On June 27, 2015, Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management (Tsinghua SEM) held its 2015 Commencement in the Gymnasium of Tsinghua University, hosted by Dean QIAN Yingyi. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, delivered a truly inspirational speech. She is the first female Commencement Speaker of Tsinghua SEM.

Although unlike her boss, Mark Zuckerberg, who did a full Chinese interview with Dean QIAN during the Tsinghua SEM Advisory Board Meeting at the end of 2014, Sandberg did a 20 min speech in English, which was just as fascinating for us.  Sandberg started the inspirational speech by pointing out how much technology has changed the world in the past 25 years, and how the students of Tsinghua SEM will help to shape their generation’s world in the coming 25 years.  She also emphasized, “As graduates of Tsinghua, you will be leaders, not just in China, but globally. China is a world leader in terms of educational attainment and economic growth. It is not just political and business leaders that recognize the importance of China.”  

Sandberg encouraged the Tsinghua graduates to “be bold, speak up, and lean in”. During the speech, Sandberg paid tribute to her late husband Dave Goldberg, “No one won more hearts than my beloved husband, Dave Goldberg, who passed away suddenly just two months ago. Dave was truly an inspirational leader.” As the current graduates begin their paths towards leadership, Sandberg asked the students to take this day to reflect and think about what kind of leaders they want to be, and offered the students to focus on the following four points:

First, FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD.

“Facebook exists because Mark believed that the world would be a better place if people could use technology to connect as individuals.  He believed it so much that he dropped out of Harvard College to pursue that mission and he fought to hold onto it over the years.  What Mark did was not lucky. It was bold. 

I hope if you find yourself on one path but longing for something else, you find a way to get there. And if that isn’t right, try again.  Try until you find something that stirs your passion, a job that matters to you and matters to others.  It’s a luxury to combine passion and contribution.  It’s also a clear path to happiness.”

Second, FEEDBACK IS A GIFT.  

“A good leader recognizes that most employees won’t feel comfortable challenging authority, so it falls upon authority to solicit feedback. I learned from my PowerPoint mistake.  I now ask my colleagues “What could I do better?” And I always thank the person who has the guts to answer me honestly, often by praising them publicly.  I firmly believe that you lead best when you walk side-by-side with your colleagues.  When you don’t just talk but you also listen.”

Third, NOTHING IS SOMEONE ELSE’S PROBLEM. 

“Companies in every country operate in ways that are right for their cultures.  But I believe that there are some principles of leadership that are universal -- and one of those is that it is better to inspire than to direct.  Yes, people will do what their bosses tell them to do in most organizations.  But great leaders do not just want to secure compliance.  They want to elicit genuine enthusiasm, complete trust, and real dedication.  They don’t just win the minds of their teams, they win their hearts.  If they believe in your organization’s mission and they believe in you, they will not only do their daily tasks well, but they will do them with true passion.”

Fourth, LEAN IN.

“I believe that the world would be a better place if men ran half our homes and women ran half our institutions – and the good news is that we can change the stereotypes and get to real equality. We can support women who lead in the workforce. We can find more balance in the home by fathers helping mothers with housekeeping and childrearing; more equal marriages are happier and more active fathers raise more successful children.  We can walk up to someone who calls a little girl “bossy,” and say instead, “That little girl is not bossy. That little girl has executive leadership skills.”

Sandberg pointed out the imbalance in the proportion of leadership roles for men and women in every industry - Currently, less than 6% of the world’s top companies are run by women. “There are many reasons for the gender leadership gap – outright discrimination, greater responsibilities at home, a lack of flexibility in the workplace, and most importantly, our stereotypical expectations. “, she said.

At the end of the speech, Sandberg emphasized again that “equality is not just good for women. It’s good for everyone,” and she added, “great leaders don’t just develop people like them, they develop everyone.  If you want to be a great leader, you will develop the women – as well as the men – at your companies and on your teams.” She further spoke, with great conviction, “I believe your generation will do a better job than mine at fixing the problem of gender inequality. So we turn to you.  You are the promise for a more equal world. “

Over the years, the Tsinghua students have been so lucky to have had such opportunities to learn the wisdom of so many influential individuals. To name a few, the founder of Alibaba, MA Yun, the President of Yale University, Richard Charles Levin, and the founder of Lenovo, LIU Chuanzhi, all devoted their time to share their knowledge with us. We are excited to find out who will be speaking at the coming Tsinghua SEM Commencement in 2016.

Caption:

Sheryl Sandberg is ranked No. 8 on the Forbes’ World's 100 Most Powerful Women 2015. She is the founder of LeanIn.org, a global community committed to empowering all women to achieve their goals, and the author of the bestselling book 'Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead'. She has gained great popularity, especially amongst professional women in China, and got very positive feedback on the Chinese edition of her book. For the full version of Sandberg’s speech and video clip, please visit the official Tsinghua SEM website: http://www.sem.tsinghua.edu.cn/

From Christina Chong, GMBA Class of 2016