![[PHOTO] Light streaming through a key hole illuminating an old iron key.](../images/ph_findings.jpg)
(A conversation with Kevin S, a Moravec and Associates consultant)
"There is no doubt that the greatest help to a business person is learning from the successes of others and adapting their best practices to one's multinational business." Retired Chairman of the Board of a services company.
Interviewer: What does it take for a business to advance to a multinational?
Kevin: Usually I ask management to pause and test their fundamentals:
Interviewer: It must take a great deal of pride in an organization and leadership to change it for continued success in international markets.
Kevin: The world is not as small as we have been led to believe by the internet and visible brands. Locations are still where people do business - people still live in locations and local issues remain pivotal for success. Yes, management must first and foremost understand its business and possess insights into the vector of the industry and competitors.
More than that, managers must understand themselves - their styles and capacities - and align those into a collaborative relationship with management and employees in each location.
Interviewer: Does this hold true for companies from the EU, Pacific Rim, and the Americas?
Kevin: Yes. An often overlooked ingredient for success in locations around the world is human talent. People who are:
Over and over again we relearn that people - not organizations, technologies, and products and services - are paramount for success at locations. Resources can help you steer a course away from what companies have done wrong to what winning companies are doing right. You have to know the territory. If you are going to be multinational, then you'd best have the plans to think globally and the mentors to act locally.