McFall & Manor: When first elected in 1996, she won with 57 percent of the vote, and when she was re-elected in 1998, she won with 66 percent. Governor Jeanne Shaheen has accomplished much in her almost three years in office. She is smart, tough, political, a mom­and every woman, it seems, would like to know how she maintains balance in her life.

In 1988, at the Connections Conference in Nashua, more than 600 businesswomen from throughout New England were waiting for her to appear at the Sheraton Tara. Elizabeth Dole had finished her remarks, and the room was filling with a bid of dread that perhaps the governor would not make it to the annual wome's conference.

Then the room rippled with excitement, and the first woman governor of New Hampshire entered the room, took the stage and immediately appologized for being late.

She told her audience that on her way to the conference she had to pick up her daughter's bunny at the nearby farm, and to her horror, she discovered while driving that she was still wearing her tennis shoes. Knowing that she could not address a group of professional women in tennis shoes, she tuned around, went home and changed her footwear.

Accompaied by appreciative laughter and applause, the governor connected with every woman in the audience because she was able to share her vulnerability with them. She let the attendees know that balance and schedule are tough, even when you are the governor of the state of New Hampshire.

How does a female leader gain power and have influence? What is it that allow others to follow her and be inspired by her? How does she conduct her life so that others, male and female alike, will want to take action to support her and work with her on her vision and goals?

These are some of the questions we discussed with each other before interviewing Governor Shaheen recently. We wondered if her gender had made that much of a difference to her work. In the thinking so typical of modern successful women, Governor Shaheen does not specifically think of herself as a female governor, merely as the holder of the corner office.

McFall & Manor: Through the years, being a woman has not necessarily been a positive. We've had to stand back and say, "OK, how can we make this equal?" And you have made equality very easy. You've made a lot of people very comfortable in voting for you­ Republican, Democrat, Independent. In your career, how you've been able to be that woman and also be powerful.

Governor Shaheen: Well, you know I guess I never had a choice. When I talk to people, I get questioned a lot about, "Well, what's it like to be the first woman governor?" My answer to that is, "Well, I don't know. I've never been a man governor." And we all sort of bring to whatever we do, our life's' experiences and relationships. It's no different being governor than being a journalist or an entrepreneur or whatever. We bring that perspective.

McFall & Manor: Who have your mentors been?

Governor Shaheen: Some of my teachers have had an immense influence over the direction of my life, particularly a political science professor I had in college, Dr. Beckner. I remember being upset about the Vietnam War and the seeming unwillingness of Congress and the administration to end it. He told me that when enough people get upset enough about the politics, they would change. It was an important lesson about the need to work together to create change. Also, when I returned to Hew Hampshire after graduate school, I worked for the UNH faculty Senate with Professor Bob Craig, who was very involved in Democratic politics. He and fromer Gov. Hugh Gallen were important influences over my political career.

McFall & Manor: What keeps you motivated and fired up?

Governor Shaheen: Looking at how the changes we have made...have had a positive impact on the lives of the people in New Hampshire. I can see it when I go into one of the many new kindergartens that have opened in the last three years because the kindergarten incentive program, or when a senior citizen tells me he is saving money through the Senior Prescription Drug Discount Program.

Just a few weeks ago, I signed the HMO Accountability Act. There are 6,000 children in New Hampshire that now have quality health care because of our Children's Health Insurance Program

Knowing I am making a difference, a difference that real people in New Hampshire can feel, keeps me motivated.

McFall & Manor: You've said that family is the most important thing in your life. How does that fit with the crazy hours of being a governor?

Governor Shaheen: I think like everybody else, I maintain balance one day at a time. You know, try and maintain a sense of humor. I think that's very important and to look at each day as a new adventure and as positive. I joke and say that maintaining balance is realizing that there is no balance. It's learning to live with the guilt and trying to take one thing at a time and deal with it in that way. For me, a special treat is getting to go for a walk, getting to read a book at night before I go to bed. Those are great treats.

McFall & Manor: Are your children supportive of you being governor? Are they excited about that part of your life?

Governor Shaheen: You know, in some respects, they're excited. I've been involved in politics really since they were all babies and so that's all they've known and so they've taken it just as if I were doing anything else. It would be what they were used to. And generally, they have not complained very much.

McFall & Manor: The night you won the election, you introduced your husband as "the first hunk." It was so sweet and it was so beautiful and so loving. How have you put your relationship together that you actually could introduce him that way and have him be the strong and wonderful guy that he is?

Governor Shaheen: Well, if you knew Billy, that wouldn't surprise you. "The first hunk" is the name that he came up with and it's perfect. Again, it just like most married people. You take it one day at a time and you enjoy the good times and you get through the difficult times. You know one of the positive things about my being governor has been that he has, because he left the judgeship, been able to be a part of it and that's been great. He's able to go to functions in my place, he's able to do things like the trade mission with me and it's a wonderful support.

McFall & Manor: We have so many great female leaders from abroad. Did you find that the trade mission was a new level in terms of what you were doing, particularly to have you go over there and represent all of our companies here? Was that something you were especially excited about?

Governor Shaheen: Very much. Particularly on this trip because of the high-tech aspect of it. We had 18 business along, 11 of them were high-tech. We visited the largest technology expo in the world and that was very exciting, to see what's going on in New Hampshire and to see where we're headed. It's just beyond imagination.

Manor & McFall: Many women have had a lot of financial frustrations in raising their families and we're wondering, could you speak to that about the financial frustrations and how you solve that in your family.

Governor Shaheen: Well, I guess we've solved it as we've gotten older and have maintained regular jobs and our kids are getting older and moving out and so, in some respects, our expenses are less but as we look at parenthood, just when you're getting to the point where you have more time and more money, you're kids are grown and so you're not in the same position that you were when they were little and that's one of the ironies of life, I think. But that's why we get grandchildren.