The image above shows me “doing rounds” in the Middle East back in 2005. It’s how I learned how to speak Arabic. It’s also how I quickly developed one of the largest professional networks in my job despite having been one of the youngest and least experienced members in a half-billion-person large organization. Because of my strong network of relationships, I was quickly seen as a leader among my peers, which enabled me to lead large, prestigious initiatives far sooner than anyone had imagined — while being as many as three decades younger than those I led.
Focusing on relationship building is how I did it.
