EL: - It has been nine years since you first dreamed of directly impacting the political landscape for women by co-founding a group called May's list. And it has been six years since your book "Women World Leaders, Fifteen Great Politicians Tell Their Story." was published. What new ideas have you learned or embraced about women leaders in this journey?

Laura Liswood: - What I have distinctly learned is that we definitely need as many women leaders out there as we can have because they have a powerful influence in several ways. One is, they themselves serve as role models for people, so young women and women can see themselves as leaders and that is really important. Second is that they actually do affect policy in a way that is different from how men affect policy. And we need to have women at the table just as there have been men at the table for all of these years, because women have some different perspectives and that is what diversity is all about. So, I guess I become more and more convinced of the rightness of this, of what we lose when we don't have that leadership also.

EL: - You mentioned women affect policy differently - could you elaborate on that?

Laura Liswood: - Women's experiences are very different than men's growing up. What is important to them, what impacts them, what do they think are issues of importance. They may see the issues of development in a different way than men do. They may see the issues of how budgets should get spent differently that the way men do. I think there are sorts of areas of priorities and perspectives. All you really have to do is to listen to men and women talk about issues and you see the differences.

EL: - What have you discovered about women as leaders as a direct result of your personal contact with so many of the world's women leaders?

Laura Liswood: - Well, I think what I have mostly come away with is amazement at the courage and capabilities of these women. And, their willingness to stand up for their positions. The passion they show for the things they are doing. The curiosity, the intellectual questioning they always have. It has been amazing to watch and it has certainly been something I have tried to take and embrace myself.

EL: - It appears that you have made and kept friends from that original group of women - Is that true?

Laura Liswood: - Yes, it is true. They are part of the Counsel of Women World Leaders and I have been greatly blessed by the opportunity to work closely with many of them.

EL: - How has your leadership style been influenced by your research?

Laura Liswood: - Well, I think I have learned, myself, to be more clear and declarative bout how I go about what I am interested in. I have learned that my voice is important. I have learned that perseverance is an important element when you are trying to do something. You can't always just look at something and say "Oh my gosh, I couldn't possibly do something like that." The fact being, you have to be willing to take the kind of risks it takes to do that.

EL: - You background implies you have been a risk taker a long time. Is that a fair statement?

Laura Liswood: - "I would say it is… it probably is a fair statement. I have been willing to try to follow what I am passionate about.

EL: - While the book focused on the leadership of women in politics - what similarities do you see in women in leadership roles from women in politics to the general business world?

Laura Liswood: - I think they both have a similar thing - You are trying to get people to follow you. You are trying to have an agenda that you believe strongly in and that you want to get embraced by people. You must use the same kinds of persuasion skills, the same kind of communication skills, the same passion as I have mentioned earlier. I think these are all very similar skill sets that both women in the business world and in the political world embrace.

EL: - What have you learned as to how women leaders differ from men as leaders?

Laura Liswood: - I think there are a lot of issues around this. Basically what people have identified as skill sets women have a tendency to bring are consensus, inclusiveness, better listening skills, more likely to bring different people to the table, and less hierarchy. These are all skill sets you often see women embracing, but of course you see some men embracing as well. But, you often see women embrace them because they are very relationship based skills versus transaction-based skills. But, let me hasten to say, that I think those are skills that people who have historically been out of power have a tendency to embrace. That is, they are more focused on relationship because they have to be. If you have been historically out of power or certainly under represented, you have to develop these kinds of skill sets. So, I wouldn't say they are necessarily specific to women, but I would say women have a tendency, generalizations being only semi true, the right tendency to look more at a relationship-based orientation to things.

EL: - Do women leaders generally have different resources available to them? If so, what are they?

Laura Liswood: - Any leader has more resources available to them obviously - They have people who work for them, they have access to things, they are asked to do things, they come into contact with other stimulating thinkers - they are usually at the forefront of things, things come to them rather than them having to seek out issues. Particularly if they are recognized internationally as thought leaders. I would say that women are disproportionately called upon to speak and to represent women in general. Men don't have to speak about men's leadership, where however, women do. As an example, you can talk to a woman who is a tenured professor in a university and she is always called upon to be the "woman on the committee." This doesn't happen to me and can be pretty tiring after awhile.

EL: - In your book you spoke of the life styles of the women you interviewed. You explored their family background values, intellect, and education and how they did their job. How do you personally relate these characteristics to yourself, also a highly successful businesswoman and a leader?

Laura Liswood: - The best leaders will try to embrace what we want to see in ourselves…honesty, judgment, integrity and true speaking. So, if you try to live your life that way, no matter what you are doing, you are probably better off for it. But, I think the best leaders are the ones we can look to and say "yes, they represent the best in me." I was raised in a very lower income family with the values of hard work, honesty and straightforwardness and continually improving yourself, continually striving. To the extent that if I can say there is anything I look like in reference to these women leaders, it's that. If we all make our choices about what we want to do and be in life also. These women have been willing to stand up there and make some really incredible choices.

EL: - Laura, it struck me that education is a very important part of every one of the women you interviewed. And, it is also a strong component in your background. Did that strengthen their role?

Laura Liswood: - Two things go on there. Number one, in particular, in some of the cases of some of the women, you are seeing women who are from quite upper class background in these countries, particularly the developing countries. They themselves aren't going to be the rare few who get educated in those countries and it's particularly useful on the world's face to be educated in some element of English speaking western things because that is the dominant form of business etc. - how to deal with the press, that sort of thing.

But education itself is extraordinarily important. How are you really affect the kinds of issues that come to you, think about the competing demands, put priorities on things, have an intellectual curiosity about things - you really can't be a leader without some of these elements. You can be a sort of wall leader without these things, but how can you take where you want people to go without the ability to conceptually think about these things. To be able to read some of the great thought leaders and to learn from other people. I am not saying there are not some extraordinary leaders who have come through and emerged from places where no education is available, but really to make a true mark on the world, I think you have to have some sense of history, of where your country is or your city or your town and where you want to take it.

EL: - Women in a leadership role are still a minority - both in the general business world and politics. Given this status, how can these women truly serve as role models to other women?

Laura Liswood: - Well, by their very nature they are unique, so they stand out. This wonderful story the President of Iceland told me, which I repeat in the book, which is " she had been in office for sixteen years, but after eight years, she realized there were children under eight who thought that only a woman could be President of Iceland and the boys had to ask whether they could be President of Iceland." You can to see the power of the mirror, of the reflection of what people can be by what they see. I think that even though there are few women, at least they open up the possibility of things. Even Lady Thatcher, who wasn't exactly a friend to all women, opened up that possibility and gave people the understanding that "hey, the impossible is quite possible." Madelyn Albright did the same thing, female Secretary of State - a major job. She opened up that possibility and opened it well and once that barrier is down it probably down for good.

EL: - Based on your research and contact with women world leaders, what would you say to a young woman about developing and advancing as a leader?

Laura Liswood: - I would foremost say to her " Identify what she is passionate about, what is it that she really feels strongly about." You see young women who get involved in some community activities because they really feel there ahs been some wrong done or they have a passion about soccer, or whatever… whatever they have a passion about is really important because they will gravitate to that and the energy they devote to their cause will feel good. The second issue is you really need some very specific skill sets. You need to be able to communicate, you need to be able to write, and you need to be able to speak persuasively, to organize your thoughts, to harness other people. So, to the bet way to do this is to stand up in front of a group and speak. Lincoln gave 2000 speeches in his life so he kept getting better and better at it, so you need to practice. Volunteer for things, when an opportunity comes up to take a leadership role, volunteer for it and get that practice. Learn from your mistakes. You are likely to have a lot of mistakes in your career, learn from them, they aren't bad.

EL: - After having studied women in leadership roles, what characteristics do you see as common denominators?

Laura Liswood: - They are all quite aware that they are women as leaders. That makes them be more scrutinized, more highly visible than men, their mistakes are more scrutinized, what they say and how they do things; their person, how they dress. Again, they have a passion and a vision for what they want to do in life. And, any of them were quite familiar with politics; someone in their family had been involved in politics, so I think these are some of the common characteristics.

EL: - Other than the women you interviewed for your book, what women do you see as role models for others who aspire to be leaders?

Laura Liswood: - I just think there are role models all over the place. From a woman who is doing a small business, to a young person who is working in Junior Achievement, or creating a new idea, to a young woman who captains a soccer team. We need to look at them. And, we do, when you go to a doctor and the doctor is a woman - that person is a role model.

EL: - What can men learn from women that can strengthen them as leaders?

Laura Liswood: - Men could probably look at the kind of relational skills that women have, that they can try to understand that there is a lot of privilege that comes with being a white male in our society and what that privilege entails. I think that empathy is a valued skill set. Getting in to the shoes of another person is probably something women may more easily do than men. On the other hand, I think that men have some skills sets that women could learn from. Understanding that you can have conflict and still maintain a relationship, understanding that you can oppose each other's and your ideas and still go out to dinner later. Having your ideas and being very powerful about them and withstanding the criticism that may come. Men and women can learn from each other.

EL: - What role does volunteerism and giving have in relation to women as leaders? Do you find more women leaders than men engaged in volunteering?

Laura Liswood: - I can't say I would say that for the latter, I think men volunteer as well as women. They may volunteer in different things, women may volunteer in things that are of interest to them, and men will have a tendency to volunteer both in things that are of interest to them and also somewhat powerful in their base. Volunteerism is a particularly good way for women to get skill sets for leadership. They always need good people as volunteers - financial skills, organizational skills, strategic thinking skills, marketing skills - how to get other volunteers to work with you is an extraordinarily difficult task, so I happen to think that is probably one of the better ways to get these sills. And, you often do see women get into non-governmental organizations because of this.

EL: - One last question Laura. It seems that the idea of your book "just came to you, but did you always aspire to be a leader - did these thoughts come to you early on?

Laura Liswood: - I am not sure you exhibit these things as a child, but I was brought up in a family where my father was a policeman and he gave me a great deal of confidence, particularly in sports. I played a lot of sports early in my life and I think sports is a great way to develop team capabilities and the ability to win and lose… so this was a good foundation for me. I don't think people necessarily say "I want to be a leader" - instead, I think they say, "I want to change something - I have an idea about something - I want to make a difference about something, I want to take charge"and it emerges and you emerge from that.

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