Sheryl Kara Sandberg, is a well known American business executive who has served as the chief operating officer of Facebook since 2008. In June 2012, she was also elected to the board of directors by the existing board members becoming the first woman to serve on its board. Before Facebook, Sandberg was Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google. In 2012, she was named in Time 100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world assembled by Time. Sheryl was ranked #16 on the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune.
The story goes that back in 2007, Mark Zuckerberg, met Sandberg at a Christmas party held by Dan Rosensweig; at the time, she was considering becoming a senior executive for The Washington Post Company. Zuckerberg had no formal search for a COO but thought of Sandberg as “a perfect fit” for this role. They spent more time together in January 2008 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and in March 2008 Facebook announced hiring Sheryl Sandberg away from Google.
Coinciding with that timeline, Bill Gates gave a famous speech in front of a segregated Saudi Arabian crowd, where he pointed out that the Saudi Arabian Economy will never become a major player in the world economy, as long as they are only utilizing half of their work force. It was a major step in identifying the importance of women’s rights in the workplace in a country where none existed.
Recently, in America, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg gave a presentation during one of the TED Talks sessions, which focused at why a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions — and offers 3 powerful pieces of advice to women aiming for the C-suite. “Women systematically underestimate their own abilities,” Sandberg stated with supporting data. For example, men tend to cite themselves as the primary reason for success, while women tend to cite external factors. And 57% of men negotiate their first salary out of college, while only 7% of women do the same.
1. No one gets to the corner office by sitting on the side not at the table and no one gets the promotion if they don’t think they deserve their success or they don’t know their own success.
2. Make your partner a real partner – make your partnership year equal partnership. Societal Pressures are just as hard for men who want to stay home to look the kids Effective, whilst their wives are at work, as it is for the wives to be leaders.
3. Do not leave before you leave – basically, do not back away from opportunities Because you do not think you Would be ble to fit it in with a family life or maternity leave, Which Could Happen sometime in the future, your goal is not in reality right now.
Sheryl also released a book entitled “Lean In,” where she identified key aspects for women in their career environments. It was a continued effort for all women to surpass the “glass ceiling;” a phrase famously coined by Gloria Steinem in 1971. Although the information was valuable, Simone Mitjans, a Mindset coach and developer of the Y.E.S. system, felt the information missed an important target, and that was Female entrepreneurs.
Fear of claiming their place in the world (seat at the table):
“Here is where the ‘good girl syndrome’ shows up. I’ve been called intimidating. Why is confidence seen as intimidating? I have clients playing the nice girl, but in business you need to know what you want, know where you are going, and be assertive. The difference in being assertive and aggressive is that assertive women have a purpose, follow their calling, and want to make a difference. Aggressive entrepreneurs lead their business from a place of fear, lack and worry hence the emotional distress.”
Fear of asking for what they need (make your partner a real partner):
“Female entrepreneurs go through a lot of grief, especially in the beginning stages of their business. These are well-educated, passionate and dedicated women. Many husbands don’t understand the investment stage of their business placing tremendous pressure on them to make money or even accusing them of having an expensive hobby. They usually go through a lot of pressure to go back to the work force get a job and a pay check. My suggestion is, that if this is what they really want, to stay put (perhaps get a part-time job), and set clear boundaries. When they start bringing loads of money in they will be the first ones to say ‘I know you could do it!’”
Fear of how success will take time away from their family (don’t leave before you leave):
“This is a big one! I see many women struggling with wanting to build their own business. They want to be successful, but don’t want to sacrifice time with their families. I see many powerful and knowledgeable women, who love spending time with their children, but are not really fulfilled because they are not making the income they would like to, and dislike being financially dependent. As entrepreneurs, we have to think out of the box here, and structure out business in a way that we delegate, outsource and systematize more.”
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Hayden Richards is Contributor of IntelligentHQ. He specialises in finance, trading, investment, and technology, with expertise in both buy-side, sell-side. Contributing and advising various global corporations, Hayden is a thought leader, researching on global regulatory subjects, digital, social media strategies and new trends for Businesses, Capital Markets and Financial Services.
Aside from the articles, interviews and content he writes for IntelligentHQ, Hayden is also a content curator for capital markets, analytic platforms and business industry emerging trends. An avid new media explorer Hayden is driven by a passion for business development, innovation, social business, Tech Trading, payments and eCommerce. A native Trinidadian, Hayden is also a veteran, having served with the Royal Air Force Reserves for the past 10 years.
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