I earned my degree, but my most valuable education didn’t happen in lecture halls. It happened in hallways.
I was the quiet kid who ate lunch alone. Small talk felt like torture. Making eye contact? Forget it. By high school, I knew my shyness was a wall between me and everything I wanted to achieve.
So I set a bold goal for university:
Transform into someone who could walk into any room and connect with anyone.
My target: meet five new people every day.
Not because I suddenly loved networking (I still don’t), but because I understood that to succeed in business required one essential skill: the ability to read and connect with people.
This meant changing my mindset, my habits, even how I carried myself.
At first, every conversation felt forced and uncomfortable. Awkward doesn’t begin to cover it.
By the fourth year, something had shifted. I wasn’t just the woman who talked to everyone, I was the one connecting others. People came to me to find the right person for their project, their internship, their idea.
To anyone watching, it looked effortless. The reality? Every conversation was still intentional work. Still draining for this introvert. But now it was work that paid off.
After graduation, I became obsessed with understanding what made people tick. I sought out conversations with people from every walk of life, different cultures, beliefs and backgrounds. I wanted to learn from those who challenged my thinking, who made me uncomfortable.
Every interaction taught me something. I started recognizing patterns in how people communicated, what they needed to feel heard, how different personalities clicked or clashed.
Understanding people became second nature.
I graduated with a degree, but the skill that’s carried me furthest in life, leadership, and business is this: the ability to walk into any room, read what’s really happening, get out of my own way, adapt and connect with people in a meaningful way.
Today, whether I’m leading transformations, negotiating deals, or coaching executives, I’m still studying the room. The difference? It now feels naturally intentional and strategic.
What that journey taught me about people and leadership:
Your technical skills get you in the door, but people skills determine how far you go. The best leaders are the best listeners. People don’t buy your ideas until they buy into you. And authenticity will always beat charisma.
Here’s the twist: my biggest weakness became my greatest strength. Because connecting didn’t come naturally, I had to study it more deeply than someone born with the gift ever would.
Sometimes the most important curriculum is the one you design for yourself.
What’s one skill you had to teach yourself that no classroom ever covered?
