Sunday, June 30, 2013

Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leaders

Sometimes the best way to save money is to make more money, to reach for more responsibility, to work harder. That's why I love this speech given by Sheryl Sandberg.

Sandberg on the cover of Time Magazine

In this eye-opening TEDtalks event, Sandberg reveals a study that shows that like-ability and  success in women are reversely related, due to sociological patterns and viewpoints that continue the growth of career inequalities between men and women.

A few key quotes & paraphrases:

- Career choices for women are better than they were 50 years ago.

- "We still have a problem: women are not making it to the top of any profession anywhere in the world."

- "Of all the people in Parliament [level governmental jobs] in the world, only 13% are women."

- In the corporate sector, board level jobs for women "tops out at 5%- 16%."

- Because of social expectatons, women are stuck with harder choices to make between careers and personal fulfillment: "Of married Sr. Managers 2/3 of male Sr. Managers have children and only 1/3 of female Sr. Managers have children."

- "Women systematically underestimate their abilities & do not negotiate for themselves in the workplace."

- Men typically attribute their success to themselves. Women typically attribute their success to others who helped them along the way, to luck, etc.

- "Success and likeability are positively correlated for men and negatively correlated for women." (watch the video to hear more about the famous study).

Sandberg's Tips:


1. Sit at the table.

2. Make your partner a real partner.

3. Don't leave before you leave.

You will need to watch the video to understand what she means by each of those. The video is about 15 minutes and is well worth the time. I highly recommend it!

VIDEO: Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leaders



This rings true for me especially because I am someone who cares about people and wants to be successful. I hope one day we can change perceptions so that women can also be successful and be liked for it as well.

How do we change this? How do we as individuals affect these numbers so that one day it becomes a 50/50 percentage of men and women in leadership roles? How do we encourage women to reach for success?

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