Page 164 - Leadership Secrets of Hillary Clinton

LEADING WITH PURPOSE

explain. I have always been interested in helping women get
ahead in business. I started my career in a male-dominated
industry—as a supervisor of men working on a production
line. I had no female mentors or managers who could help
me learn how to survive in a male-dominated business
environment. I had to learn it by myself, and at times the
lessons were very painful. As a result, I have always tried to
help other women—as I would have appreciated having a
woman help me. I started by helping women create net-
works so that they could connect with others and create a
sense of community for mutual support on the issues and
challenges that they faced at work. I coached women on
how to be more politically savvy and how to have greater
influence with key decision makers in their organizations.
Then, when I started my own business, which focuses on
leadership development, I had the idea of designing a lead-
ership development program that was focused on the
unique needs and gifts of women who were aspiring to be
leaders. I started the Women in Leadership and Learning
program, which was, at that time, the first course of its kind
in the United States. It is still in demand today, and it is
actually the flagship program of an entire division of my
company. I was able to blend my passion for helping
women advance in their careers with my business goal of
growing a successful business.
You can also blend your sense of purpose with your
everyday activities by simply retaining your focus and

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