Despite decades of progress, corporate leadership remains stubbornly imbalanced. Women today have more opportunity than their mothers and grandmothers ever imagined, but at the top levels of every industry, they remain drastically underrepresented.
Just 15% of executive positions in the corporate sector are held by women, and those numbers have hardly moved since the early 2000s.
In a TED Talk that still resonates more than a decade later, Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Meta and author of Lean In, put this issue into sharp focus. She acknowledged the undeniable progress women have made, but challenged us to look beyond civil rights and workplace policies to the personal, cultural, and internal factors that quietly hold women back from leadership.
Her message emphasizes that if we want to see more women in boardrooms, C-suites, and corridors of power, we must start by changing the way we think, at home, at work, and within ourselves.
Confidence Is a Leadership Competency
Sandberg begins with an observation that many female professionals will recognize: too often, women shy away from the spotlight, even when they’re fully qualified. Whether in boardrooms or classrooms, they underestimate their capabilities, deflect credit, and hesitate to claim their achievements.
Through anecdote and data, Sandberg shows how men and women view success differently.
Men attribute success to their own talent; women tend to credit hard work, luck, or help from others. This self-effacing behavior doesn’t just undermine confidence, it quietly sidelines women from the very opportunities they’ve earned.
Her advice is clear and compelling: sit at the table.
Speak up. Raise your hand. Take ownership of your accomplishments. Because as Sandberg points out, no one gets promoted without believing they deserve it, and no one rises to leadership by sitting on the sidelines.
Don’t Leave Before You Leave
Perhaps the most quietly subversive insight Sandberg offers is this: women often begin mentally stepping back from their careers long before they ever leave.
The moment they begin thinking about starting a family, many women start declining stretch projects, promotions, or leadership roles, even if they’re still years away from needing to make that decision.
This preemptive retreat from opportunity has long-term consequences.
When the time comes to return from leave, the job may no longer be as challenging or fulfilling, because they didn’t build the momentum to stay on a growth path.
Her advice is pointed and personal: keep your foot on the gas pedal until the day you walk out for maternity leave. Let your career remain as ambitious and engaging as it can be, right up to the moment you truly need to step back.
Only then, she insists, are you positioned to return with purpose.
The Wrap
Longevity in business requires a shift from short-term efficiency to long-term resilience. Sandberg closes on a note that blends realism with hope. She acknowledges that her generation may not achieve full gender parity at the top, but she believes the next generation can, if we are intentional about how we mentor, support, and lead.
A world where half our leaders are women, she suggests, would be more inclusive, more empathetic, and simply more fair. Not just because women deserve opportunity, but because balanced leadership benefits everyone, from company culture to economic performance.
For CIOs and business leaders, Sandberg’s message is both timely and actionable.
If we want companies that reflect the world we live in, we need to rethink how leadership is built, and who gets the seat at the table.
