Dara Khosrowshahi was born in Tehran, Iran, in May of 1969. Less than a decade later, Khosrowshahi and his family would emigrate to the United States in the wake of the Iranian Revolution.
“We sure didn’t feel like refugees, but in hindsight I guess we were — my father and mother left everything behind to come here — to be safe and give their boys a chance to rebuild a life,” Khosrowshahi wrote recently in a company memo. “I remember my father taking us to meeting with lawyers, interviews with immigration officers, doing everything he could to get us that treasured Green Card — and the happiness, the sense of relief, when he finally did — we knew that we were welcome now, and we would be welcome tomorrow.”
The 9-year-old immigrant would eventually become CEO of one of the world’s largest travel companies, expanding Expedia’s presence to over 60 countries across the globe. Despite the company’s ascent deeper and deeper into the Fortune 500, Khosrowshahi has kept the company’s envied culture intact. Expedia has been consistently named one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies, Forbes’ Most Innovative Companies and ranked No. 1 on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work in the UK.
Looking back, Khosrowshahi shares his views on the different skills, personality traits and critical life practices that entrepreneurs and future executives should aim to develop by age 30.
From a substantive leadership and skills perspective, what were the key talents that you developed during your 20s?
Khosrowshahi: When I was in my 20s, I learned not only how to work hard, but about the importance of focus. I started in investment banking at Allen & Company in 1991. It was the go-go days of media mergers and we were incredibly busy with one deal after another. Unlike typical investment banking groups, even in the midst of merger mania, we didn’t have a formal face-time culture — and I felt empowered by that.
You should identify specific takeaways from your first few roles as a young professional that will prove relevant for a lifetime. Early on, I learned the importance of being acutely focused on my…