Rob Kim/Getty Images Fortune 500 consultant and former bartender Helen Rothberg first learned the skills she needed to succeed in business behind the bar. In the below excerpt from her book the "The Perfect Mix," she reflects on a particular experience looking for a bartending job. She took a risk by applying for a bartending job at a restaurant she felt she didn't fit — but it showed her taking risks is crucial to success. The following is an adaptation from 'The Perfect Mix: Everything I Know About Leadership I Learned as a Bartender' by Helen Rothberg: Some thirty years ago, I needed to find the right bartending job to sustain my quest for an MBA from the City University of New York's graduate business program.