The Olympics united the world in friendly competition. There were handshakes across swim lanes and high-fives at finish lines. More than 200 countries participated, and it felt like the world was borderless.
The Olympics always inspire me to think a little differently about the world.
Global mindset was also top of mind at Intuit’s recent Engagement Leadership Forum. The two-day event brought together more than 100 Intuit employees from human resources, Intuit’s 10 employee networks and the leaders of our philanthropic We Care and Give Back effort to discuss how we could link global business growth to employee engagement.
How can you embrace a global mindset? Here are a few of my personal takeaways.
Intuit (and the world) never sleeps
With offices around the world, Intuit always has an employee awake in the geographies it serves.
Likewise, the world is open for business 24/7. To succeed in business globally, it’s important to be flexible with your team and your customers in terms of both time and communication. A global mindset is critical – understanding and respecting the customs and cultures in the markets a business serves.
The power of one, the power of many
I’m the Bay Area co-chair for Latinos Connect, one of Intuit’s 10 employee networks. Latinos Connect embraces comunidad, or community. Likewise, Intuit’s employee networks have a rich history of improving lives in the communities where they live and work.
Small businesses and large enterprises alike can create the change for a better world. Through the power of one person or many, people can make a difference at the local level or on a global scale. This can be volunteering in the community, mentoring a small business or fundraising for a cause.
Diversity of thought inspires innovation
The Engagement Leadership Forum conversation got a little sticky –with Post-it notes. A team of employees who spur out-of-the-box ideas – we call them Intuit’s Innovation Catalysts – led a brainstorming session on how to inspire engagement across the company. 
For me, it was less about the cool ideas and more around the rapid-fire, no-holds barred process to throw out ideas and literally see what stuck. Regardless of what you’re tackling in your next team brainstorm, invite diversity of thought and perspective. You never know where the next great idea will come from.
The Olympic flame might be extinguished, but the opportunity to create change globally burns bright.
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