My professional career launched me into globetrotting at the age of 25.

My company started distributing a new software product, and I would have two trips per week in Europe, and later, a trip every week to Asia to meet local teams of colleagues and customers to explain features, build roadmaps, and overcome bottlenecks. During this time, I learned three valuable lessons.

1. Connecting With A Team

Before attempting to solve all the technical problems, the most important step was to connect with the team first. If a good personal connection was established in the first 10-15 minutes, we were good to work for the next few days. The second step was to understand the customer environment, challenges, and requirements. Every time something was completely different – industries, data structures and level of data details, security and access, formulas and calculations, or customer background and expectations. Once you understand the problem, step number three is finding a solution. The more experience you have, the more easy this step is, though not always straightforward. Lastly, the fourth step is communicating a solution back to the team and the customer, and making sure positive change happens.

2. Building Trust Within A Team

Every trip carried a sense of urgency. But as we sit at the same table, our first objective is to build trust. Putting the pressure of the problem aside, we apply structure to investigate the needs, revealing hints for a possible solution. Then we put ideas together and bring it to the test. Most of the time it works. At first, I was doing it naturally, and it took me a while to recognize the hidden benefits of this approach, and add tricks and tweaks to it.

The ability to immerse myself into a customer’s mind was directly related to opening up to the new landscape. I need to immerse completely into the customer’s business – trying to understand their particular finance or operations issues, whether in banking, transportation, brewery or yacht construction. Each team has different experiences, backgrounds, and internal and external pressures. I need to navigate through executives’ visions, management concerns and technical architects questions. You focus completely in the present situation and the people around you.

Could we solve everything completely? Rarely. No matter how smart the system, it would never fit 100% to cover all business issues. We needed to make sure the system could perform its best and satisfy most of the requirements. On my first trip to Japan in 2005, I went to visit a customer. When we arrived on the Shinkansen at Fukushima, my colleague told me, “Sorry, Oly, I forgot to tell you. There will be no chairs in the meeting room.” We entered a tatami room and were presented with a list of 60 problems to be solved in two days. I think we solved around 45 of them, found some workarounds for another 10, and recognized the other five problems were not immediate showstoppers. A picture of a dozen customers all in black suits bowing to us leaving in a taxi is still vivid in my memory. On another occasion, it was two kilos of Swiss chocolate, or pair of golden earrings.

3. Stretching Capabilities

Then after years of these submergences, I developed strong abilities to establish instantaneous trust, focus and analyze problems, find connections between cases, translate business needs into technical capabilities and vice versa. Since technical and business landscapes stretched my capabilities, I regularly explored new technologies and business ideas. And, most importantly, I developed long-lasting personal connections.

In the last few years, I have recognized how unique my experience and skills are, and how they are built on open mindfulness. As the amount of information increases, I need to understand my customers in their journey. Through the clutter of information, I need to carefully guide the customer into minor or major transformations. Focusing now on marketing strategy allows me to bridge technical and business requirements with a clear vision.

I continue to expand my awareness in technology, business and marketing on a daily basis. I have to always be ahead of the game. Maintaining the level of depth in the new areas, whether I talk about big data, electronics or digital marketing is very important to me now. Though I never imagined myself talking about wires, CPUs, protocols and interfaces, I get involved in some really breathtaking Internet of Things innovation projects (news coming soon!). I am not pushing opportunities away; I apply all marketing and consulting experience. Going on the next journey. I’m diving into the next big wave of business and marketing with excitement and gratitude.

_{Edited by Nedda Chaplin
Image credit: View Through Door Of Conference Room To Business Meeting from Shutterstock}

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