As my project progressed, I know I was bound to personally talk to my subsidiary. I was initially offered by HR to go back to my sub in the Philippines and get to know the other guys there. But now, with the double objective of getting to know them and learning more about the business, I reinitiated the offer and flew back.
During the short 4 day trip I had, I was able to talk several people. HR helped me get through the ropes and get to know key people in the subsidiary. Also, the people themselves helped me further by introducing me to other people who are good source of information for my project. They were simply nice.
Also, I was able to talk to my manager. First we had lunch just to re-sync with each other. After that, I initially showed him a draft of my work and we were able to learn a lot from each other. From the frameworks I used, to multiple insights my manager injected in my analyses, I guess I can say we both learned a great deal from the business and industry. As such, he suggested to further expand my project scope, yet again.
Given the expanded scope, I knew I had to engage the other guys. I was able to talk to a lot of people, ranging from marketing, to sales, PR and marketing communication and even tech guys. To my surprise they were all accommodating and engaging. I was able to see and understand their specific roles and how they interact with other groups and stakeholders to accomplish their job. Their honesty and willingness to help me is greatly appreciated.
Once my trip was done, I returned back to RHQ to finish my project and help the business with all the insights I have gathered. The short and exhausting trip was worth it.
Written by “Papa Carlo” aka Giancarlo Nogales
Be Your Future 