Wanda Brice heads up one of the most prestigious organizations in the world; she is the CEO of The Women’s Museum, Smithsonian affiliate and only comprehensive women's history museum in the United States. 

How did she position herself to be appointed to this highly sought after position?

Her career until 2005 when she took this appointment, had been in the for profit sector, in various management positions in government auditing, personal insurance, oil and gas distribution, telecommunications and mortgage banking, including having been CEO of two companies, Legal Documentation Systems, Inc. and Computer Directions, Inc.

Always passionate about women and girls, Wanda  built a history that reflects her commitment in that area, as well as in corporate leadership.

w2wlink.com Question from the Editor, Jean Lewis: Wanda, you have reached the top in your career. What knowledge or approach have you treasured and used that you think gave you the ability to be so successful?

Wanda Brice: You need to be yourself and bring your authentic self to everything you do. When I was coming up through the ranks, there was no behavioral model for me. There were mostly men.

w2wlink Question: Was there an event or occurrence that happened in which you came to realize that being yourself was the way to go?

Wanda Brice: Laugh, yes... When I was in my 20's I suddenly found myself in a supervisory position over my peers. I then I became consumed with having the perfect department. With in a day my peers confronted me and told me I was being a royal "B," and it ended right there.

w2wlink Question: What is your view on leading people?

Wanda Brice: I have two philosophies that have served me well:

Your staff people are your greatest and most valuable assets. You don't throw out a computer system that isn't working just right, you try to fix it, and we often don't see the same patience applied to people. It's your responsibility as a leader to make sure your people know what's expected of them and that you give them what's needed to do their job. Of course I make the tough decisions to fire 'as needed', but 'as needed' means the person had all the information about the expectations of them as well as the tools and training to fulfill them. Given that, it sometimes happens that there just isn't a fit.

The other philosophy is leave no enemies. . . unless there's no choice.

w2wlink Question: How do you bring yourself to the times when you are upset, or do you?

Wanda Brice: In a straight forward manner, yes I do. One little trick that I learned a long time ago, is to assume that the other person is telling the truth and that it is correct, and you find that you gain the most interesting insights that way.

w2wlink Question: And I am sure you are always growing in your career, what is your vision for growth and what kind of advice do you have for our readers?

Wanda Brice: I would like to see the museum continue to grow. My advice is love what you do. Obviously you can't love every minute, every job has some parts we don't love, but overall, love what you do.

w2wlink: Wanda, thank you so much. It was a truly a pleasure speaking with you and our readership will be sure to benefit from your very heart felt and helpful advice.

To learn more about the women's museum and the fantastic events and information they offer, visit www.thewomensmuseum.org .

Check back each Sunday for more live interviews with the editor, specifically for w2wlink.com members, with women business leaders sharing their secrets of success.