#sterncollege

In a New York Times article I recently read, titled "Twitter, Women and Power", the author wrote a line that struck me. I ended up going back and reading it over 5 times, because something about that line kept ringing over and over in my head. "...This shouldn’t be seen as a favor to women but as a step that would be good for all of us". And then later on, "That’s progress: The Senate built a restroom off the floor for female members only in 1993, and now, a couple decades later, women are providing adult supervision in the “old boys’ club”. Yes, I agree that its progress and women leadership is in fact a great idea, but why would the words "favor" and "supervision" be in this conversation, in this context? It made me think back and really test my belief in all these initiatives that push for women leadership in business. Is it all just for show? Is there really a unanimous push towards equality and empowerment or is there still pushback that’s stopping the progress? Furthermore, the article cites various sources and organizations where female leadership showed incredible success for a company or organization, and that’s great, but why is that surprising enough to make it newsworthy? I question this so-called "revolution" and how widespread it is. Could it be we're just hearing what we want to hear? 

Esther Tsvaygenbaum

1. In 2013, you were ranked #8 on the list of "The World's 50 Most Influential Jews" conducted by the Jerusalem Post. How much (if any) effect has being Jewish had on your career and success?

2. How did it feel to become the first female member of Facebook's board of directors in 2012, and how do you think this has affected the role of women at Facebook since then?

3. You attended Harvard College, as well as Harvard Business School. How did your experiences there influence the career decisions you made down the road?

4. Where do you think you would be working now if you had never met Mark Zuckerberg and started working at Facebook?

5. You have been ranked on Fortune's "Most Powerful Women in Business", The Wall Street Journal's "50 Women to Watch", Business Week's "25 Most Influential People on the Web", and Forbes' "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women", among many other reputable publications. How do you feel these public titles and standings have influenced the way in which you present yourself to others? 

6. In December 2010, you gave a TED speech titled "Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders". Three years later, what is the single most important piece of advice you continute to give women to empower them and encourage them to take on leadership roles?

7. You have spoken at many significant ceremonies and events (the 2011 Commencement Address at Barnard College, the 2012 Class Day ceremony at the Harvard Business School, and the 2013 Entrepreneur Weekend at Colgate University, to name a few). What was your favorite public speaking experience?

8. A main criticism of your book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, is that the suggestions for success that you make in your book are not feasible for the average mother trying to run a household. How would you respond to this type of criticism?

9. What kind of messages and lessons about leadership have you tried to convey to your own children?

10. Can you point out a specific life event that has most influenced you to become the person that you are today?

Please visit our classroom to discuss some (or all) of these topics! A group of young, bright, and motivated young women awaits your answers and advice...