DEPARTURE LOUNGE // SPRING 2017
BONDING
over
BUSINESS
The good, the bad and the ugly
THERE’S NO OFFICE BONDER LIKE A TRIP WITH COLLEAGUES, BECAUSE YOU REALLY GET TO KNOW
SOMEONE WHEN YOU TRAVEL WITH THEM. BUT JUST AS A BUSINESS TRIP CAN MAKE A WORKING
RELATIONSHIP, IT CAN ALSO BREAK IT. REBEKAH FUNK ASKED TRAVEL AND CAREER EXPERTS FOR THEIR
ADVICE ON HOW TO KEEP IT PROFESSIONAL.
THE GOOD
“Business travel is a great way to make
connections with colleagues as you set
out on an adventure together,” says
Colleen Qvist of CQ Consulting and the
Gauteng chair for Coaches and Mentors of
South Africa (CoMenSA). She knows this
first-hand: before turning to business and
career coaching, she spent 22 years on the
road in the medical devices industry.
“You see different sides of people when
you travel together,” says Qvist. “You
will marvel at the person who manages
to communicate in any country, or the
colleague who works out the public
transport, or the one who is the life and
soul of the party.”
The real interpersonal value of
business trips, however, is that people
16 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE
change – often for the better – when
they are out of their comfort zones.
“It becomes easier to discuss personal
goals and career aspirations with
colleagues and managers. Diversity and
strengths are often utilised on business
trips and communication is different,”
explains the business coach.
She adds: “It is possible to get to know
colleagues on a deeper, less superficial
level because you spend so much time
together.”
Sometimes that bond can develop
into a very close one, literally. Qvist
recalls that on one of her trips a doctor
arrived in Egypt to conduct workshops.
Unfortunately his suitcase did not arrive
and he spent the next few days sharing
clothes with the medical sales team.
The beauty of business travel, says
Sure Giltedge Travel’s general manager
Trish Lombard, is how it can pave the
way for opportunities you’d never
expect. She advises business travellers
to see the trip as a prime chance to
network: “On the flight, at the bar, at
the hotel, at the conference. Share a
taxi, do an excursion together. Take lots
of business cards with you and keep in
touch after you’ve parted ways.”
THE BAD
While all these interpersonal benefits
are great for bonding with colleagues
and building team morale, Qvist cautions
against getting too carried away by
the camaraderie and the excitement
of exploring a new destination at the