Madeleine Albright is one of the great women leaders. I have always held her in high esteem. What I find remarkable about this interview is how boldly she delves into her “human” side. This passage, for instance:

Even at the pinnacle of her profession, Albright says she sometimes second-guessed herself when she was the only woman in the room. In meetings, she’d be about to speak up, only to silence herself, thinking, ‘That will sound really stupid’. Then, almost inevitably, a man would pipe up with the same observation, “and everybody thinks it’s brilliant, and you are so mad at yourself.” There’s something both reassuring and discouraging about the fact that a Secretary of State makes the same sort of mistakes as an ordinary professional woman. Reassuring, because she was a spectacular success despite them. Discouraging, because it suggests that no amount of success ever really makes deep-rooted insecurities go away.

To me, her ability to share her human side, her faults and insecurities, shows just how strong she is.

I have listened to her in a few interviews and am always delighted by how much I admire her. Her breath of experience and the spine she had to achieve what she did are both inspiring. She is an inspiration and, in a historical context, was a torch for many that followed.