I watched this TED video by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, today and highly recommend you take the 15 minutes to do the same. Sheryl discusses the disturbing issue of why there are few women in top positions in any industry. It seems that in many ways we as women entrepreneurs and professionals are hindered by our own limiting beliefs.
Sheryl pointed out a number of issues, but several that really struck me are:
1) Men contribute their success to themselves and women contribute it to external factors
2) Women underestimate their abilities
3) Success & like-ability are positively correlated for men and negatively correlated for women
It is sad that we as women carry these limiting beliefs with us from our mothers’ generation to our own. I think it is important that we acknowledge these beliefs exist, and in many ways have been passed on to us unknowingly, so we can ensure they are not passed on to our daughters and granddaughters.
Sheryl makes three main points in her talk:
1) Sit at the table
2)Make your partner a real partner
3) Don’t leave before you leave
How do you think we can best change things for the generations of women to come?
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