With the world lamenting the rise 'joke politics' - examples include Sean Spicer, Anthony Scaramucci and of course, Trump himself - more than ever the world needs examples of good, clear, strong leadership.
Examples like Alyssa Mastromonaco, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Barack Obama.
For nine years, Mastromonaco worked on-call for the President 24/7 and was responsible for pretty much everything that Obama did, from overseeing the confirmation process for Cabinet secretaries, through to managing the president's daily schedule and travel commitments.
At only 34-years-old, Mastromonaco was the youngest woman to hold the coveted White House position, and has shared some home truths when it comes to surviving at the top in a male dominated profession.
In an interview with Stylist magazine, the writer of Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? encouraged women not to be afraid of asking for the obvious.
'I'm proud that people think I am a feminist icon for getting a tampon machine installed in the West Wing, but that story is all about asking questions. It's not that anybody thought there shouldn't be a tampon dispenser in the White House, it was just that nobody had ever asked for one,' she revealed to the publication.
The writer, who first started working for the former president in early 2005 when he was a senator for Illinois, also recalled the importance of doing your homework.
Revealing Michelle Obama frequently emphasised to members of staff that foreign trips were 'not a holiday', Mastromonaco added: 'For state dinners, we had to find out who we were sitting next to and research things to talk about. It's like the scenes in Bridget Jones' Diary when she reminds herself 'to introducer people with thoughtful detail'.
Having first served as White House director of scheduling before taking up the role of deputy chief of staff for operations, Mastromonaco revealed she soon learned the importance of airing your emotions at work, without using them to manipulate colleagues.
'Life is going to happen between the hours of 8am and 6pm. If you are feel sad, let it out - just don't do it in the middle of the Oval Office. And don't ask for a raise while crying: that's bullsh*t,' she added.
While she once admitted Barack tried to set her up on a date with a guy he thought was attracted to her in Iowa ('Obama kept turning around like, "Email him. Email him right now. He was not a bad-looking guy"'), Mastromonaco admitted she never felt like she had to act like one of the boys to be part of Obama's inner circle.
'Obama played golf with the same four guys from the office all the time, so reporters would often ask if I wanted to play too. I would respond that I no more wanted to play golf than I wanted the President to come get a mani-pedi with me,' she joked.
How much do we have to pay to get Alyssa Mastromonaco back in the Oval Office?
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
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