Hi there,
As a podcast host, certain episodes can sometimes seem a bit like your children.
You’re not meant to have any favourites.
But sometimes, in some circumstances, you do 🤷♂️.
My recent interview with COFCO International’s North America General Counsel, Rozan Simoni is one of my all-time favourites.
To say that Rozan’s path to success as GC of a global corporation wasn’t easy is a bit of an understatement.
Arriving in the U.S. as a 20-year-old from Albania — with limited English proficiency, no friends or family, a backpack of clothes, and $200 to his name — Rozan gambled against the odds.
He worked multiple jobs while attending university and law school. And that was just the beginning of the long and winding journey that led him to his current role as COFCO’s North America GC.
Freedom Works
By far the most impactful and my favourite part of Rozan’s story is about a pivotal moment in his life as a 13-year-old still living in Albania.
The Berlin Wall had just fallen and James Baker, then Secretary of State in the U.S., spoke these two simple but impactful words in a speech made during his visit to the country: “Freedom works.”
It’s something that has stuck with Rozan throughout his life and career trajectory and particularly influences his approach to leadership and mentorship.
“I'm gonna trust people. I'm gonna allow them to make mistakes. And as long as they're not fatal mistakes, they're teachable. Those are teachable moments, and that's how we learn.”
Rozan explains it best in his own words in this short snippet that I’ve shared from our conversation:
