I was invited to speak to a group of students in former enemy territory and I had to make a decision whether to accept. In high school, I played basketball (and football for a day and a half) for a private school and our rival was the public school across town. This meant that every time we faced them in a basketball game, our team had one mission: Crush them! But now I was given an opportunity to extend the olive branch and I accepted it.
Last month I spoke to a group of young high school leaders about navigating the business world, growing as leaders, and pursuing excellence. I started by mentioning how I graduated from the school across town and the entire room groaned in disapproval. Fair enough. But by the end of the 45-minute talk, the 80+ attendees remained attentive, asked great questions, and seemed to have learned a lot. We were no longer rivals! In fact, the friendly school principal gave me a hug and said that I’m welcomed back any time. This marked the beginning of a new era!
I’ve spoken to students of all ages in the past, including pre-school students, teenage girls, college students, leaders in Trinidad, leaders in Switzerland, and even at my own high school, but to my surprise, this experience was among the best.
Turns out that the key to diplomacy is simple: show up, share some wisdom, and make sure no one checks your subpar high school basketball stats or concerningly short football career.