The experience of Lena Smart, Chief Information Security Officer at MongoDB, highlights the importance of clarity, goal-setting, and leadership characteristics such as decisiveness and continuous learning in achieving success as a woman leader. Her journey from working in the power industry to joining a FinTech company and ultimately finding her ideal environment at MongoDB showcases the impact of having supportive teams and leaders on career growth. Lena emphasizes the significance of setting clear goals, being intellectually honest, and embracing diversity and positivity in creating a strong team culture. She also advocates for investing in training and certification programs, as well as mentorship initiatives like MentorHER, to empower women's leadership development and drive organizational change.