Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) COO Sheryl Sandberg’s new book “Lean In” came out last week, and she’s giving plenty of interviews about it, speaking out on women in the workforce.
Although she told the Harvard Business Review that should would not have considered herself a feminist in college, she called her book “sort of a feminist manifesto” and said it was “partly a call to action by and for women.”
According to Sandberg, she sees women as “making progress” at all levels except at leadership levels. She points out that women began making up about half of the college degrees earned three decades ago, but when it comes to making progress “at the top,” women have stalled. She said within the past 10 years, women have had only approximately 14 percent “of C-suite jobs” and about 17 percent of seats on corporate boards.
“There aren’t enough women sitting at the tables where decisions are made,” Sandberg said.
She also pointed to something billionaire investor Warren Buffett has said, which was “that one of the reasons for his success is that he had to compete with only half the population.”
Sandberg also said her book gives a little bit of insight into how Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) chooses and develops its talent. She addressed the issue of employers giving feedback to their employees and highlighted the book “Now, Discover Your Strengths” by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton.
She told the New York Times’ Sunday Book Review that the book has been “instrumental” in how the company develops its talent. According to Sandberg, many companies focus on employee weaknesses when giving feedback, but she said focusing on the employees’ strengths is “far more effective.”
