Global:Local

There is a very well-known bank that uses the tagline, “The World's local bank.” I've always quite admired that and wondered how difficult it is to make it come alive internally for its employees as well as externally for its clients. I found myself revisiting this question this week as the Aptitude Board and Leadership Team visited our North American colleagues in Boston.?

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Through a whole set of interactions - fireside chats, boat trips, dinners, baseball games, and traditional roundtables – I was able to listen to exactly what was on all of our employees’ minds. Topics ranged from our own products, our strategy for the future, our locations, our inclusivity, and of course remuneration and compensation. What struck me most was how unlikely we are to hear much of this -the debates, detailed conversations, and challenging questions - over a Teams call or in some kind of large all hands employee broadcast. The meandering conversations are often where the gold dust is found and I acknowledge how much of that we have missed over the last 2 years. After my travels over the last two weeks, it’s so clear that we must create more environments for people to feel confident about speaking up.?

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On Thursday, I was lucky enough to attend our first Consultants Day. We brought together all of our NA Professional Services colleagues from what would usually be client sites, but for the last two years has actually been their home offices,?garages, and bedrooms. 40+ individuals arrived in Boston from all corners of North America to discuss important subjects and have some fun. The team happily stayed out late in some of the local Boston pubs, sharing experiences, chatting about all things personal and professional, and generally putting the world to rights. Dialogue and conversations with colleagues, clients, and partners is simply richer in person and sometimes what is said or how it is said can have such an impact on our company culture and our values. We don’t always get it right but having the ability and the time to have genuine, authentic, and real conversations helps ensure no one is left hanging in the ether after the red ‘leave’ button is hit.?

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So, coming back to Global:Local. I spent over 15 years working for a North American company in one of their territories, the UK. I know how frustrated I felt when the West Coast HQ defined how I should operate in my local market so it's not lost on me at all that as a UK business that generates over 80% of its business internationally, we can sometimes feel too much like a London firm as opposed to a truly global organisation. I am going to do my best to balance that, not only from an internal promotions and external hiring point of view but also as I consider where various functions should sit. It shouldn’t always default to the HQ location.?

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Thanks again to all the employees who discussed, expressed their opinions, and found me during breaks and lunchtimes to have a chat. I promise that I, my leadership team, and the Board will be spending more time in person in all of our locations in the months to come.?