Beth Comstock’s just-published Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change tells in riveting style the story of rising from humble beginnings to the C-suite of a Fortune 5 company, General Electric. The writing pulls you along. The often vulnerable content engages you, as do the names she works with: Jack, Jeff, Bill, Steve, and others whom you only need to know their first names.

Any MBA or entrepreneur in New York City has known her as supporting us developing and reaching our potential—an influence rarely coming from such mega-institutions. I felt that support for years, even before meeting her, which I attribute to her leadership style.

Her CV is off the charts, but she’s down to Earth, so I’ll share her background in her words from her page:

MY MISSION

Hi, I’m

I’m driven to understand what’s next, navigate change and help others do the same. By cultivating a habit of seeking out new ideas, people and places, I built a career path that took me from storyteller to chief marketer to corporate Vice Chair and author.

MY WORK

My first book Imagine it Forward was published in September 2018. I am a director at Nike, trustee of The National Geographic Society and former board president of the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Museum. I graduated from the College of William and Mary with a degree in biology.

MY CAREER

Until December 2017, I spent nearly three decades at GE. As Chief Marketing Officer and then Vice Chair of Innovation, I led efforts to accelerate new growth, develop digital and clean-energy futures, seed new businesses and enhance brand value.

As President of Integrated Media at NBC Universal, I oversaw TV ad revenue and digital media efforts, including the early development of hulu.com. Prior to this, I held a succession of roles at NBC, CBS and CNN/Turner Broadcasting.

Everyone can learn from Beth to reach his or her potential, building a supportive community in the process, getting results while improving morale.

(By the way, Welch, Immelt, Gates, and Jobs, if they weren’t obvious).