Judy Smith

“You do your work, and you do the best you can. That's what my parents taught me, and I think what they were saying was, 'If you do a good job, other things may come your way.' That's really been the way my career has unfolded throughout the years.”

“My law degree has always been incredibly helpful.”

“Workplace romances - or even the illusion of a workplace romance - can carry many ramifications and consequences.”

“It's good to have a healthy ego because that pushes you to succeed. But when you cross a line, and your views are not balanced, that's when you get into trouble.”

“At the end of the day, I play to win, and otherwise, I wouldn't be good at my job.”

“I remember having lunch with a friend who worked at the White House. I'd just graduated from law school but kept telling my friend what they needed to do and weren't doing right about the Iran-Contra affair. The next day, I got a call from the White House, offering me a job.”

“While you are searching for a job, it is a good idea to be on your best behavior.”

“Most people somehow look at people in the crisis industry as fixers, but some things can't be fixed by an outside person.”

“The same qualities that we all have that are good can lead us to bad things or lead us into a crisis if we don't try to balance them.”

“I definitely never had an affair with the president.”

“The ambition and focus that propel you to success can also be your downfall.”

“When you're working in crisis situations, people have a tendency - particularly the media - to stake out your house.”

“Unless you work in HR, it's not your responsibility to necessarily police and monitor workplace conversation.”

“I charge by the hour, or I am on a retainer. We try to work with the client.”

“Social media, for me, is just a thorn in my side. It's painful. For us in crisis, it has totally changed the way we do business. It's a big, big game changer.”

“Sometimes people honestly don't realize the magnitude of their words and have no idea that boundaries have been crossed.”

“There's always an opportunity with crisis. Just as it forces an individual to look inside himself, it forces a company to reexamine its policies and practices.”