How Getting Lost in Scotland Taught Me About Corporate Culture

Do you ever feel lost at work? Unsure where you stand, where you’re headed or even how you got here? I got lost this week.

No, I mean, I literally got lost. I was in a new city and couldn’t find my way from my hotel to the office building.

I had flown in that Monday morning and was slated to speak at an event that afternoon. After a relatively easy flight and an airport that was intuitive to navigate, I grabbed a cab, got myself ready, and the rest of the day went as planned. Cool.

Next day came and went, also as planned, I made some wonderful connections, engaged with team members and leaders, learned a lot, participated in the scheduled post-conference events, and truthfully had no hiccups.

Now here is where it gets interesting. You see I had extended my trip past the “official” ending of the event as I had a number of business meetings to attend locally, and it made sense to stay another day to do those live. As evidenced in many aspects of life, the real stuff comes into play not during structured events when all are on their best behavior, but during those unplanned moments – the ones where folks are left to their own devices, navigating their environment with their guards (even slightly) lowered. Its in those interactions that we learn what people are all about. It is then that we truly witness that elusive thing known as “company culture”.

I found myself making plans with two newly formed connections who I’d met earlier in the week. Both of which who were still in town and didn’t have dinner plans. Great, we’d drop our things off at the hotel then grab a bite after work. I’ve heard that in stressful or even “different” situations, people revert to their natural selves. I wouldn’t describe what I was feeling as stress, but it certainly was different than the very agenda-focused first 2 days of my trip, so I suppose I “reverted” to my true self – a city kid from NYC, in a bit of a rush (for no good reason), impatient, and wanting to get where I was going as quickly and easily as possible. In my case, that meant calling an uber.

But I wasn’t with two city kids from NYC – I was with two people whose “true selves”, as I soon discovered, directed them to walk. For them, the hotel was close enough to where we were, and while the city was unfamiliar to them as well, they felt confident that they’d get there. One used a GPS as a guide, and the other I can only describe as a natural born navigator. This guy had arrived two days prior and had already found three routes from the hotel to the office, had opinions on which one was best, and referenced landmarks along the way like he’d lived there his whole life.

Fine. We’ll walk.

So, walk we did, and you know what? We had a great time. Not for a moment did I feel worried or upset. In fact, we laughed, learned more about one another, and yes made some jokes (at my expense) about my incredibly poor directional skills. And this all got me thinking. And when I think, I think about Resource Management, because if you know me at all, you’ll know it is my favorite topic. A key area of focus in RM is the idea of Team Composition. Project and Engagement teams are made up of groups of people and while there are many factors that influence success, the way the individuals on a team complement one another is a significant one. Ideally, you’re hoping to form a well-rounded team, one that is comprised of people with different, but strong skillsets who can work well together to achieve the desired result. And that is certainly the situation I found myself in this week. Had I not by pure chance been grouped with these two specific colleagues, I guarantee I’d have Uber’d everywhere, not expanded my horizons the way that I could have and truthfully – not have made the lasting connections that in-person business trips are really about.

Let’s unpack that because this is important – there are a few dynamics at play that led to this very positive experience.

1. The underlying foundation of a strong team culture was ever-present. Had that not been the case, I certainly would not have chosen to engage in this way, and probably wouldn’t have wanted to go out to dinner in the first place.
2. The importance of an environment that allows people to feel comfortable asking for help, supports true team building, invites humor, and is genuinely pleasant – cannot be understated. This is the part that allowed my impatient self to agree to walk instead of just doing my own thing and missing out on what is now one of my favorite moments of the trip.
3. ?This isn’t about skills (although the impact of skills cannot go unnoticed here – a sense of direction is a valuable thing!). Here’s what its really about: Depending on the team that surrounds you – you can go from feeling anxious, stressed, lonely, and other generally awful things on one end of the spectrum, to the other end where you find yourself experiencing fun, innovation, collaboration, and a feeling of being a part of something larger. And who doesn’t want that?

Now here’s the cool part. The following day, after my meetings ended and many of my new buddies had flown back to their corners of the world, I had a decision to make. Certainly, I could Uber back, but interestingly that option no longer felt like the obvious choice. So, I decided to walk. Alone. I wish I could tell you that this worked out perfectly and I made no wrong turns, but that’s not real life. It took me 20 mins, I got turned around, I found myself window shopping certain points. And slowly but surely, I found my way – and it felt awesome.

Upon arrival, I was greeted with a Slack message from my colleague asking if I’d made it back ok. THAT is corporate culture. This is what is meant by creating a positive atmosphere at work. When Resource Managers set out to assemble teams of people, the complementary nature of everyone’s skillsets should be top of mind; and forward-thinking organizations recognize that is a lot easier to achieve when a values-based culture is present throughout.

Christine Robinson is a Resource Management expert, Strategic Advisor, award-winning speaker, and the mother/stepmother of six. Recognized as one of the top leaders in the Philadelphia Business Journal's 40 Under 40 List for her performance and community contributions, Christine is passionate about supporting women and underserved families. As a first-generation college student, working mother, and a Latina, her philanthropic endeavors have garnered widespread accolades and national acclaim.

The former Managing Director and Head of Resource Management at a prestigious accounting and consulting firm, Christine has steered national teams, instituted firmwide functions, and established international joint ventures. As the visionary and Founder of Resource Management In The Wild, her mission is to empower professionals and organizations to successfully navigate resource allocation.

Today, Christine extends her contributions to the Resource Management community and the accounting/consulting sectors through her strategic advisory roles with organizations that resonate with her purpose, in a continued commitment to shaping the industry's future. She holds an MS in Human Resource Management from Fordham University, a BS in Sociology from Bowling Green University, and is a certified Resource Management Professional.

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