5 Questions With Dan Schawbel Episode 27: Carly Fiorina
An interview with Carly Fiorina on why you should find a path instead of create a plan, how her childhood impacted her path, what to do if you’re stuck, what men can learn from women about leadership and her best career advice.
Welcome to the 27th episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions.
This episodes guest:
My guest today is former CEO of HP and former U.S. Presidential Candidate, Carly Fiorina. Born in Austin, Texas to a mother who was an abstract painter and father who had a variety of jobs including professor, University dean, Deputy U.S. Attorney General and judge. She frequently moved in her childhood, living in London, Ghana and North Carolina. Carly studied philosophy and medieval history at Stanford University, while working as a secretary during the summers. While originally aspiring to be a pianist, she attended and eventually dropped out of law school. Carly ended up getting an MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and a Masters at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. In 1980, she started as a AT&T management trainee and eventually became the company’s first female officer as SVP and then led its North American operations. In 1995, she led corporate operations for Lucent Technologies, playing a key role in an IPO, and then was named group President for their global service-provider business. In 1998, Fortune Magazine named Fiorina as “The Most Powerful Woman in American Business.” From 1999 to 2005, she was the CEO of HP. Since leaving HP, she has served as chairman of Good360, the world’s largest product philanthropy organization, as chairman of Opportunity International, a Christian-based organization that lifts millions out of poverty around the globe through microfinance and chair and CEO of the Fiorina Foundation that donates to a variety of important causes. Fiorina ran for the United States Senate in 2010 and the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. Her new book is called Find Your Way: Unleash Your Power and Highest Potential.
Video interview from New York City:
The 5 questions questions I ask in this episode:
- Why should you find a path instead of stick to a plan?
- How did moving around a lot growing up affect your path?
- What’s the first thing you should do if you’re stuck?
- What can men learn from women about leadership?
- What’s your best piece of career advice?
Follow Carly’s journey: