When I first began working internationally, I prepared for meetings the same way most people do. I researched the company, reviewed the agenda, learned as much as I could about the industry, and walked into the room expecting we would immediately begin discussing the project at hand.
That wasn’t always what happened.
Instead, the conversation might begin with questions about my family, what I thought of the country I was visiting, how long I had been there, or what I had seen so far. Sometimes we’d spend the first part of the meeting talking about the local community or the history of the organization before anyone mentioned the actual reason we were together.
I remember wondering why we weren’t getting to the business discussion. Looking back, I realize we already had.
One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that international business is, first and foremost, about people. Contracts, trade agreements, market research, and financial analysis all matter, but none of those things replace the trust that develops when people take the time to understand one another. Before organizations decide to work together, the individuals representing those organizations usually want to know who they’re working with.
I’ve found that to be true regardless of whether the conversation is with a business leader, a government official, a university president, or the owner of a small manufacturing company. The setting changes, and every culture has its own customs and pace, but the importance of relationships remains remarkably consistent. People are much more willing to navigate challenges together when a foundation of trust already exists.
Technology has made international business dramatically easier than when I started my career. Today we can schedule meetings across continents in seconds, analyze new markets with sophisticated software, and access information that once took weeks to gather. Those advances have made organizations more informed and more efficient, and I wouldn’t want to work without them.
What they haven’t changed is the importance of building genuine relationships.
Technology can introduce us to opportunities, but it doesn’t build credibility. It doesn’t replace the confidence that comes from following through on a commitment, listening carefully before offering a solution, or investing time in a relationship long before there’s an obvious business opportunity. Those things still happen the same way they always have—through conversations, shared experiences, and trust earned over time.
When I look back across my career, some of the most meaningful opportunities didn’t come from the meetings I thought were most important. They came from conversations that seemed almost incidental at the time. A dinner after a trade event. A visit to a manufacturing facility. An introduction made by someone who thought two people should know each other. In many cases, months—or even years—passed before those conversations resulted in a partnership or a project.
That’s one of the reasons relationships remain at the center of how I think about international strategy. Markets evolve, governments change, and trade policies shift. Organizations that have built strong relationships are generally better positioned to navigate those changes because they’ve invested in something that doesn’t disappear with the next policy announcement or economic cycle.
After more than two decades working in international business, I’ve come to believe that successful global strategy isn’t just about understanding markets. It’s about understanding people. The first conversation is rarely about business because, in many ways, the relationship is the business. Everything else grows from there.
