Lesson 1. Sinking Yourself Into the Environment Impacts How You See it

After reflecting on the (business) trip of a lifetime, I started blogging the lessons learned after stepping outside of my comfort zone and into the lifestyle and culture of others. To begin this three-part blog series, let me describe the purpose of the trip and the setting.

The trip planning started after my having to make some tough decisions in our portfolio that impacted our employees, not the least of whom were those in Italy. I decided that I needed to spend some time there – time not only to be present but to be available to answer questions, to simply get to know the team, and let them know me.

I brought my family along since the kids were out of school. While I worked, they had a chance to explore countries they had not even begun thinking about visiting yet. After four weeks of my family’s exploration and my working with the team in Italy, we were afforded a week of family vacation in Portugal. Reflecting on these five weeks, I cannot believe what an amazing experience it was for both my professional and personal learning, the rich experiences for my family, and how fascinating our global culture remains. Read more >