but the audiobook and style didn’t really work for me. I also struggled with the style and voice of the narrator.

Audiobook advanced copy received via NetGalley.

[Lisa Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought the advice in this was great and I really enjoyed the no-nonsense narrator. I feel like I read a fair amount of advice books because people often don't treat others well in the workplace and it's important to not take it personally and try to make things better.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook

This is a review of the audiobook.

[Jess | The_Afterword · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quiz in the beginning helps you determine your weakest areas and guides you to those chapters. I thought that was a really unique way to interact with the reader in where to focus their attention. Definitely written for the modern working woman.

[Alisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

A straight DNF for me, I think this might be my first one. The book is absolutely terrible. Giving it 1 star because I cannot give it negative one.

The amount of internalized misogyny in this book is at an all time peak. The fact that there is 3 or more of these floating around is crazy to me.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office, Unconscious Mistakes Women Make that Sabotage their Careers is a career development book about the subtle habits and communication patterns that can quietly hold women back at work. The approach is practical self-advocacy: notice the behavior, name it, and make a small shift.

Best for: early-to-mid career professionals, high performers who feel overlooked, and managers who want shared language for coaching and mentoring.

A couple of things worth knowing before you start:

First, make sure you read the 3rd edition (2026). Frankel shares in the introduction that the content in this edition was heavily shaped by questions and feedback from her community, and it tackles some themes the earlier versions simply could not: remote work dynamics, always-on culture, and the particular pressures that come with being perpetually reachable.

Second, Frankel is the messenger, not the judge. Many of these "mistakes" are not inherently wrong. They just go unrewarded in a biased, still very unfair environment. She is offering suggestions for navigating a male-dominated corporate world. Take what you want and leave the rest.

Overall, this is a quick, enjoyable, and genuinely actionable read. I felt seen in several spots, and I came away with a clear sense of where I have room to grow.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an excellent book with tips and tricks to survive the corporate/work life. As I have 20+ years in this world, I've had to learn many of these the hard way and would have loved to know some of this when I started my career, however, I still find some of these useful. Would recommend to any woman starting her career or questioning her progress.

I received this copy from netgalley for my review.