The Lucky Success In Sandberg's Life

What does it take for someone to rise to the top? There is a long list which include some of the following: hard work, connections, charm, brains, ambition, and mentors. But without doubt, one thing that helps successful people to get where they are is the profound amount of “luck”. In some cases, someone’s luck is none of their own doing such as having an advantage in society from being born with privilege. This kind of advantage is considered luck. For example, Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook is considered one of the most influential women in business and best-selling author of “Lean In”. In “Lean In”, Sheryl Sandberg shares her own personal stories, she uses research to clarify gender differences, and provides useful guidance in helping women to achieving their goals. Sandberg was able to become one of the most successful women in the world by all the opportunities she was given. First, her family’s wealth provided her with an “arbitrary advantage” that gave her the opportunity to succeed financially. Secondly, her family’s background which gave her special opportunities that led to her success. Lastly, she was raised in a family where women were seen as equals to men.

The first reason why I believe that Sheryl Sandberg’s success in life is mostly due to luck is because of her family’s wealth. As stated in the article, “The Matthew Effect” by Malcolm Gladwell it states, “It is those who are successful, in other words, who are most likely to be given the kinds of special opportunities that lead to further success. It’s the rich who get the biggest tax breaks” (Gladwell 235). Gladwell would say that this is an “arbitrary advantage”. Simply put, Sandberg had the financial support to be able to succeed in her career.

The second reason why I believe that Sheryl Sandberg’s success in life is mostly due to luck is because of her family’s background in education. Her grandmother “girlie” was extremely focused on education and she graduated from U.C. Berkeley which motivated Sandberg’s mother to also get an education. By having a mother and grandmother that were both educated by reputable universities was a big advantage for Sandberg. As stated in the article, “The Matthew Effect” by Malcolm Gladwell it states, “People don’t rise from nothing. We do owe something to parentage and patronage” (Gladwell 227). I think that Gladwell is trying to make a point that success is caused by outside factors. It might look like Sandberg did it all by herself, but in fact she was the recipient of hidden advantages and exceptional opportunities and cultural legacies that allowed her to learn and work hard to succeed. Therefore, Sandberg was encouraged by her parents to continue her education to pursue her career which is why she attended Harvard University at the age of 18.

The third reason why I believe that Sheryl Sandberg’s success in life is mostly due to luck is because she was raised in a family where women were seen as equals to men. Sandberg was told that she could do whatever boys could do and would also be successful. As stated in the article, “The Leadership Ambition Gap: What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?” by Sheryl Sandberg she states, “I was raised to believe that girls could do anything boys could do and that all career paths were open to me” (Sandberg 243). Girls would grow up watching their mothers trying to do it all and believed that they had to give up something, which in this case being their careers. Sandberg did not grow up having people telling her that she would be nothing more than a housewife or a stay-at-home mother. With the advantage of being raised to believe that girls could do anything that boys could do, helped with beginning her career and giving her the opportunity of graduating from a U.C., which some do not get the opportunity to.

 All things considered, Sheryl Sandberg’s success in life is mostly due to luck. She had many advantages that led to her success such as her family’s wealth which provided her with an “arbitrary advantage”, her family’s background in education, and that she was raised in a family where women were seen as equals to men. “Success is the result of what sociologists like to call “accumulative advantage” (Gladwell 235). It makes a difference where and when we grew up.