A few years ago, on an overseas assignment, a senior executive approached me from the company. We were from the same country of origin, and he told me that he would like to help me get oriented to the new company and the country. A year on, I realized that all his advice was utterly misleading, and he was only trying to exploit my position of power to his advance. I watched him use the same trick on all new hires from my country, using them with his perceived power in the company until they woke up and realized that the favors they were doing to him were not reciprocal. On the contrary, this gentleman was actively undermining them when interests clashed.