Page 52 - Leadership Secrets of Hillary Clinton

SMART POWER

White House to representing New York State. Talk about
getting out of your comfort zone! And she certainly did.
While the challenges and opportunities that come your
way may seem as daunting to you as this did to Hillary, try
“stretching” with small things at first—volunteer to do
something that you’ve never done before or agree to talk
with someone who you’d never imagine would want to talk
with you. I remember coaching a bright, intelligent, and
accomplished woman who had made her mark in medicine
as a successful surgeon. She later took a job in industry in
the biosciences area. Her intellectual horsepower and sci-
entific knowledge were important factors in her ability to
bring immediate value to her new job and the organization.
However, the executives of the organization saw potential
in her, and she was advanced to a leadership position. She
liked the many aspects of leading others and enjoyed tap-
ping into this unrealized strength of hers that was signifi-
cantly different from being a surgeon in many ways.
We both worked together as she mapped a future career
track. She decided that she wanted to set a goal of being a
chief medical officer within her existing organization or at
another company. To do this, she needed a broader and
stronger level of financial acumen. I asked her to think
about her own relationships and identify who might be
able to help her or be a resource of knowledge for her.
She ended up reaching out to the CFO of her organization
and asking if he would be interested in meeting with her

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