This week, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg released her book, “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.” Geared toward a female audience, Sandberg’s first literary work encourages women, particularly those of the professional set, to cultivate their ambitions and behave more assertively when pursuing their goals. Though some discount her understanding of the average woman’s obstacles due to her educational and professional pedigree — she is a top-performing alum of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, and worked for The World Bank, McKinsey and Company and Google before Facebook — Sandberg’s words should be carefully considered . This debate and fearlessness of showcasing ambition should enjoy a larger scope that reaches the classroom context. Too often do people characterize “intensity” negatively or feel intimidated by those who participate frequently. We need to stop associating boldness with precociousness and inspire people to think big.
I am sure that at some point we have all thought of the student who constantly pitches in during class discussions, “Does this person just like to hear himself or herself talk?” And in many cases, peers think their workaholic friends are insane or overly ambitious for their ages. The guy who has wanted to be a doctor or the girl who has wanted to serve on Capitol Hill since eighth grade seems too myopic, too pre-professional for his or her own good. People like this are often told to relax, slow down and smell the roses.
While taking time to reflect and avoiding a nervous breakdown are important, these sorts of admonitions tend to bear connotations that discourage the intense focus and acute attitudes that have characterized history’s most illustrious figures. People who are passionate about their interests — whether they be academic, athletic, artistic or commercial — want to dedicate inordinate amounts of energy toward these pursuits, and this drive should not be abated. I often wonder if those advocating a more balanced approach to life consider the fact that their workaholic comrades likely thrive on such rapid paces and might feel unchallenged if they did not tackle things with zealous vigor.
Larry Ellison and Sandra Day O’Connor are prime examples of gutsy, spirited personalities who made revolutionary strides in their fields. Ellison, founder of Oracle Corporation, is known for his brash demeanor and rogue business moves. Is he the most agreeable person and does he hesitate to speak his mind for fear of hogging the spotlight? Most certainly not. Did he worry about antagonizing others when hustling his software products to customers and squaring off against competitors? Hardly.
O’Connor was one of only three females attending Stanford Law School during her time there, and irrespective of her impressive academic record, she was rejected from most law firms upon graduation. Despite these roadblocks, she never took “no” for an answer and in 1972 was elected America’s first female majority leader of a state legislature. As we know, she would earn a similar pioneering badge eight years later by becoming the country’s first woman to sit on the Supreme Court. The point is that patently determined people who make their presence known should not be cast off as obnoxious, idealistic or attention-hungry. Perhaps these elements partially reflect their personalities, but we should not try to reign in their passions. Instead, we should celebrate these traits and try to emulate them because they usually define the qualitative facets of extraordinarily successful people.
How does this relate to the classroom and to college experiences? Whether a student of art, science, economics, politics or engineering, one should not be told to weaken his or her intensity or dedication. A lot of people propose a more balanced approach to school years because we only live them once and should not spend them just planning our careers. Even if intended to be a perfectly innocuous, well-meaning recommendation, this can lead people to believe that incredible tenacity and laser-sharp focus are not totally laudatory and can potentially segregate one from his or her peers. Students in grade school, high school and college should be encouraged to think boldly, voice their opinions and make their presence known in group settings. Furthermore, they should know that distinguishing themselves by virtue of their strong interests in particular pursuits are welcomed rather than sedated. Engendering a paradigm shift toward motivating genuine competition with oneself and one’s peers and continually looking forward to attaining the next objective is a healthy trend to establish.
Celebrating individualism is an essential ingredient to cultivating people’s talents effectively, and “leaning in,” as Sheryl Sandberg suggests, is advice that transcends gender, race, age, concentrations and careers. We should all grow our determination and never feel ashamed to communicate steadfast conviction when interacting with peers, raising our hands in the classroom or assuming leadership roles on campus. The adverb “overly” should never be attached to the adjective “ambitious” because that tempers drive and attitude — placing limits on ambition constrains our imaginations and then stifles personal and societal growth. As Donald Trump says, “If you’re going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big.”
Elizabeth Fuerbacher ’14 isn’t ashamed to idolize the brazen industrialists who transformed America at the turn of the century. She can be reached at elizabeth_fuerbacher@Brown.edu.
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