In 2001, Sheryl Sandberg had just moved to Silicon Valley after working in the public sector. She made a spreadsheet of qualities she wanted in possible jobs.

When she met with then-CEO of Google Eric Schmidt, she told him that Google didn't fit any of her spreadsheet's listed qualities. 

His reply: "Don't be an idiot." 

And then: "Get on a rocket ship." 

As she explained in a Harvard Business School commencement speech, she did. 

"When companies are growing quickly and they are having a lot of impact, careers take care of themselves," she told the grads. "If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat. Just get on."