Facebook COO Sandberg's "impact" and "plug-in"
"I came here chasing impact on society. Some may weigh things like high titles, big paychecks, a spacious office, or a private parking spot. But I weighed 'how much can I change the world.' The impact that Facebook's COO has on the world is much bigger than that of many other companies' CEOs. Here, where we are connecting the world, is my dream workplace."
From "Interview with Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg" (Chosun Ilbo, 2012.9.16)
Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook (COO, 43). Named one of Forbes' "10 Global Women Leaders of 2012," she is a business leader who went through the World Bank, McKinsey, and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Treasury Secretary, then developed a new internet advertising model at Google, and moved to Facebook to build the company's main business model. There were two parts of her interview article that caught the eye, and I am organizing them here.
Sandberg emphasized impact. She says she has chosen her work by the standards of "impact on society" and "how much the world can be changed." She is talking about joining Facebook.
Sandberg also says: find the place where you are needed and plug yourself in. The active feel of the expression "plug-in" is striking.
"Look at Korea right now. The Korean economy is rising very quickly compared with the global economy. If I were in Korea, I would see more opportunities than I did over my 15 years in the U.S. Before Google, I was in government, and I moved over to the IT industry seeing its growth potential. To survive in a downturn, you have to find the place where your skill is needed and plug yourself in."
"Here, where we are connecting the world, is my dream workplace..."
I hope our Economic Notes family, too, can set up their own standards, such as Sandberg's "impact on society," and find meaning in their work, so they can happily say, "This — right now — is my dream work."
▶ Yeh Byung-il's Economic Notes — Twitter: @yehbyungil / Facebook: www.facebook.com/yehbyungil
