Page 89 - Leadership Secrets of Hillary Clinton

LEADERSHIP SECRETS OF HILLARY CLINTON

as she shared in her book Living History. She wrote that
being in the White House for eight years tested her faith,
her political beliefs, and her marriage. She also acknowl-
edged that while she and Bill had made their fair share of
mistakes, she felt better because she knew that America
was a stronger, better, and more just nation as a result of
their efforts. We all deal with endings in different ways, but
for Hillary, this was a time for her to reflect on both the
negative and the positive aspects of her experience and to
review what she had gained in terms of additional knowl-
edge and wisdom. Then she gave herself permission to
bring what she had learned from those experiences into her
next role—whatever that would be. What a wonderful way
to move through the Endings phase!
Exploration is the second phase of transition, and it typ-
ically introduces an entirely different set of issues for peo-
ple. Once people have gotten many of their “me issues”
resolved, the next set of issues tends to center on “who am
I now?” People who are in Exploration are more concerned
about the present, and their energy is invested in evaluat-
ing their options and searching for solutions.
When Hillary left the White House as first lady and
began her senatorial campaign, she spent months learning
how to become relevant to the people of New York State
and how to differentiate herself from her opponent. This
campaign role was something that she had never person-
ally done before, and, as all people do while moving

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