Name: Insights: Sheryl Sandberg - Why You Must Take Risks to Grow Your Career
Uploaded: 2020-01-21
Duration: 2 min 12 s
Description: Sheryl Sandberg talks about the importance of focusing on personal growth in your career -- not just the upward trajectory. (October 2011)

[MUSIC PLAYING] I do believe that women don't take enough risk. Not every woman, certainly some do, but same thing. The men are just foot on the gas pedal, career motivated. The data says very clearly that at every stage starting in college, in a high educated part of our workforce, men are more ambitious than women. And I really believe we're not going to close the achievement gap until we close the ambition gap. And so the ambition gap has to do with risk. I think the most common mistake I see people make-- and men make this mistake, too, but women do a lot-- is they're too worried about the upward trajectory and not worried enough about growth. So the two corporate jobs I've taken-- I went from Treasury to Google, and then I went from Google to Facebook-- had one thing in common, which is that they were more junior-- other people's words, not mine-- than other jobs I was offered. When I went to Google, Google was like 250 people. I was going to be a business unit general manager, except there were no business units. Susan Wojcicki is here. She helped recruit me. This was the non-job of all time. I mean, there was no job there. And I was offered, like, senior sounding, more senior roles at more established companies. But I really believed in what Google was doing. And Eric Schmidt gave me great career advice. He said go for growth. Growth moves everyone up. It's growing. It works. And so I went to a smaller company with a very more junior, less defined job. You know, when I came out of Google, it seems obvious now to come to Facebook, but at the time, a lot of people asked me, right-- you remember this-- what are you doing? You're going to work for a 23-year-old, you know? No one knows if Facebook is going to be the next Myspace or Friendster. And you're not CEO. You could be CEO somewhere else. And what I saw was something that mattered-- Facebook mattered, the authentic identity-- and an opportunity for growth. And so at each stage, I've cared less about my level-- I kind of think it's silly-- than I have about the underlying growth. And I do think this is really important for everyone to know, particularly women. 

Insights: Sheryl Sandberg - Why You Must Take Risks to Grow Your Career

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Why You Must Take Risks to Grow Your Career

Sheryl Sandberg talks about the importance of focusing on personal growth in your career -- not just the upward trajectory. (October 2011)

I do believe that women don't take enough. Not every woman. Certainly some do, but same thing. The men are just put on the gas pedal. Career motivated the data cells very clearly that at every stage, starting in college, in the high educated part of our work force, men are more ambitious than women. And I really believe we're not gonna close the achievement gap until we close the ambition gap. And so the ambition gap has to do with risk. I think the most common mistake I see people make and men make this mistake to. But women do do a lot. Is there too worried about the upward trajectory and not worried enough of that growth? So the two corporate jobs I've taken, I went from Treasury to Google, and I went from Google. Facebook had one thing in common, which is that they were more junior other people's words, not mine. Another job that was offered when I went to give old people with like, 250 people, I was gonna be a business unit general manager. Except there were no business unit. Susan was just here. She helped recruit me. This was a non job of all time. I mean, there was no job there and I was offered, like, seeing you're sounding Seymour senior roles at more established companies. But I really believed in what Google was doing. An Eric Schmidt gave me great career advice. He could go for growth, growth moves everyone up. It was growing. It works. And so I went to a smaller company with a very more junior, less defined job. You know, when I came out of Google, it seems obvious now to come to Facebook. But at the time, a lot of people ask me, Right, You remember this. What are you doing? You're going to work for a 23 year old. You know, no one knows that Facebook's gonna be the next. You know. My seats are friends her like and you're not CEO. You could be CEO somewhere else in what I saw was something that mattered. Facebook matter, the authentic identity and an opportunity for growth. And each stage I've cared less about my level. I kind of think it's silly. Then I have about the underlying growth, and I do think this is really important for everyone to know, particularly women