Page 65 - Leadership Secrets of Hillary Clinton

LEADERSHIP SECRETS OF HILLARY CLINTON

ited each small town. And when she won that senatorial
election, her behavior in the Senate surprised a number of
her Senate colleagues, who thought that she would be
more opinionated and calculating and very demanding. On
the contrary, Hillary did not expect any preferential treat-
ment and did not seek the limelight. Instead, she demon-
strated her hard work ethic and her desire to build
consensus through meaningful relationships. In an article
for the New York Times, writer Adam Nagourney described
Hillary as “the celebrity senator who is forever offering to
bring a colleague a cup of coffee, or volunteering to sit in
as a presiding officer in the deserted chamber on a Friday
night, or stepping back at news conferences to let other
senators speak.” In A Woman in Charge, author Carl Bern-
stein commented, “She worked particularly hard for those
who didn’t support her, as if to prove to them that she
wasn’t who they thought she was.” She became recognized
as a strong listener as well as an experienced debater—who
also had a keen sense of humor. This was the beginning of
a very important turning point for Hillary, as she began to
show more of her “true” or authentic self. She was success-
fully standing on her own as both a candidate and a sena-
tor. And she was doing it her way.
When she was campaigning for senator from New York,
Hillary didn’t think that giving speeches would explain the
private part of who she was. So she attended small and inti-
mate gatherings at people’s homes in many areas of the state.

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