Christine Lagarde, Head of the IMF and 2016 Women of Year Honoree, Has Faced Sexism Her Whole Career

And Lagarde has made her mark. “She is one of those rare leaders who combine vision with action,” says fellow financial bigwig Janet Yellen, chair of the Board of Governors at the U.S. Federal Reserve System. “She approaches age-old problems in fresh, innovative ways to strengthen the ties that bind the global economy.” Under Lagarde, the IMF has integrated China’s currency into the global system and helped stabilize the economies of Portugal, Ireland, and Greece—all the while explicitly beginning to address gender inequality. To Lagarde, encouraging member countries to do better by women simply makes sense. “It’s not just a fundamentally moral cause; it is an absolute economic no-brainer,” she believes. “If governments were to address closing the gender gap, if they were to remove the discriminations against women, give them access to the labor market and to finance, a big chunk of the inequalities that we have in many countries would actually disappear. Not all of it, but a lot of it.” And yes, having women in leadership roles helps too. Lagarde observes that women do less “posturing” than their male counterparts: “You know, the sort of hairy-chested man: ‘Here I am—it’s about me, me, me.’ ”

Lagarde measures her own success in a very personal way. “I am often referred to as a rock star, but I don’t think that is really meaningful,” she says. “What I am always very touched by is when young women, and sometimes young girls, turn to me and say they see me as a role model. If I can help them achieve what they want to achieve, then that’s meaningful. That’s brilliant.”

Her Words to Live By: “My synchronized swimming coach used to say, ‘Grit your teeth and smile. Even if the judges aren’t being fair, even if you deserve better, just get on with it and be stronger.’ ”

How to Own Your Power

Even Women of the Year have to learn their confidence lessons. Here are Christine Lagarde’s.

Get over your “flaws.”“If you are a little bit overweight, that’s fine. If you have gray hair, so be it. If you have big feet, so be it—I’m a size 11. It’s about being reconciled with yourself and projecting yourself—to friends, at work—as you are.”

Find your physical power.“I do feel insecure—quite often, actually, like all of us. But I have been lucky enough to be able to rely on physical strength, which I think matters a lot. I practiced yoga at a very early age, and I would say that breathing is critically important, as is relying on the physical strength that was given to you.”

Develop confidence hacks.“My grandfather used to say, ‘Even the king goes to the loo.’ When you walk into a boardroom, when you take the floor and speak, you can imagine [the audience] in all kinds of situations. We are all human beings!”

Just be human.“As a young girl I was a bossy-boots. I am not ashamed of that. I am, equally, extremely emotional sometimes. I can cry when I watch something that’s moving, and [that] is nothing to be ashamed of either. To repress one side of yourself, I think, is a mistake.”

Amanda Robb has written for The New York Times and GQ.

UPDATE: In a surprise ruling delivered on Monday, December 19, a French court found Christine Lagarde guilty of negligence during her time as France's finance minister. Lagarde's acquittal seemed to be the likely outcome for the allegations—she repeatedly denied the charges and the prosecutor in the trial even called the case "very weak" just days before the ruling—but the IMF managing director was found guilty of misusing public funds during her tenure as France's finance minister. The judge, however, did not impose a fine or any jail time on Lagarde, and the IMF board is expected to meet later on Monday to determine whether or not Lagarde will remain in her role as managing director. “The executive board has met on previous occasions to consider developments related to the legal proceedings in France,” Gerry Rice, an IMF spokesman, said in a statement following the ruling. “It is expected that the board will meet again shortly to consider the most recent developments.”