About four months after meeting each other virtually through Facebook, the 2013 TechWomen Emerging Leaders finally had the opportunity to pay a visit to the very organization that first brought them together. They toured Facebook’s fantastic campus and engaged with an interactive panel discussion with four Facebook women in tech. The highlight for everyone was the moving presentation from Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl Sandberg.
After taking a few moments to share her personal thoughts about the state of women in leadership roles around the world, Sheryl answered thought provoking questions from the Emerging Leaders about how she navigated her path through the tech industry and when she decided to start speaking out about women in business. Sheryl reiterated themes from her book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, and also shared advice and words of encouragement with the Emerging Leaders about being a successful woman in tech: “The world won’t roll out a red carpet for you, so we have to help each other.”
When asked when she was going to write another book, Sheryl ceremoniously handed the torch over to the Emerging Leaders, urging them share their experiences, challenges, and successes through LeanIn circles. She finished by saying, “The next step for me is not to write another book. You can write the book, by sharing your own stories.”
Below are a few of the wise words shared throughout the afternoon:
- There is no country in the world where women have more leisure than men. Women work more hours
- Everyone who has done something great was not qualified when they did it the first time
- Be comfortable being in a little over your head
- For years I did not speak out about being a woman. You don’t want people to notice…but as it turns out, they already have
To keep up with the 2013 TechWomen Emerging Leaders, follow us on Twitter at @TechWomen and #tw2013.
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