As a woman CEO, I am fortunate to meet women who are true trailblazers in paving the way for women leaders.

I was reminded of that recently during a tea I had with Madeleine Albright. As the first woman to enter the Situation Room as Secretary of State, Albright had to navigate not only being the only woman in the room but being the first woman in the room with generals and other men in positions of great power.

During our tea, she told me stories of creating a rule with fellow women ambassadors, which was a very small club of people then as it is now. She said that they agreed to always return each other’s phone calls. When asked by a male ambassador, “Why don’t you return my calls?” she replied, “I will as soon as you replace yourself with a woman.”

Her point was not that she discriminated. She simply made a connection with a group of powerful women very much in the minority, and they agreed to support each other in a world where they did not get the same level of support as their male counterparts. She went on to tell stories about her first meeting and subsequent long term friendship with Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to run for Vice President in 1984 with candidate Walter Mondale. Albright and Ferraro bonded together over a uniquely feminine moment when Geraldine asked her if she had a half slip she could borrow.

I sat enraptured by Albright’s stories, her incredible intellect and impressive memory. At the end of the tea, I told her how I have always been inspired by her and that she has helped to pave the way for women like me. She responded by saying, “That is what it is all about.”

The idea that our work today can push women forward into greater empowerment and a better, more equal world is what inspires me to write this blog. I will endeavor to help other women advance in their careers until the time comes when women are better represented in positions of power.