What’s A Challenge You Faced Early On?

When I was in uniform, I had to interact with foreign nations and their militaries. At UVA, it was professors, students, staff, and administration.

Knowing their language, and knowing how to manage relationships on all different levels has been the biggest challenge to me.

One time, I was on a mission to train, aid, and assist the Romanian Navy. For some reason, they liked to drink, especially when we were doing training events, such as military exercises.

It was a high-stakes situation, but at the end of the day, I had to make them comfortable so we could get on the same page.

I bargained with them, saying “hey, right now we’re not going to drink on the shooting range, but the US dollar is pretty strong, so after we have a successful day on the range, I'll treat you guys out for a beer.”

Incentivizing the way that they operate as a culture in a way where it wasn't going to interfere with the objective was key.