Sheryl Sandberg: Careers Aren’t Ladders, They’re Jungle Gyms
Facebook’s COO visited Stanford Graduate School of Business and shared insights on dreaming for the long run, but planning for the short term.
November 30, 2018
![](/sites/default/files/styles/1630x_variable_tinypng/public/resources/photo-is-vftt-podcast-sandberg-cheryl.jpg.webp?itok=LbDbVcuB)
Sheryl Sandberg visited Stanford GSB in 2017 as part of the View From The Top speaker series. | Courtesy of Sheryl Sandberg
In a visit to Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2017, Sheryl Sandberg advised students against making a strict plan for their careers, because “you’re going to miss all the good stuff — all the good stuff hasn’t been invented yet!”
Sandberg also spoke openly about the sudden loss of her husband, Dave Goldberg, in 2015. “When Dave died, I didn’t think I was capable of anything. I could barely go to work and not cry. I was parenting two grieving children,” she says.
Listen to Sandberg in conversation with Julie Sawaya, MBA ’17.
![](/sites/default/files/styles/resource_preview_image/public/art19_thumbnails/CPiAuyDJK8Y_56yzCSjFiQ6ZM_ZoT71HXq3qyner3Fo.jpeg.webp?itok=TPHGNj_Y)
Stanford GSB’s View From The Top is the dean’s premier speaker series. It launched in 1978 and is supported in part by the F. Kirk Brennan Speaker Series Fund. During student-led interviews and before a live audience, leaders from around the world share insights on effective leadership, their personal core values, and lessons learned throughout their career.
For media inquiries, visit the Newsroom.
Explore More
![TFTS logo](/sites/default/files/tfts-key_logo_21.jpg)
Listen Up, Leaders: A Record-Setting Coach’s Guide to Communication
![](/sites/default/files/2024-07/Daniella%20Pierson-Key.jpg)
Daniella Pierson: Why Failure is the Measure of Success
![Tara VanDerveer](/sites/default/files/2024-07/Tara%20Vanderveer-Key.jpg)