TED video with Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook
Dear friends of women in science,
My friend Jo Hardin just alerted me to this video featuring the woman who runs Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg. She talks about the three things women can do to improve their chances to get to the top. It occurs to me that all three have a subtext that women need to increase their confidence in ability to be on top, to lead others, to be the boss. See what you think.
1. Sit at the table (not in the chair around the side). Let your body language show you believe you belong in the conversation.
2. Make your life partner a real partner. Work out a fair distribution of duties in the home, don't let yourself work two jobs while your partner only works one.
3. Don't leave before you leave. If you think you might step out of the workplace or reduce your load when you have children, that's not a reason to stop taking on interesting assignments that prepare you for future leadership.
I encourage you to view the video. She doesn't criticize women's choices and dilemmas at all, but notes some kinds of behavior that seem to lead away from leadership positions when perhaps that was not the intended result. What do you think?
cheers,
Laura
Hi Laura,
Interesting relation between this video and the new posting about whether pregnant women really have men's confidence. It's harder to not quit until you quit if you're under pressure to step away!
On another note, there's an online conference on Facebook today that I just posted, on Women in Technology, and Sheryl Sandberg (our video's star) is one of the women involved in this conference. It follows a Facebook town hall meeting on the economy by President Obama. See my later posting for details and how to connect, how to submit a question.
This video is outstanding. I'm going to recommend it to my female postdocs. Most of them are very polite and need to be encouraged to sit at the table! FBP
Hi Christi,
I'm glad you liked the talk. I've heard some of these points before, but she did a great job of making them seem do-able and seem important.
cheers,
Laura
Thanks for that video, Alan! I will have time to view it later today and may say more then.
I'm glad you found the Sandberg one helpful, Helen. Sometimes a very powerful voice leaps out of the crowd, and I felt that way about the video I posted.
best,
Laura
I sent this to several high performing women in my organization. It's a great short summary of the challenges women face and actions they can take. I resonated with all her points. Sitting at the table has been something I've told young women for years. Be engaged or you won't get taken seriously. I still haven't figured out how to deal with the likeability index, but I watch for women who juggle it well to get pointers. Overall great find! Thanks Laura.
I saw this video while reading a post from a venture capitalist, Paige Craig.
His reaction to a pregnant CEO and her responce are worth the read.
http://www.businessinsider.com/women-founders-2011-4
Laura, thanks for sharing this video. I had never heard of Sheryl Sandberg, but I really enjoyed her talk.
Christi
Wow, I didn't know about this woman but I'll watch out for her ideas from now on. She sounds kind but very smart, a great combination!
What we need to do it think not just about the convenience of our coworkers, but about building our long-term careers. I especially liked the first one. Women don't want to push in where they aren't wanted, while men assume their ideas will be welcome and sit right down.
This is stunning. She obviously cares a great deal about women and their success, while understanding the issues that make them decide to back away. I thought her suggestions made a lot of sense. Women who leave before they leave are familiar to me. I always think it's a shame when I see this, because once they disconnect in this way, it's almost impossible to raise their enthusiasm for returning full bore.
MKS
