The world according to diplomat Ali Buhindi

When we hear the word diplomat, we often fantasize about a tall, handsome man in an Armani suit impressing everyone at a swanky cocktail party. That’s what we have seen in movies. But a diplomat’s role is far more dynamic than attending fancy parties. Diplomats are foreign policy leaders. They are responsible for protecting their home country’s citizens and repairing relationships between nations by facilitating an exchange of information to help their home country and their host country to understand each other better. Currently, there are about 59 Foreign Embassies and 2 Consulates placed in the territory of Qatar. While Qatar itself, in total, counts nearly 9 Embassies and 8 Consulates spread all over the world.

Ali Buhindi – The Qatari diplomat in the United States is one of the most influential personalities we have come across. He has been working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for nine years and has achieved so much. Ali is a thought leader who has impressed everyone at the office. With dedication, hard work and clear ambitions, he has accomplished his dreams. To learn more about his perspective, how he sees the world and how he is contributing, we invited Ali Buhindi for a little talk.

Q1: You are from Qatar, and the country has a comparatively less number of diplomats. What inspired you to become one?

Since I was young, I have dreamed of getting into this field. I was born in the State of Qatar and never left the country until I reached the age of 26. I came to the United States of America with the aim of working in the diplomatic corps. After completing my master’s degree in business, I started working towards my goal of working as a diplomat. I was lucky enough as I was granted a role in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I have been working for the past nine years in this field. At the moment, I am serving as a diplomat at the Embassy of Qatar, Washington. I am good at establishing relationships, and I love this work a lot. Meeting new people and learning about new cultures is something that excites me. I am a social person, and my public speaking and interpersonal skills were something that inspired me to become a diplomat. There are a lot of things that I love about my job. But to talk about a few, I love getting to know different cultures, civilizations and people and building relationships.

Q2: Share your achievements with our audience. Both as a young and inspiring diplomat and also your personal milestones that you have achieved so far.

For me, my life and all stages of my life, I consider them as an achievement for myself and my work. Coming to the United States of America in itself is an achievement for me. My freelance business is an achievement for me. Completing my master’s from a reputable university is also an achievement. I aspire to continue my work, education and enjoyment in my life, and I never give up. My biggest achievement is working in this field alongside some successful and influential people from every part of the world. However, the journey wasn’t easy. Like every person out there, I have faced many challenges and conflicts throughout my life. I would need a book to mention them (chuckles). But I would like to mention to you and everyone that Actions are important, but everything can be achieved by intentions. Each of us will have what we have intended. We just have to wait for our time to come.

Q3: What have you learned from your experiences so far as a public figure and a diplomat? Any advice that the up-and-coming passionate kids can use?

Life as a whole is a learning process. Failures are nothing but learning experiences for all of us. Working in this field has taught me that listening is better than speaking. Words that come out of you that you speak must be balanced. Do not talk about something you do not know, and you must accept opinions with an open heart. This is what I advise to those who are just starting when you’re at the beginning of your career, being a listener is better than being a talker. Another piece of advice that I would like to share is that all of us regret something that we did in the past. But this is a beautiful thing. Do you know why? Because this regret is something that changes us for the better and makes us who we are. If we don’t regret it, we will not succeed and keep on repeating the same mistakes again and again.