Page 35 - The Way to the Top

Cathie BLACK

President of Hearst Magazines

Early in my career, I was talking with a friend and mentor about why some
people are real leaders and some people only seem to have the title. “The
first step to being a real leader is to figure out exactly who you are,” she

said. “And be that all the time.” It was great advice. Throughout my
career, I’ve worked hard to make sure that when an employee encounters
me on any level, he or she does not have to figure out who I am and what I
stand for. It’s a matter of creating your own personal brand. And like any

strong brand, you have to back it up by what you do.

This kind of consistency seems to be growing more important as our
confidence in leaders is slammed by constant body blows. People want to
trust in leaders, but they have a lot of reasons not to. The day of the leader

as icon has passed. Trust must be gained rather than conferred. People will
give it only to someone who is real—to a person, not a title. A person who
over time and through all conditions proves to be exactly who she says she
is.

Be who you are all the time