Navigating Early Career Challenges

Susan shares how she learned to leverage the characteristics of her personality early in her career as assistant secretary of state [2:05]

One of the important conversations Susan had with a mentor that changed the trajectory of her career [4:50]

Her parent’s commitment to education, their personal backgrounds, and the legacies they created [8:10]

The result of instilling self-belief into children and mastering “psychological jiu jitsu” [10:22]

What the early lessons of family diplomacy taught her [14:00]

The importance of strategic compartmentalization [16:48]

How to approach crisis during high stakes situations [18:29]

How to practice compassionate leadership while maintaining effectiveness [20:10]

Hacking the concept of “work-life balance” [21:10]

The required characteristics of powerful leaders [28:14]

The hard things about leadership and the idea of being liked [31:20]

The “middle finger story”/the time Susan stood up for herself in an important meeting [33:23]

Susan talks about China’s intelligence collection in the US [39:45]

A call for unity between the private, public, and academic sectors [42:54]