Treat your work like you would travel to a new country

“Have you also traveled to a country where you haven’t had friends in the country before?” I asked during my conversation with an inspiring and powerful woman today. Before Covid, she has traveled to 20+ (if I remember correctly) countries.

“No, actually. I had a friend in every country I traveled to.” She replied.

What if we would treat our working activities like she has done? What if every time we go to a meeting, visit with another group, visit with a customer group, we’d find a “friend”? Someone who we can rely on, who can tell us what to pay attention to, how things work and how to navigate the environment.

As I am writing this, I remembered this was how I “worked” in the corporate world. I either found a friend or became a friend of someone. Unconsciously I was looking for people to experience work (travel) with.

So, if you are reading this and you feel like you are “traveling” alone, I am inviting you to shift your mindset and for one day become playful. Become the traveler, the tourist, the foreigner at your work and see what happens. Invite others to play with you and ask them to be your guide as you are traveling through.

I think this would be a creative and innovative way for CEOs, executives to “tour” their “countries”. I bet they would find something amazing they have probably walked by many times before yet never noticed…

Remember, together is better. Tomorrow find a friend in every country you travel to aka find an ally in every meeting or conversation at work.

And let me know what you experienced or discovered.