The Elephant in the Room

Reflections on the Road to Respect

The Elephant in the RoomIn 1998 I quit my corporate job to start the Respect Business. When people asked me why I made that choice my standard response was:I want to see change in my lifetime.Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO and author of the bestselling book Lean In, shares that interest. She is working to challenge the status quo with respect to gender inequality. Like many of us, women and men alike, she envisages a world where women can live life on their own terms.A pivotal point in her journey occurred in 2010 when she was asked to speak at TED Women on the topic of women and leadership. She arrived in Washington prepared to deliver a well-researched, unemotional speech “chock full of facts and figures.”As she stood backstage Pat Mitchell, CEO of the Paley Centre for Media and co-producer of the conference, asked how she was feeling.Rather than make a choice many of us do and say ‘oh fine,’ Ms. Sandberg disclosed that she was having a hard day. Her 3 year old daughter had been clinging to her leg crying Mommy don’t go, when she had dropped her off at daycare before heading to the airport. She was wracked with guilt.This is an experience all too common for scores of working Mothers. Many days I would tear myself away as the child care workers took my screaming daughter out of my arms. The first thing I would do upon arrival at my office would be to call the daycare to see if my daughter had stopped crying.“You have to share that story.” Ms. Mitchell advised.Ms. Sandberg was stunned. “Are you kidding?” she replied “On the TED stage?”

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.