Sheryl Sandberg Honors Late Husband At Beijing Commencement Speech

On Saturday, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer, gave a heart-warming tribute to her husband at the Tsinghua School of Economics and Management in Beijing. Sandberg’s late husband, Dave Goldberg, was age 47 when he died in May.

Goldberg, who was the CEO of online survey company SurveyMonkey, fell while exercising on his treadmill, which resulted in a fatal head trauma, reported USA Today. Goldberg was vacationing with Sandberg and children in Mexico during the accident.

The Hollywood Reporter noted some of Sandberg’s statements from the speech.

“Yes, people will do what their bosses tell them to do in most organizations. But great leaders do not just want to secure compliance. They want to elicit genuine enthusiasm, complete trust and real dedication. They don’t just win the minds of their teams, they win their hearts.

“No one won more hearts than my beloved husband Dave Goldberg, who passed away suddenly two months ago. Dave was a truly inspiring leader. He was kind. He was generous. He was thoughtful. He raised the level of performance of everyone around him. He did it as CEO of SurveyMonkey, an amazing company that he helped build. He did it for me and for our children.”

Sandberg further quoted how a dear friend described her husband.

“[Dave] showed us all exactly what being a great human being looks like … but it was never frustrating because Dave’s greatness was not competitive or threatening. It was gentle, inspirational and egoless. He was the quintessential standard for the notion of leading by example.”

Inquisitr previously reported on an emotional essay that Sandberg wrote on her husband.

“I think when tragedy occurs, it presents a choice. You can give in to the void, the emptiness that fills your heart, your lungs, constricts your ability to think or even breathe. Or you can try to find meaning. These past thirty days, I have spent many of my moments lost in that void. And I know that many future moments will be consumed by the vast emptiness as well. But when I can, I want to choose life and meaning.

“While the experience of grief is profoundly personal, the bravery of those who have shared their own experiences has helped pull me through. Some who opened their hearts were my closest friends. Others were total strangers who have shared wisdom and advice publicly. So I am sharing what I have learned in the hope that it helps someone else. In the hope that there can be some meaning from this tragedy.”

Watch Sandberg speak at the commencement event in Beijing by clicking here.

[Photo via Scott Olson/Getty Images]