Bank account Quote by Sheryl Sandberg
““After several rounds of interviews with Google’s founders, they offered me a job. My bank account was diminishing quickly, so it was time to get back to paid employment, and fast. In typical—and yes, annoying—MBA fashion, I made a spreadsheet and listed my various opportunities in the rows and my selection criteria in the columns. I compared the roles, the level of responsibility, and so on. My heart wanted to join Google in its mission to provide the world with access to information, but in the spreadsheet game, the Google job fared the worst by far. I went back to Eric and explained my dilemma. The other companies were recruiting me for real jobs with teams to run and goals to hit. At Google, I would be the first “business unit general manager,” which sounded great except for the glaring fact that Google had no business units and therefore nothing to actually manage. Not only was the role lower in level than my other options, but it was entirely unclear what the job was in the first place. Eric responded with perhaps the best piece of career advice that I have ever heard. He covered my spreadsheet with his hand and told me not to be an idiot (also a great piece of advice). Then he explained that only one criterion mattered when picking a job—fast growth. When””
About This Quote
Source Book: Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg, 2013
Choosing a job should prioritize rapid personal and professional growth over titles or spreadsheets.
In simple terms: Growth matters most in career choices.
Prioritize fast growth when evaluating offers.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- job search
- career transition
- evaluating offers
- personal development
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What growth opportunities does each role truly offer?
- How do personal values align with the job?
Focusing solely on growth may ignore long‑term fit or passion.