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9

Lean In and Lead with a Yes

Julia was up for an endowed professorship at the university and, as she told it, the job interview had gone swimmingly. “The appointments committee was super-enthusiastic about my stature in the field and my contribution to the department,” she said. “In fact, one member went out of his way to congratulate me on the big foundation grant I had just pulled in—the largest in five years.”

But as the interview was winding down, the chairman of the committee peered over his glasses and threw her one last question. “If you got this appointment,” he began, “you’d obviously have many more leadership responsibilities.” There were nods all around the table. “And so we’re wondering,” he continued, “if we could still count on ...