Sheryl Sandberg, stands as one of the most powerful women in business, today. Becoming the first woman to serve the board of social media behemoth Facebook in 2012.
Before she joined Facebook as its Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl assisted as Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google. She turned author in 2013 with Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. Sandberg is more the face of Facebook than CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg with her well-respected media personality.
Here are 8 success lessons from Sheryl Sandberg – “Facebook COO and Billionaire” for entrepreneurs,
1. Don’t be afraid to leave work at 5:30
If you know you are doing a good job, then leaving work at 5:30 pm should not be stressing you out. However, even Sheryl was afraid to leave at 5:30 at one point. She first did this at Google and now at Facebook, where she is currently the COO.
She had her first child in 2005, but she said it was only few years later that she was able to talk about her exit time publicly. She had been too scared of the judgement.
“Now, I certainly wouldn’t lie but I wasn’t going around giving speeches on it. I was showing everyone I worked for that I worked just as hard. I was getting up earlier to make sure they saw my emails at 5:30, staying up later to make sure they saw my emails late. But now I’m much more confident in where I am and so I’m able to say, “Hey! I am leaving work at 5:30.”
2. Be proactive and deliberate
Some leaders are known to be busy working on spreadsheets and other metadata even as they are present in another meeting. A trueleader, on the other hand, would take a more proactive role in meetings, outline his ideas and vision and take feedback from everyone.
He would deliberate on things that matter and let everyone know who the boss is by showing it rather than telling it.
3. Always be authentic
Most bosses try to mask their own true feelings and alter their behaviour to suit their position. In the process, they give up the sense of authenticity that brought them to the chair in the first place. Whatever else you do, not losing your authentic voice is one of the most critical things a professional must do in order to keep rising the corporate ladder.
4. Be your own advocate
Your opinion about yourself is crucial to your success. Not just an internal opinion, but also your external opinion. Be confident and far from apologizing for what makes you you, make other people see and appreciate it too.
“Taking initiative pays off. It is hard to visualize someone as a leader if she is always waiting to be told what to do.” – Sheryl Sandberg
5. Past mistakes do NOT define you
It is easy to limit yourself based on a failure or an embarrassing aspect of your past. Do not let a mistake prevent you from moving forward and making a positive difference in this world.
Whether your experience is personal or professional, move past it, get out there, and make yourself someone you can advocate for. In her book, Sandberg admits to personal feelings of inadequacy early in her career due to her
divorce. However, she drove past those feelings and became one of the most influential people in the world.
6. Stop comparing yourself
“Guilt management can be just as important as time management for mothers. ‘Having it all’ is best regarded as a myth. And like many myths, it can deliver a helpful cautionary message.” says Sheryl Sandberg.
Your path in life will be entirely different from every other person you meet. Don’t let the decisions of others make you feel lesser. Lean in to your decisions and if they aren’t making you happy, remold, regroup, and move forward.
7. Often “done” is better than “perfect”
With seemingly every detail of our lives available for public consumption, perfection is the new standard. The problem with that is that no one is perfect and no one can be.
Focus on completing the tasks at hand with hard work and maybe even with some gusto, but don’t get worked up over little imperfections; it will be okay, maybe even great.
“Trying to do it all and expecting that it all can be done exactly right is a recipe for disappointment. Perfection is the enemy.” – Sheryl Sandberg.
8. Make sure your job excites you
This idea seems pretty self-evident, but I write it down because it truly matters. If you expect yourself to lean in and to succeed, you have to be passionate and excited to go to work.
Furthermore, if you somehow have the option not to pursue a career or start raising children, having a job worth doing is 100 percent essential to your happiness and your ability to make a difference.
