A Post Covid World considered

As a survival mechanism, many companies have now experienced the benefits and ease of digital communication, whether it is via Zoom, Teams or other tools.
In a post-COVID world, they will no doubt look to sustain these cost reductions on business travel, commuting and office space. Not only does it reduce the cost to the company, it also provides an unplanned though undoubtedly necessary opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint!
Although this is understandable and to a large extent desirable, we should not lose sight of the fact that if the pandemic has taught us one thing, it is the importance of shared experiences and human interaction. This will be key as we move businesses into recovery mode, rebuilding relationships and addressing lost or postponed opportunities.
I am not suggesting that we should go back to the pre-COVID days of continuous, often wasteful and habitual international travel. However, we should balance the cost reduction opportunity with the real value of meeting in person. Ultimately, your most important learning will not come from a book but rather from personal experiences that will speak to you more clearly because you have lived them.
Take for example, some of my personal experiences from Japan. Many visits have formed my view that Japan is a place where manners, cordiality and respect are incredibly important. When someone says “yes” it is an acknowledgement they have heard you as opposed to an acceptance of your point of view; long hours in the office are the norm, as are long hours socialising and building relationships with work colleagues after work; direct conflict is avoided, and most major meeting outcomes are determined in advance; trickier items are scheduled at the very end of a meeting, when energy is low and the chance of them being deferred is high. Quality and presentation of products are sacrosanct, even if it necessitates multiple different production and QC stages and a subsequent outrageous retail price point that reflects this.
Once I was reminded in an “overhead” (read cost cutting!) meeting, that the majority of graduates joined the company directly from college and on their induction day, they arrived with their families, dressed in a wedding suit, to begin what was assumed to be a lifelong career.
Another time, when I gave up alcohol for lent during which I visited our Japan office, I refused a beer over dinner. My local host (whom I had an exceptionally good relationship with), took me aside and advised me that as the most senior person in the group my abstinence meant that no one else would be able to drink that night and would I kindly reconsider. Of course, I obliged!
Subtleties like these, can be found across the world.
In Brazil, the joy of life and living, the gratitude for what they have, is far greater than any commercial context or trend. Turkey, the great traders of the world, love the art of the deal and actively look for the win-win scenario so that success can be repeated. In the middle East, negotiations are incredibly tough, with concessions instantly taken and forgotten, in Russia, conspiracies abound and commercial engagement can often resemble a game of chess.
These learnings, contexts, attitudes, and ultimate understandings, only come as a result of meeting people in person and building comfortable relationships of mutual understanding, respect and trust. As your knowledge grows so too does the understanding about how you should show up in these different cultural contexts.
There is no putting the genie back in the bottle! International travel and the opportunities for personal interaction will clearly lessen within global companies. It is also clear that most executives experience of Zoom-like communication platforms, has generally been much more positive than anticipated (though it is true to say that most people started off with very low expectations).
Consistent and targeted coaching on a global basis, can help bridge this gap, ensuring the corporate culture is well defined, lived and becomes second nature across the world. The message, values, mindset, and approach are consistent, allowing open personal interaction to take place, considered, reinforcing the company’s perspective, all the time taking into consideration local cultures and nuances.
Companies who quickly move to a command and control view of the world, powered by technology, risk missing the subtleties and thus many of the opportunities that business on a global basis provides. A thoughtful, global coaching partnership supports new and evolving strategies, that add value to the company by increasing the personal equity and commitment of all concerned.