I didn’t plan to become a recruiter.
I didn’t plan most of it, actually.
In 2006, my husband and I made the decision to move to Qatar. New country. New life. And for me… no job, no network, no idea where to begin.
I had left behind a career. A comfort zone. Everything familiar.
And I arrived in Doha with a suitcase full of clothes… and quietly, without even realising it, something else.
Lessons from a volleyball court in Delhi.
I played volleyball for my school team as a teenager. Trained hard. Hours on the wall perfecting strokes. Twice a week with a heavy medicine ball just to master the fingering moves. Warm ups, jogging, stretching, skipping — before a single ball was even served.
Our coach wasn’t interested in making us perfect. He was interested in making us better.
What he taught us on that court… I carried without knowing I was carrying it.
I approached a recruiting agency called Key Resources looking for work.
They didn’t find me a job.
They offered me one — as a recruiter.
I had never worked for an agency. I had no experience in recruitment. I was anxious. Uncertain. And completely out of my depth.
But I thought — there has to be a first time.
And I said yes.
1. Focus on what you can control.
On the court, we were taught — your effort is yours. The outcome is not. In my new role, I couldn’t control a client’s hiring decision. But I could control the quality of information I gave both sides. The clarity. The preparation. The honesty. That built trust faster than anything else.
2. Practice makes you better. Not perfect.
In Doha, I practised differently. I wrote out questions before every candidate call. I sat in on client meetings to understand the business. I even worked on my accent — making sure my Delhi Punjabi English was clear for every nationality. My candidates only knew me by my voice. I had to make sure they heard my competence, not just my origins.
3. Let go of mistakes. Then play the next point.
Recruitment is a people business. And people are unpredictable. My coach taught us — acknowledge it, learn from it, leave it on the court. Every role that didn’t close made me sharper. Less rattled. More resilient.
With those three principles and a lot of persistence… I started hitting targets. Then exceeding them.
A career built in a country I hadn’t planned to be in. In a role I hadn’t planned to take. One match at a time.
I haven’t played volleyball since school.
But I think about that court more than people might expect.
The Two People Who Taught Me Everything I Know About Leadership
Because the most useful things I ever learned about starting over… didn’t come from a career coach or a relocation guide.
They came from a teenager on a court in Delhi who was just trying to get better.
Not perfect. Better.
And there is no offseason for that. Not in sport. Not in leadership. Not in life.
When you were forced to start over… what did you discover you had already been carrying?
I’m Usha. Executive Leadership Coach. Let’s talk.
Usha Nagrani, an HR Leader turned ICF Executive Coach, empowers senior management professionals and business leaders to achieve breakthroughs as expats, build cross-cultural teams, and navigate the exciting journey of career acceleration.
