What is a Short Trip?
Yes, I was being a bit selfish with my colleague from Australia. We were talking on the phone. I invited her to attend a conference being held in Louisville, Kentucky USA. That is only 15 minutes from my home. My selfish reason for the invitation? I wanted to visit with her. She is a delightful woman, and such fun! In my defense, however, I also knew she would enjoy the conference.
As we were concluding our conversation, she apologized for declining my invitation. She already had several other international business trips planned for the year. She went on to comment, “In addition to all those long trips, I have a fun vacation planned nearby. It’s just a short trip. It will only take about 10 hours to get there.”
Nearby? Short? Only 10 hours? Before I could laugh, I realized she was serious.
Perspective Check!
From her perspective, that is a short trip. She lives in Tasmania, an Australian state and an island – located about 240 kilometers south of the mainland of Australia. In other words, it is remote. In old-fashioned American slang – that is more than just “a hop, skip, and a jump” away. If she wants to go anywhere, it takes awhile.
In fact, if she were to attend the conference I had mentioned (sponsored by the National Association of Women Business Owners www.NAWBO.org), it would take her about 35 hours to travel here – each way. After I considered her perspective, I realized that 10 hours can be a short trip.
How is your perspective different from the person you’re communicating with?
How do you need to adjust your communication?
By Kelly Watkins, MBA, Global Thought Leader
Note: I’m proud to be a member of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) for 15+ years and am Past Chair of Global Development.
What is poor communication costing you or your organization? How can your organization be more effective to compete in a global market? Find out: www.LeadershipGlobalWomen.com and www.KeepCustomers.com
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