If you have read the paper or watched the news in recent months, you are likely familiar with Hillary Clinton’s bid to be the Democratic Party’s nominee in the 2016 Presidential Race. You may also be aware of the situation that continues to unfold around her email practices as Secretary of State.

In a nutshell, when she was the U.S. Secretary of State she used a non-government email account for her work and personal communications. In recent months, questions have been raised about her email usage, the process employed to save/delete emails, and what, if any, rules or laws may have been violated.

I have no idea how this will ultimately play out. This episode may hinder her future political aspirations or flip 180 degrees and put her in the White House. Frankly, that’s not my concern or the intended takeaway for this post. Whether you are a Hillary Clinton advocate or detractor, my desire is not to feed or challenge your respective position. I’m simply looking at the situation through a leadership lens in an attempt to identify lessons we all can learn to avoid or at least mitigate similar situations in our lives.

Over the last few days, the situation has escalated with her server recently handed over to the Department of Justice.

In March 2015, I wrote a LinkedIn post titled 5 Leadership Lessons from Hillary Clinton’s Email Dilemma. In the article, I offered 5 leadership lessons that emerged from the email situation:

1. Be an example; don’t opt for convenience
2. Be transparent; don’t tell only half the story
3. Be aware of your behaviors; don’t just assume intent
4. Be responsible; don’t avoid ownership
5. Be aware that low trust has a long tail; don’t assume all is forgotten

In light of the continued questions surrounding her email utilization, her response to the situation, and the potential impact on her political campaign, I decided to provide three additional leadership lessons that have unfolded in recent days. I invite you to consider the three latest observations (#6-8) and answer a few questions about your own leadership behaviors.

6. Be appropriately serious; don’t come across flippant. A good sense of humor goes a long way. It can help breakdown barriers, ease tensions, and create memorable moments. However, humor must be appropriately applied. In recent days, when Hilary Clinton was questioned about wiping clean her server, she quipped, “What like with a cloth or something?”

In a separate speech to supporters, she joked, “You may have seen that I recently launched a Snapchat account. I love it. I love it. Those messages disappear all by themselves.”

Her supporters might love the humor. It may have helped lighten the mood. It also may have done little to garner positive attention from those she is trying to win over.

Consider your question about your use of humor:

• Do you effectively use humor in your role to ease tensions, breakdown barriers, or create memorable moments?
• Have you ever attempted to use humor at the wrong time or in a manner that was misinterpreted? If so, what did you do to address the situation?
• How might you more effectively use humor in the future, or avoid its use in inappropriate times?

7. Be proactive; don’t allow the story to overtake your message. Throughout the entire situation, Hillary Clinton has been on defense. Instead of proactively addressing the situation, she seems to respond to questions or criticisms as they arise. To some degree this is understandable, as she is likely hoping the situation will diffuse. But, it isn’t. It’s actually overtaking her campaign message.

Consider your behavior in challenging times:

• Have you put yourself proactively out in front of an issue? Or, have you let it fester?
• Why did you behave as you did?
• What might you do next time to keep from having an issue overtake your message?

8. Be open to feedback; don’t create an environment where people won’t speak up. I don’t know what type of environment Hillary Clinton created for those who worked around her. Perhaps she was amazingly approachable and open to criticism.

I can’t help but think that many who surrounded her knew that using a non-government email account might be a problem. I imagine that they refrained from conveying their concerns, because the environment discouraged such practices. Or, they conveyed their concerns and were ignored. Either way, a more open environment may have addressed the issue before it became an issue.

Consider how you handle feedback and the environment you create:

• Do you create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their ideas, observations, and criticisms?
• How did you react the last time a direct report objected to your actions? Were you defensive? Reflective? Open?
• What might you do in the future to be more open to feedback?