Our interview with Judy Smith on the lessons learned throughout her career
Crisis management expert Judy Smith is the real-life
inspiration for the Olivia Pope character on the television show Scandal. A former deputy White House press secretary
and assistant US Attorney, Judy Smith brings years of public relations and
communications experience to her corporate and private crisis management
clients. Here she shares with us how she
has managed her career. We look forward
to her morning signature session with moderator Cheryl Howard on Women in
Corporations.
Do you have a
favorite quote? I can't say that I
have one favorite quote, but I do like these two by President Teddy Roosevelt:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out
how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them
better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face
is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who
comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and
shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great
enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at
the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the
worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place
shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor
defeat."
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."
What do you like most
about your job?
For over 20 years I have been privileged to work with
Fortune 500 corporations, leading politicians as well as celebrities on
developing strategies to help them navigate crises both big and small and what
I like best about this job is it gives me an opportunity to help people.
What is the best piece of career advice you've
gotten along the way?
It is about the
work. If you work hard the rest will
take care of itself.
How do you think
woman can support other women on their path to success?
There is a lot that we can do to support one another and the
first thing we can do is simply show up for another! Also I think it helps tremendously to share
not only our successes but also our failures with one another in order for us
to grow and truly learn from one another.