Beth Comstock is known for her openness to change and innovative mindset. During her time as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at General Electric, she successfully combined corporate advancement with a strong passion for new challenges. Comstock stands out for her ability to bring team members together and create a motivating environment that drives leaders toward success.
In her professional career, she applies seven key strategies:
1. Encouraging Creativity
“Provide certain guidelines or frameworks for creativity. Great creativity leads to great results.”
According to Comstock, structured freedom strengthens innovation and enables teams to maximize their potential.
2. Overcoming Barriers
To overcome shyness and avoid missing opportunities, she considers curiosity to be the main driving force:
“I realized that curiosity is what moves me forward.”
She emphasizes that remaining silent in situations where you can add value, or avoiding new connections, may lead to missed opportunities in the long term. Therefore, she constantly reminds herself: “If you don’t want to miss the opportunity, take the step.”
3. Shaping Best Practices
“Lead the culture you create with curiosity. Always discover new things and know how to listen.”
In her view, continuous development is built on openness to learning and active listening.
4. Creating Motivation
“I motivate people by recognizing the strength of the entire team. It begins when voices are heard. It is self-sustaining energy.”
Comstock believes that the key to collective energy lies in valuing each member’s contribution.
5. Flexibility
“There may be certain definitions of success, and others may have their own explanations of what success looks like. However, you must move toward where your true interests and passions lie. The definition of success may change, so it is important to remain flexible.”
She considers adaptability to changing circumstances a fundamental component of leadership.
6. Effective Time Management
“Give yourself time to think. Pauses are important for both professional and personal growth. People need both physical and mental space.”
She particularly emphasizes the importance of intentional breaks for strategic thinking.
7. Reflection and Perspective
“I would like to work more on an international scale. I have traveled the world, but I have never lived in another country. Living abroad in my twenties would have given me a different perspective.”
Comstock believes that global experience broadens one’s outlook and deepens leadership capabilities.