Page 56 - Leadership Secrets of Hillary Clinton

SMART POWER

x SECRET 4: LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES z

During the Clinton White House days, both Hillary and
Bill were perceived as being bad listeners. They often
forged ahead and worked from their own set of beliefs and
operating principles. One of Hillary’s greatest leadership
lessons came when she established the President’s Task
Force on National Health Care Reform. Her passion for
this topic had started back in Arkansas, where she had
taken a significant role in improving health care for young
children. Although she applied her prior knowledge and
experience to this massive undertaking, it got off to a poor
start. She felt passionately that the health-care policy that
she and her committee were proposing was the most effi-
cient and effective one out there, and in some cases those
who criticized her plan were blocked out so that their
voices were not heard. She even had her own “war room,”
primarily staffed by members of her political party who
shared her views, and she directed her team to block any
“attacks” on her health plan. Donna Shalala, who was on
the Council of Economic Advisors at the time, warned
Hillary that she needed to build a broad base of support
across party lines if she was to be successful, but, for many
reasons, that never happened, and this effort became one
of Hillary’s greatest regrets. But from this experience, she
learned that no matter how passionate or right you feel

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