You go girl! Sheryl Sandberg

NY Times, February 5, 2012 article about Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook addresses her chosen mission as role model for women in business and technology. Promoting women is the cause. Her message for women, aim high and keep your foot on the gas pedal.
Here's a link to a speech she made in 2011 to a group of women in technology.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMVCSrm65kg

Sandberg, a Harvard undergrad and business school graduate, is married with two young children, plenty of money, great job history and lots of contacts, connections, and fans. She also has critics who, while admiring of her talents, question the reality and validity of of her message. They cite her unusual circumstances, plus luck, as factors that the average bright, techie women can't easily duplicate, even with the gas pedal pushed to the floor.

My opinion? So what if her rise to power, money and prominence (will she run for political office?) has been propelled in part by luck,   good presentation and relationship skills as well as smarts? All women interested in computing and high tech won't have the same stuff, but they may have other assets that Sandberg doesn't have.

I'm all for her. She's not anti-men. She's not pro all women for general reasons of equality. She's pro tech women for strategic reasons. Sandberg can inspire, motivate, support, push, and promote women who choose to aim high and achieve. They can't do it the same way she did — and may not even want to — but they still can do it. How about high level, skilled female leaders in other sectors of the work world adapt the message to their field? Retail, banking, manufacturing, finance etc. 

What's your take on Sandberg? Yay or nay?


 Here's a link to an earlier post about Sandberg in October 2010 when she was the no negative self-talk woman helping Mark Zuckerman, the negative self-talking Facebook CEO deal with his inner and outer interpersonal skills..http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5630711609871539058&postID=5197029169306459475