For me, a mix of humility and curiosity has always served me best when dealing with topics that I don’t understand, like very technical issues when interacting with R&D.
I vividly remember a time early in my career when I joined an adtech company. I was new to this world and in a meeting with R&D struggling to keep up with the language and concepts, which was an issue because I was responsible for ensuring privacy compliance. Anybody that works in adtech knows how privacy is inextricably connected to technology.
In that scenario humility played a crucial role me.
I didn’t understand so I starting asking a lot of questions. Some were clearly rookie questions but others made my colleagues stop and reassess – there is a value to bringing a fresh new perspective.
Admitting that I didn’t understand something wasn’t a sign of weakness but rather strength that fostered better collaboration.
I was also curious, which I am by nature anyway. That came through.
Being authentically curious has actually worked for me as a tool in many situations. When people see that I am curious about their knowledge, they are eager to interact and share.
It was a moment which turned potential misunderstandings into opportunities for deeper understanding and in the end, better legal results.
I don’t consider myself to be the most confident person, but I am confident about my strengths. Humility and curiosity are 2 strengths that I possess that have carried me very far in my career. It has enabled me to build trust with R&D teams to enable us to work together effectively.
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