From THE TEAM
Why would anyone want a career in international business development? Let me count the ways . . . Every day is different. You will keep your mind sharp and your heart tender. You will bum with other cool, smart, sassy, clever, and caring people who become life long friends and associates. You will truly understand the meaning of “fellowship” as you help – and are helped by – your Teammates personally, professionally, and politically.
You will learn the business from the inside-out, leaving you well-positioned for future advancements. At the same time, you may enjoy temporary respite from daily corporate bullshit as you visit – live in – some of the places you studied in eighth-grade geography class. A great opportunity to expand your vocabulary and try all kinds of different foods. Basic rule of thumb: if the natives eat it, so should you. Call it, bonding with your customer. Pickled jellyfish isn’t all bad, rather like coleslaw. Sheep eyeballs take getting used to.
You will learn to respect and deal with fear—fear of losing a deal, fear of strangers in dark alleys, fear of missing your airline connection
You will works with serfs and kings, often on the same day, and sit at the main table next to powerful leaders.
When day is done – when the mission ends — you will have wonderful stories to share with your mate and kids. Perhaps even pen a memoir.
What sort people should be in Business Development? The flip answer, people who wanted to be in business development because or in spite of all of the above. I wish there was some sort of “great salesman litmus test,” like one developed for fighter pilots by a U.S. Navy flight surgeon. He discovered two almost universal traits among the best of them: they ran upstairs two at a time, and at some time in their lives had owned a motorcycle. Football coaches look for a running back who can see “the game in slow motion” and find a path during the violence and havoc of the scrimmage---but their search involves actual on-the-field observation.
Here's what I look for in a candidate. People with imagination. People who demonstrate independence, maturity, judgment, fortitude, and personal integrity. People with curiosity and objectivity. People with the sort of self-confidence needed when meeting with a skeptical head of state. Even people with a chip on their shoulder, who want to win, to prove something to themselves or their parents or the girl back in high school who refused an invitation to go bowling. People willing to spend a great deal of time in the field selling billions of dollars worth of airplanes against competition from not only other American aerospace companies but also offerings from, for example, Britain, France, Sweden, Russia, or various consortia. Above all, people who shared my passion, my obsession, for understanding human nature. This had nothing to do with products or technology, but with how decisions get made. Because, after all, what is selling but getting someone to agree to buy your product? This is gritty work, not glad handing and salesman’s spin.
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