Tuesday, January 18, 2011

40licious Work: Why Aren't We at the Table?



Great takeaways from Facebook Chief Operating Officer's Sheryl Sandberg's TED talk on why women hold only a fraction of leadership positions men do. Sit down with a crisp chenin blanc, an earthy cabernet, steaming mug of cocoa or your morning tea and listen to this 15 minutes of truly inspired insight:

1. Sit at the table.
  • 7 percent of women negotiate salary for their first job. 57 percent of men do.
  • Women regularly underestimate their abilities, while men tend to overestimate.
  • Success and likability are proportionate for men, but disproportionate for women.

2. Make your partner a real partner.
Dude should be participating in child rearing and homemaking as much as you are.

3. Don't leave before you leave.
Women regularly tend to take themselves out of the running by sitting back at work in preparation for having children. Be in the game, until it's time to get out. As we know, child-having can take a very long time.

She is 40licious. I love her.

2 comments:

Tracybelle said...

I really liked this a lot. Good points - great speaker.

This is tangential to what she is saying - assuredly women need to aim higher. But there is such a relentless push in our world for EVERYONE to be a leader, both men and women - that it almost seems anyone else who isn't reaching for that corner officer is a loser.

But we can't all be generals. We're not all cut out for it. I'm not. It couldn't interest me less.

From my perspective, and mine alone, folks at the tippy top have to make plans, manage people, be strategic about things I don't care about. The LUCKY people get to implement the actual work, which to me is way more interesting. Know what I mean?

40licious said...

I think this applies whether you want the corner office or are totally happy in your cube. Why not get paid what you're worth? Why not have your decisions and input carry weight? Why not be important AND loved where you work?