Sheryl Sandberg – Women Can Lead

Sheryl Sandberg – Role Model of Women Leadership

MGMT5590 Individual Paper – Jennifer Hu (20326917)

Sheryl Sandberg, as one of the most successful business leaders and also a woman, has those most remarkable labels that I probably would not need to repeat.

-        COO of Facebook

-        25 “Most Influential People on the Web" by Business Week

-        50 "Most Powerful Women in Business" by Fortune Magazine …

Not only that I admire her great achievement as a role model (such as bringing a cool internet company into a very profitable and fast-growing giant enterprise, and has the great personality and working ability), but also her continuous sharing and encouragement for women in work, helping more women (like me!) to think about our career life.  

In year 2011, it was the first time that I ever noticed this woman from a TED speech “Why we have too few women leaders”.  In fact I was quite surprised to know from her speech that “In the corporate sector, women at the top, C-level jobs, board seats -- tops out at 15, 16 percent. The numbers have not moved since 2002 and are going in the wrong direction.”    I thought in an advanced society and economy like US, women leaders should have been playing much more important role.  Also, personally I was working as the Financial Controller in an Internet company in China and I’ve not yet experienced any major difficulties in career, as a women.  After two years, Sheryl published her book “Lean In” and at that time, due to my work situation and my age, I started to feel anxious on my own assumptions about my career and life choices and my perception of man and woman.  

-        “Why they hire a CFO instead of promoting me?”  

-        “Can I be a great CFO while also being a mom?”

-        “I feel somehow nervous in a board meeting sitting full of men”

-        etc., etc…

Women, to become leaders in the workplace, although there are some social & environmental problems, but the women's own sense of leadership and performance are also key to the problem.  

1. Women face so many obstacles, fundamentally because of fear. If there is no fear, women will be able to free the pursuit of career success and personal well being of life, and the freedom to choose the former or the latter, or both.

1. Women are more cautious about changing roles and seeking new challenges. Women need to be more open-minded in their career ventures, and the usual pursuit of stability is at the expense of growth opportunities.  

1. Social traditions, from peer pressure or from the expectations of parents, will have an impact on us.  Social expectations for gender continue to have a significant impact on the future career choices for men and women.

1. Women also tend not to sit at the table, ascribe their success to luck or hard work or the help of others instead of acknowledging their ingenuity. They're less likely to negotiate for salaries or ask for promotion.

I've done all of those consciously or unconsciously.   I'm part of the perpetrators of gender inequality that's still partially entrenched both in perception and in practice.   Sheryl shared in her speech and book that she has done those too!

Sorry that I don’t have stories of hers to get direct connected with this leadership course.  But speaking of the inspirations that Sheryl gives me (and other women), I start to embrace those ideas of “women to lean in, to own our success, to find a partner that espouses gender equality, to get things done instead of being perfect, to embrace the mess and the surprises, to have a life one truly owns and wants.   “ It is not easy, but it is achievable for a woman to own her leadership at work.  

I always have an ambition to become a global business leader. I have some thinking of leadership and how woman achieve career success after digesting Sheryl’s suggestions and my own experience.  

1.  People may not like Successful Women/ Women Leaders, but this should not be your reason for fear of improving yourself.  

How many aspiring young women also have this hesitation - I want to become better, but I do not want to be labeled as  "strong woman", because no one likes a "strong woman".  (It is somehow similar as Chinese-style management, managers always want to be liked and welcomed and thus not willing to offend anyone at work. ）At present, women's "success" and "being liked" always subtly appear. We know that they are negative correlated, but stories of "successful women also have a perfect family and people liked her” are published on medias too.   At the beginning of the book, Sheryl posed a key question, "How would you do it if you were not afraid?" If you say, "Not being liked by others" is the only obstacle to the fear of going forward, do not you feel this reason is not convincing?