In the last 12 hours I’ve met and held discussions with colleagues in Mexico and the Netherlands. In both cases the mood was quite relaxed and friendly. There were no particular aims or objectives; nor tasks or responsibilities to be “owned.” In the same way you’d have chats at the coffee cart or the water cooler, these discussions were both social and professional at the same time.
The fascinating thing about this is that I haven’t experienced the same combined levels of engagement, lighthearted social interaction and professional …