WHAT MAKES A ROLE MODEL?

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO, may be a great role model. Or she may seem so perfect that others might find matching her success impossible. For women, the latter is often the case. It may well be that exposure to well-known, highly successful leaders does more harm than good to women’s self-perception.  It may well be better to look at those in your own circle who are just one or two steps ahead—rather than way out there. Focus a little closer to home rather than on the high performer. People perceived as “too perfect” might not make good role models.

Who are your role models?

(See Alina Tugend, “Sometimes Second-Best Makes a Better Role Model,” The New York Times, August 10, 2013, p. B5).