As people we often spend our lives yearning for success, some blaming dumb luck, while others hope on their actions lead them to achieve success. Malcolm Gladwell’s article, “The Matthew Effect” within The Trident Reader, he describes what he calls “outliers” and gives insights to why they became successful even with odds being stacked against them. He also notes how successful people are not completely self made and often rely on the luck of the draw in regards to when, where, and who they are born to; because they inadvertently rely on people around them to provide them positive feedback and support systems. another article that delves into success is Angela Duckworth’s, Showing Up, in which she suggests that success is synonymous with grit and grit is the combination of “passion and perseverance”. Because of Gladwell’s and Duckworth’s points of views I sought out Sheryl Sandberg the current COO of Facebook, so in essence an “outlier,” although luck at times seems to be the factor for sandberg’s success it is more in partly to due to her grit which gave her, a form with which to cope, and help embrace fears, while seat a positive routines.
At a first glance to some Sandberg’s upbringing may seem like a product of luck and not grit especially at times when overviewing gladwell’s thought on what helps lead to success. Sandberg grew in a normal home with supportive family members that would encourage her to be adventurous and do what she wanted. One could also say that she was lucky in finding a job Facebook before it exploded in the social market making millions. But those successes were not without their hardships and sacrifices. she faced economic struggles that had her taking lower than jr. positions at both google and Facebook when she started.Then she worked her way up tooth and nail to do her best, there for taking the luck out of the equation for it was her dedication that got her to the top. Sandberg did so when she sought out positive influencers in her life like Jim Breyer, Dave Goldberg, Mark Zuckerberg and made interpersonal connections with them. Sandberg eventually took control of her life; she stopped letting others detract her from doing that which she loves to do, which at the time was living life at the moment whether it working for Facebook, being a mom or a partner. She is in her current position because she took risks like facing her fear of confrontation, which we all face, for a position in google on a whim because she just liked the company at the time. Then she slowly created a strong foundation of support through the years with the people she meet along the way, showing how luck has nothing to do with one’s support system when aware of who is around you. Intern leading one to choose who is worthwhile and who is a detriment nullifying the small window of advantages some have over others that Gladwell mentions.
Throughout Sandberg’s life we can see that her grit helped her overcame the ever increasing demands put on her in the workforce and private life. Being in the workforce in our current era puts an ever growing demands and with what seems like no break in sight which can lead one to give up and ignore their basic humanistic needs. And Sandberg shows us her struggle with such a thing when she recapped in an interview on a time in witch she was pregnant, frustrated, tired and on top of that she had to walk far distance from where she parked to her jobs entrance door.Surprisingly enough she later informed and influenced a coworker to make and enact something they called “maternal priority parking” which gives pregnant women a closer parking spot to the building, effectively decreasing a hurdle pregnant women have to go through.She was willing to do what few would, even in today’s seemingly more liberal society, speaking up and being a catalyst of change which she simply did by ushering her voice would be one that was heard. Being wealthy did not inherently make her life any easier, if anything it makes it much harder. When Sandberg’s husband died she still had to be COO of Facebook and mother to her grieving children. The gust it takes for person to reach those length and not completely crash and bern is astounding to say the least. Just imagining if everyone in this world had that level ferocity in regards to our will power, what hardships couldn’t we overcome?
Sandberg’s “perseverance”, as duckworth would suggest, helped her to achieve success by build a positive feedback loop with witch she used to stay motivated and strong. Due to her success she was frequently asked how she planned out her life to get to where she is at now, which she would reply with her method of a long term dreaming and an eighteen month plan. Sangberg also did not let others negativity influence her because she wisely choose competent people with whom to surround herself with. One of the many competent people she associated with was Jim breyer who actually Sandberg to take risk for her future embetterment. And that risk being working for Facebook a company that at the time was relatively new to the market of social media. that was notably one of her best decisions because it not only made her financially wealthy, it helped her find a good friend in her boss current CEO of facebook Mark Zuckerberg. So in essence by using her short term, long term plans and seeking mentors keep her from straying off course into the realm over complication and self doubt. while sacrificing potential easy pleasure for the hard earned reward that comes by sacrificing those easy pleasures further more reinforcing that her success is based on her grit.
In addition Sandberg accomplished various impressive feats by her own means which more often than not frightens most and derails them from reaching their full potential. She earned the courage to face and fight her fears. to some it may seem far fetched to believe that incredibly successful people also fear things maybe even thinking how they have it all. But having it all just means you have that much more to lose. And Sandberg was no exception Sandberg struggled with a very human emotion we all face fear, the difference with her lies with the way she just decided to do something about it. Sandberg notably stated she had many fears when working for Facebook even as the COO even reaching the point of questioning her own competence and it was clearly seen when she said in an interview that “it is hard to shake the feelings of self doubt,” but she overcome it by adopting the old fake it until you make it metod.Another fear she faced was that of how liked was she and how is it could affecting her both in her personal and professional success. Luckily she had her friends/mentors and husband who were incredibly supportive with whom which she could use as a source of external source of motivation.
Sandberg did not live a perfect life, for it was not all just sunshine and rainbows at the top echelon of business; she worked hard for her position all while embracing the fact that she is human and the conundrum of its ever shifting limits. due to the hardships that come with success, most people just yearn to have it yet so little of them actually achieve. And in saying that we can see that though duckworth’s and gladwell’s point of view Sandberg’s success although, seemingly based on luck at times it is in reality due to her grit which gave her, a form to overcome her daily strugglings while fending off her fears by surrounding herself with competent people who care and supported her. There is no denying now that Sandberg is a product of her own making so in saying that what are you the product of? And now knowing how Sandberg created her success I urge you to craft a world in of your own making with the people that support you.
