Looking down benignly from the dizzy heights of the corporate top floor, Ms Pat Russo has all the confidence and drive of a woman who has only ever known success. Ranked by Fortune magazine as the 10th most powerful woman in American business, the New Jersey all-rounder is executive vice-president of Lucent Technologies and chief executive officer of its service provider networks business.

In that role she is responsible for a division that employs 82,000 people and chalks up $24 billion (€25.6 billion) in annual revenue. Without a master plan, Ms Russo was on a fast-track to high achievement from her school days. She always performed well academically and was very athletic too, playing sports with boys as a matter of course.

"I played kickball, soccer, skiing, tennis and golf with guys and I was always very comfortable in that environment. I think that has helped me in business because I never experienced discomfort in working in a male environment".

Taking up golf at the age of 12 was hardly a strategic move but her 14 handicap has since proved to be a valuable asset in business. "A lot of business is conducted on the golf course and it's really helped me to be able to go out with three men in a foursome, play golf, have lunch and develop relationships."

It wasn't all ball games growing up in the comfortable suburb of Laurenceville, New Jersey. Ms Russo's youngest twin brothers were born with serious disabilities and she took on responsibility from an early age.

"I was the eldest girl of a large family and I automatically helped out, but I was also encouraged to do well in whatever I tried to do," Ms Russo recalls.

After graduating from Georgetown university in Washington DC, Ms Russo spent eight years in sales and marketing management in IBM.

"Early on in my career it was clearly much more of a man's world in business. It's dramatically different today. Twenty-five years ago I was the only female sales rep in our office; I was the only female sales manager at IBM. I was the first of this and the first of that and I wasn't uncomfortable with it."

Ms Russo joined AT&T in 1981 and held various key management and executive positions throughout the company in strategic planning, marketing, human resources and operations.

She joined Lucent, a spin-off from AT&T, before it was really formed. "Lucent has changed significantly in its five-year history. We have been constantly reinventing ourselves because you have to do that in this industry."

Lucent is no longer in the consumer products business and the company has announced that it will be spinning out its business-to-business systems and focusing on the needs of service providers around the world. That just happens to be the part of Lucent that Ms Russo has responsibility for.

One of the primary responsibilities of a leader is to make sure you have good people in the organisation leading teams, Ms Russo believes. "I have a great management team and I count on them a lot to ensure the execution of our strategy across the business."

Ms Russo's visit to the Lucent systems integration facility in Blanchardstown in Dublin last week is an example of how she likes to keep connected with what's happening on the ground.

"We're expanding the facility by 200,000 square feet and on my visit I spent an hour and a half in the cafeteria with all of the employees, talking about our strategy and what we're up to. I find that is the best way to communicate your message, get people aligned and give them a chance to tell you what's going on." In Ms Russo's experience there are no fundamental differences in the way business is conducted around the world.

"I think there are protocol differences and some cultural differences but, in the end, conducting business and winning business is about relationships, trust and confidence and of course a good solution." Ms Russo displays a missionary zeal when she talks about Lucent and communications technology. "It is really fun to be part of a company and part of an industry that is literally changing the way people, work, live, entertain themselves and have access to information. That's what Lucent does. We change the way people communicate."

The area of technology that Lucent develops is big on convergence between data, wireless, video and audio technologies. Mobility and the Internet will go hand in hand in the very near future, according to Ms Russo. Such technology has made it possible for people to live their lives always connected, always available and that is great for those who choose it, Ms Russo believes. However, she concedes that the downside to this communications frenzy is that it's hard for someone to separate their personal life from their business life.

"You have to be sure that you tune out when you want to tune out."

There are also those who may find it harder to tune in the first place. Ms Russo stresses the importance of ensuring access to education, information and communication for everyone to make sure that people do not get left behind.

Ms Russo admits to being a workaholic who has to force herself to stop at the end of the day. "I do work a lot of hours, partly because I run a global business so the day does get extended. I think balance is probably one of the greatest challenges I have.

"I think it's the nature of business right now and I don't know anyone in our industry that works nine to five. It's fast paced, there's a lot happening, it's exciting, dynamic and challenging.

"When you're running a global business, it just doesn't happen in your day."

When it comes to handling stress, Ms Russo has never had a problem.

"Any results-focused person will experience stress but there are always ways to kick back."

Ms Russo plays golf regularly and recommends taking a jog for three or four miles. If she's not feeling that energetic she'll settle for a massage or a glass of red wine. She also invests in race horses with her husband and she finds a day at the races great fun.

Growing up with two disabled brothers has helped Ms Russo keep perspective on life and has taught her "not to sweat the small stuff". She is very thankful for what she describes as her wonderful life.

"I have a wonderful family, a supportive husband and I have a great job, working for a great company in a great industry. I have no complaints about my life, I'm really very blessed and I try to remember that."