Globalization was a big word some decades ago. But even before the trend emerged, on my travels, I had always been happy receiving a business card from a person who was living far away from me. In a completely different country, even on a different continent, often recognizable as “a different culture.”
In modern times, with, as is said sarcastically, the problems remaining the only global thing, I still believe we should learn from one another—despite being physically far apart. Many years ago, it was my curiosity that drove me to my international connections—these subsequently resulted in some benefits for me. At the time, I would say, the benefits were mostly cultural and practical.
The web was not so readily available, so I was able, while planning my business trips, to ask people for some advice via email: for a suitable hotel, for a decent restaurant, for instructions on how to reach the company. Yet, in parallel, I was learning: learning different habits, different behaviors, and different approaches to solving problems.
I also started learning from these connections professionally, since the people I connected with were experts in their fields. But it was not always the same field; I learned from colleagues in different professions from mine as well.
Nurturing cross-country connections and sharing are—to my opinion—extremely beneficial for your personal growth—and they contribute to a better society. For people in Learning and Development (L&D), whose mission is to help others grow and develop, the breadth of connections and the richness of experience is the best ticket to success. And no matter what, even traditional networks are now using social networks as well, so let’s focus on them.
The strength of your connections
The strength lies not in the number but in the quality of connections. We all know this; yet, especially on social media, we tend to count the connections (and likes). The more, the better. Until they become unmanageable, until we do not know most of our connections, until we are overwhelmed with notifications from all directions.
I suggest applying the 80/20 principle (introduced by Robert Koch). That means you nurture—focus on—some 20% of your connections; these are the ones that bring you 80% of the value. How do you select the 20%? Sometimes you simply have a sense, you intuitively feel the value you could get from them. More often, it is their posts, shares, and comments where you see value— and that inspire you.
Consider that 20% as your inner circle, as your core. From that, you build a couple of tight connections with people who become your “personal board of directors,” a description I heard recently on a LinkedIn webinar.
Expanding your network
Often, I connected with people who were great speakers at webinars I attended, the voice of a certain community, great presenters at conferences, people whose books inspired me, and people whose initiatives and values aligned with mine. And I especially focused on the connections who were responding to me, commenting, sometimes even tagging me.
You may wonder if such an approach could lead to a group of like-minded people. It could. Social media algorithms tend to connect people of similar opinions, which serves to strengthen such opinions. And once you disagree, you simply leave … and join some other social platform. But the impact on your cognitive functions, to your growth, is much greater if you also connect with people of diverse backgrounds, cultures, expertise, and opinions.
That is why I have always taken care to also connect with interesting people from other industries, people with different interests than mine, even with people I did not fully agree with but had a feeling they could bring different perspectives to what I do.
And I have always sought to balance local (and stable) connections with my remote ones, which I have tried to distribute across the globe. Sometimes the distribution resulted from the business I was in; sometimes it was the result of conscious decisions.
I would never, for example, have learned so much about L&D if I had not connected to several professional organizations and their members. Especially if you are from areas of the world that are quite far away from where the core event takes place. For example, I am from Europe and a lot of L&D professional development is concentrated in the USA.
Without attending evening webinars (I am 9 hours apart from Pacific time), without a strong social network, I would never be where I am today. International connections are simply a great investment in your growth.
And I would never have learned so much about different approaches to life if I had not connected to some people in Asia. I would not understand the passion for learning if I had not connected with young people in the less-developed world. And on and on.
It can also be beneficial to revive and maintain old connections. I worked with some business partners decades ago and connected with them, but then they either left their employer or I moved to a different position. Our connections were dormant for years, but every now and then I checked in: Hey, where are you; what are you doing? I must say, it is great when you find an old connection doing exactly what you do—or find them in a new, great, and inspiring role. The feeling of reconnection is invigorating.
What can you learn—for your learners?
Although many people enjoy being in the spotlight (and you can easily find the proof on most of the social media), we connect, truly connect, to learn. To grow. To benefit from the relationships we establish and nurture, even if the person is far away. And then we apply the knowledge to what we do, to help our learners.
To me, joining LinkedIn (as an example) more than 17 years ago meant an opportunity to learn directly—and daily—from L&D authorities whose books stood on my bookshelves, as well as from famous explorers whose books I presented in reviews I wrote for national newspapers and magazines.
Establishing a direct link meant that I could augment what was in the books with the information these people had been posting on social media. Connecting to these people also meant that I was informed about the webinars and presentations they scheduled, and I joined their events (many for free) and learned from them. And then I joined the organizations they were members of, and my network started expanding, and my learning got another boost.
By observing what your connections discuss and how they discuss it, you can learn a lot and improve yourself and your business. You create better designs, you improve the delivery of learning solutions, and you bring “fresh air” into your business. Here are just a few examples of how your L&D solutions can benefit from your international social connections.
- Engagement: For example, when teaching a course in person (or online) in Asia, you quickly learn they do not ask questions easily, so it can be hard to maintain interactivity. What can you learn is that the audience will feel safer if you provide self-study or practical work with satisfactory answer keys.
- Punctuality: There are nations where time is defined “softly.” Even when you conduct an exam, they may be late. Take that into account and adjust your schedule as well as your pace. If you deliver a training, know that they might be late returning from lunch.
- Using analogies: When designing for a global audience, you immediately figure out what works and is universal. Rarely is the rest of the world aware of a specific show and its heroes. Or, for example, people in countries without snow do not know about ski jumping (although I like it so much!). So, avoid such analogies in your eLearning or teaching—or provide significantly more detail.
Just reading the posts, observing the behavior in live sessions, or asking a direct question, can give you insights from which you can truly benefit.
Grow through your international connections
Meeting people from all parts of the world results in becoming more open. Different people and cultures suddenly seem so natural, and—with respect—you treat them as valuable relationships. You are inspired by people from so many different industries that you can easily say: “My horizons have significantly broadened.”
New connections bring new knowledge, experience, and growth. So much so that, in my personal case, I added a second competency pillar (L&D) to my primary one (software engineering), and, through the years, L&D became the primary one.
The connections are always two-way: you are inspired by them, and you inspire many of your followers or inner-circle connections. Not only that, the tighter the connection and the more you learn, the more you have in common—until one day you meet in person, do a project together, or inspire others together.
Image credit: aelitta