Leading Across Boundaries - #NZCIO
Peter Ennis talked about operating on a global stage - dealing with working across geographic and cultural boundaries. A topic that’s near and dear to me and something I’ve had more than my fair share of experience with.
I really enjoy working across geographies and meeting peoples across different cultures but it does present a unique set of challenges.
Peter has worked with a bunch of international organisations culminating in a role with Al Jazeera - an organisation that is truly global and growing at a huge rate. There are a lot of myths around Aj Jazeera and Peter did a great job to set the record straight for the audience. It’s not the terrorist television network and has never shown beheading videos - contrary to popular urban myths.
When Peter joined Al Jazeera’s IT infrastructure was a mess but it had some incredibly innovative and capable people. Luckily Qatar has access to resources and they were able to bring in experts and resources to help them lift their game. In a few cases onboarding consultancies actually set them back as it took time to get them up to speed.
IT security was a priority - Al Jazeera was often under attack. The investment required was at times also understated.
Peter touched on the cultural differences - for example, the role personal honour plays in Middle eastern business & political relationships. Something people working across cultures have to adapt to quickly.
Through adversities Peter was able to build support and form coalitions.
Often when working across culture and geographies it does really boil down to understanding people, adapting to local conditions and securing buy-in through results.
Trust is a universal currency - it’s essential to build and maintain it.