Gayle King Says It Is Hard To Say 'No' To Things She Believes In

As Editor-at-Large of The Oprah Magazine and also the co-host of “CBS This Morning” it’s no surprise that Gayle King knows a few tricks to success. One of her secrets that's helped her land a successful career: interpreting “no” from others as a challenge.

“It's very difficult for me to take 'no' for an answer for something I believe in,” King revealed during a new interview with Elle.

King hasn’t always worked as a journalist, but now, with more than 40 years in the industry according to Time, she has learned a thing or two about what she wants out of her career.

“I'm a big fan of Kendra Scott, and when I was interviewing her, she said, 'Whenever anybody tells me no, I just say, 'Game on,' because no backward is on,'” King said. “I like that. Eventually, within reason, you can turn almost any no into a yes.”

She took her biggest career move when she made the leap to print journalism after 18 years working in broadcast in Hartford, Connecticut. She said although she loved the magazine, at first she missed the “ping” of breaking news.

“It was a risk to leave television for a medium I knew nothing about,” she said. “Twenty years later, I'm still here and still loving it."

King said she feels her early career jobs, including working at a hamburger stand in California, taught her a very valuable lesson.

“I think everybody should do something that allows you to interact with the public, whether it's waitressing, whether it's retail,” she said. “ It teaches you how to engage with people, how to problem solve, and how to deal with nice people and people that can be extremely difficult."

Another important item King believes helps her be successful: a powerful outfit.

“I love a great form-fitting sheath dress. Yellow is my favorite color. I'm not partial to pants. I just don't think I look good in pants,” King said.