February 10, 2016
How travelling can help give you a global mind-set
What is a global mind-set? It’s the ability to navigate your way easily from one culture to another. It’s the awareness of global differences both socially and economically. It’s being able to learn and adapt to each new situation irrespective of where you are. It’s also an important mind-set for a global company like AXA.
2 minutes
Travelling and working around the world are two of the best ways to help grow your global mind-set, which is one of the reasons why last year we launched the Great Global Adventure game. The game offered graduates and students the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience, including up-to a year’s worth of travel, two work experience placements and a community project.
At just over half-way through his journey, here’s what Will, our first winner, said when we asked him what he’d learnt from his experience so far:
One of the goals that I’ve set myself during my year as the AXA Great Global Adventurer is to really consider what it means to be a global citizen and to have a global mind-set. A mind-set which is inquisitive and respectful, and which allows you to experience things first-hand in order to make your own impression.
Growing up near London, a city of great cultural diversity, having strong family ties with Ghana and learning Russian from the age of 14, means that I have always thought of myself as not just European.
I feel very fortunate this year to be able to visit new countries, to discover new languages, cultures and to meet a whole range of different people. I have repeatedly found that if you have an open mind and meet new people with humility and a genuine interest in their lifestyle you will reap great rewards.
I have been treated with great kindness by strangers and they have left a lasting impression upon me. I will never forget the skill of the elderly gentleman who guided my bamboo raft down the Li River in China, or sharing stories with Namjilmaa, a Mongolian nomad over a cup of tea in her Ger Camp. It’s been a real privilege to have had the chance to witness their lives.
It’s also important to have a global mind-set when working. During my internship with AXA Investment Managers in Hong Kong I was overwhelmed by the kindness and diversity of the office. Everyone had different skills which fortified the team and brought a rich offering to the clients.
The AXA Investment Managers’ Executive Committee Members showed me that you must have a global mind-set in business. AXA is a global firm, serving over 100 million clients, in 59 different countries. All of the Executive Committee Members that I spoke to had all undertaken different positions within the AXA Group in various different geographies. Travel and a global mind-set is key here as you can build a global network, learn more about the firm and put your new found local knowledge into a global reach.
