8Discipline 4: Social/Emotional/Political IntelligenceThe Tribulations of Leadership and Their Remedies
Diego had a hardscrabble start to life. He was born in the favela (slums) of São Paulo and abandoned by his parents. He was one of those nameless children left adrift to fend for themselves. But Diego had a fierce passion in life: he wanted to better himself. To escape the favela he worked 10 hours a day as a busboy in a popular São Paulo restaurant and 7 hours a day as a house servant until he had accumulated enough money to get his high school and college degrees in Brazil. As soon as he graduated he immigrated to the United States and found work with a multinational company in Miami that needed business professionals who spoke both Spanish and Portuguese. Diego was adroit at working with people. He was an avid listener, so much so that after people talked with him they didn't really know much about him, because the entire conversation centered on their interests, not Diego's.
You can see where this story is going. Diego rose quickly through the ranks from interpreter to salesman to sales executive to division general manager, then company CEO.
As you'll discover in the following paragraphs there are many good reasons for this beyond the knowledge you'll acquire. Read on.
When you face problems, you tend to think, “I understand you, but you don't understand me. So let me tell you my story first.” But, when ...
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