In a recent interview for my new book, Be Chief: It’s a Choice, Not a Title (Motivational Press, 2018), I was asked to share an embarrassing moment I’d had on stage. My mind instantly flashed back to Beijing and a session I’d had 15 years ago.

It was 2003, and China was celebrating the year of the goat. By the end of the event, I was the one feeling like the goat—and I’m not referring to “the greatest of all time.” Quite the opposite. It served as a great reminder that it’s far more important to understand, than to be understood.

Nine months earlier, I’d been recruited by the new CEO at Lucent Technologies to turn around company sales. As de facto chief sales officer of a sales force that had generated $21 billion in worldwide revenue the year prior, it was a big job.

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