Day 16: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“Nine Days in Rio” sounds like the title of a pretty sweet movie.
Kind of an “Oceans 11” meets “City of God” with a little “Hangover 2” mixed in…
Preferably starring Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman. And also that hot chick from Bridesmaids…
Nonstop action, heated sexual innuendo, and mind-blowing dialogue… a mix of passionate love affairs and mysterious interludes along the sun-soaked, “fio dental”-bikni-laced beaches of Ipanema… and a well-planned bank robbery or two…
Or, at least some disturbing the peace and public intoxication.
Nine days in Rio would be wild.
The Copacabana from my hotel room.
Of course, if you’re going there for week long meetings about laundry, the agenda may differ a just little bit… 
Twice a year our global, Developing Market team comes together from around the world to share results and devise our plans for further worldwide Detergent Domination. Laundry is P&G’s largest business, over $10 Billion in more than 100 countries across 5 continents… That’s a lot of soap.
We spent about 12 hours a day in a windowless room on the Copacabana, pimping powerpoints, not Portuguese…
For most people, sending a team of the company’s brightest minds to one of the most beautiful cities on earth to talk about product sales and marketing plans would be an agonizing form of Corporate torture (and I was seriously considering reporting this to HR…)
But as usual, there was some meaning behind the madness.
View of Rio and Pão de Açúcar ("Sugarloaf Mountain) from Corcovado.
Brazil is the 5th largest country in the world with about 200 million people, and has quickly become one of the largest markets for household and beauty products in the world. It has one of the world’s fastest growing economies and is a focus area for every major company on the planet.
Rio is also the host of the 2016 Olympic Games, of which P&G is a global sponsor. So, beaches and bikini’s aside, there’s a lot of reasons for our business leaders to learn about Brazil.
Plus, the mere possibility of running into Giselle makes any trip worth taking. 
I continue to be impressed with the focus, tenacity, and productivity of our team at these meetings. We get a lot of sh*t done!
But more than the work, I’m always amazed at how people from completely different cultures and backgrounds can come together behind common goals and a shared Purpose.
Our team includes people from literally all over the world. The Nationalities around the table read more like a UN Assembly than a corporate convention: American, Belgian, Brazilian, British, Canadian, Chinese, Egyptian, Filipino, French, German, Hungarian, Indian, Kenyan, Mexican, Moroccan, Polish, Romanian, Scottish, Swiss, Venezuelan… and Texan.
When that much diversity collides at one time, the energy is unbelievable… Individual perspective meets a collective passion to connect and share, ask and answer.
When you open your mind and submit your soul to different ways of thinking, you unleash a very powerful part of yourself. You see more clearly. You watch more intently… You stop hearing, and start listening.
Everyone plays the role of both teacher, and student. Every encounter is an education… Every interaction is an awakening.….
Every day is a discovery.
And exploration becomes as much an internal journey, as an external exercise. The more we learn, the more we grow. And the more we grow, the more we seek… It becomes a constant and continuous way of life…
In between and after the meetings, I experienced and explored Rio with some of the coolest people on earth:
Spent the first day with the team meeting real people… going to their homes and walking through the Brazilian favelas. Seeing how people live is the best way to understand how they think.
Day 2: Lunch meeting on the Copacabana with Marcin, from Poland. #besomebody.
Some of the team after enjoying carne and Caipirinha's at the churrascaria, like some true Cariocas.
Had some great workouts along the Copacabana with David, from Canada. Love how Rio has exercise equipment all along the beach to encourage fitness (in between all the futbol and volleyball that’s being played).
Visited the beautiful Corcovado with some of the team on my last full day in Rio...
... then got sweaty trying to Samba later that night... ABK from Morocco and David, from Scotland, were partners-in-crime but, thankfully, not my dance partners.
And on my last morning in Rio, spent some quality time taking it all in… sat solo on the balcony and watched the sunrise… and listened to the ocean…
One of the most important things I’ve learned from this job is that when we embrace new people, pursuits, and points of view, the world opens up for us…
Life is a learning experience.
#besomebody.
Kash $
Part 3 of a Series “30 Days Away.”: Over the past 2 years I have been blessed to visit over 30 countries across 5 continents. The places were special. The experiences were amazing. The people have changed my life… and I’m truly grateful… I’ve had a few dozen requests to blog more about those people/experiences, so I’ve decided to try it as I embark on a 40+ day trek across Latin America and Europe… Thanks to everyone who suggested the series… Everyday is an evolution. #besomebody. $
#besomebody.BUZZ