On the road again… it was more challenging than I remember!

I never thought it would be quite this difficult!

Learning to travel again after two-and-a half years was quite the ordeal – juggling timetables, travel documents, vaccination requirements – by country and state – even packing seemed a foreign challenge!

 As we saw at Sydney and Melbourne airports over the Easter break, everything takes longer. When airlines say you need three hours, they mean it!

 I recently embarked on a three-week visit to the United States and Canada for work, my takeout is that you need to be seriously organised, especially for long haul travel. Lines for check-in and immigration are longer than I’ve ever seen due to social distancing. Rules for masks vary across cities and countries as do other rules making every new port, a new challenge.

 There is an added level of anxiety in simply not knowing what to expect. Even so, almost everyone I encountered was calm and was taking the new processes in their stride.

 Interestingly, apart from when I was checking in for flights, I was only asked once in 20 days for my international vaccination certificate, and that was to see Hugh Jackman on Broadway (ie. thought I’d drop that little mention in to make a few of my friends jealous!), where the priority was on protecting the performers.

 On that note, it was a great thrill to get out and about again and experience the atmosphere of major events. Aside from the Huge Jackman concert on Broadway (thought I’d mention that again!), I also attended a Milwaukee Bucks NBA game. There was a moment when I realised I was in the midst of 18,000 people at the NBA – the most I had been amongst in more than two years – and no-one was wearing a mask. Things were normal.

 In fact, there didn’t seem to be any talk of COVID in the United States.

 I thought it was particularly strange that when people discovered where I was from, the conversation invariably followed: ‘Are you guys out of lockdown yet?’ ‘We heard Australia has had really harsh lockdowns over the last two years.’

 Being amongst people and being able to interact face to face really made me appreciate what we often take for granted. I was conscious of making the most of every moment, every interaction, each person, each city and each event.

 On the work-side, being new to Manpower and having the opportunity to travel to our HQ and meet our Global CEO, CFO and CPO all in person was incredible. In addition, I met peers from Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Mexico and Spain. I felt a sense of community, belonging and engagement to the bigger picture, which despite everyone’s best effort, was tough to manufacture having been inducted remotely – a challenge I know many others have faced.

 A highlight of my trip was meeting Darlene Minatel, the Country Manager of ManpowerGroup Canada. I can’t say that Darlene and I are peers as she outshines most of the leaders I know. To have the opportunity to meet her and her incredible team, and to see how they have structured their operation to be best practice, was fascinating.

 There are some people you meet in your career that you feel like you have known forever. Darlene is this person. An absolute inspiration, a bundle of energy, kindness, success and happiness.

I feel like, even though my time with Darlene was short, I learned more than her than she will ever know.

 I feel privileged to be involved with such a talented and generous group of people across the Manpower Group business.

 I also know that while online meetings have been a lifeline, there’s no escaping the value of personal interactions.

Yes, it takes a bit of work, the challenges are real, but the face-to-face encounter brings a shared sense of understanding and belonging. That’s something a computer screen can never convey.

 I for one am looking forward to a future where we can truly get back to regular face to face interactions and building genuinely personal connections… and potentially catching more Hugh Jackman concerts around the world!