One of the most important lessons Sheryl Sandberg says she learnt when she started working for Facebook in early 2008, is that as a leader, part of achieving real success is working to better the people around you.
Sandberg, who is regarded as one of the most influential women in tech, shared this during the Stanford GSB Roanak Memorial View From The Top speaker series where she touched on a range of topics including the best ways to plan your career, touching on how to go about finding a mentor as well as sharing advice on how to use your voice for good.
The Facebook COO also revealed a little bit about how she leads. Four years after she published “Lean In,” Sandberg advocates for people-centred leadership.
Real leadership, she says, is about backing your people and genuinely caring for your team.
“It’s not about what you accomplish, especially in the early days, it’s about what you help other people accomplish and about what you learn. You invest in yourself when you invest in the success of your teams.”
Strong relationships in business are the result of being of service to others and also having a shared vision, she says.
“If you want the same things and you’re willing to care about the person and willing to know the person, you can make it work.”
Much has been said about Sandberg’s leadership style, one of the better known examples was shared by her former employee at Google, Kim Scott, now a professional coach for tech companies, who praised Sandberg for what she calls her “radical candor”, in a Business Insider article.
“[This is a] skill that requires bosses to simultaneously care personally and challenge their employees directly”.
