A great truth from Shelly Lazarus.

• Author: Kristie, James
• Position: LEADERSHIP

From The Good Among the Great by Donald Van de Mark. Copyright 2011 by the author. Published by Columbia Island Press.

LIKE MANY GOOD PEOPLE who ascend to powerful positions, Shelly Lazarus, chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, still doesn't quite believe that she deserves it. "I had no ambitions when I started out. I mean my whole life was sort of an accident. I fell into marketing, I fell into advertising, I fell into Ogilvy. I never intended to stay more than two years. I just thought it would be a good idea to spend two years at an ad agency.

"I stumbled my way to the top. It's absolutely true. I just sort of found something I loved to do and I just kept doing it. And every once in a while someone would come along and put a new title on my head. Either I lack self-confidence or I have humility but every time it was always a surprise to me and I always felt I wasn't ready. It was 'No! I can't do that job.'"

Thirty-seven years after graduating from Smith College, Lazarus returned to deliver the commencement address to the class of 2005:

"The question for you is not, 'Can you have it all?'...