Working Globally

Recently I traveled to India on business. I was out of the office and not in my own bed for two straight weeks. A hardship—hardly. I was very well taken care of all along the way. One of my distinct observations, however, was how many people regularly work in this way. We have a major operation in India and a large number of people who work seamlessly across 12 ½ time zones* to deliver work effectively and efficiently. I had a hard time keeping track of what time it was back home! How do you maintain productivity, sanity and sense of calm all at the same time? My takeaway was that whether we work in one time zone or across 12 ½, the strategies are the same.

Photo by Mark Baker

• Focus on what’s important: relationships, outcomes and understanding. Maintain your perspective and remember that details can be worked out independently.
• Have a wide network of resources and use them intelligently.
• Travel light—edit what you need to reduce the burden.
• Be efficient—get to “done” and stop. Be realistic and focused.
• Take care of yourself and maintain your energy, both physically and mentally.

Good lessons all around.

*My friend and co-worker Murali Iyer is one of the masters of working in this way.