There's a new addition today to the Global Chamber headquarters in Thunderbird School of Global Management… a Ronin 浪人 samurai doll made for me by my wife when I worked in Japan.
In feudal Japan 🇯🇵 a rōnin was a 'wanderer', literally 'a person of the waves', a samurai who had no lord or master. It felt a bit like that in those years. I was working in Tokyo, very busy and part of the team... including after 6pm time together with the team and clients... and also a lot of ‘going with the flow’, going along and learning alone, the only non-Japanese in the ShowaDenko - DuPont joint venture, feeling isolated as a gaijin expat.
I still vividly remember walking home through Tokyo neighborhoods off Sakura-da Street from the Gotanda area of Tokyo toward Center City and our home in Azabu Juban, and sorting it all out in my head. There I was, the tall gaijin with my suit and briefcase, walking past crowded ramen shops, saying good evening to bathers who were coming or going from a public bathhouse, and saying WOW - this is different! Or in the office... one guy in accounting who used an abacus... or all the other myriad of daily different experience... while working to make a difference.
If you've lived in or traveled to other countries, you've got 100's of stories, right? Mostly good... and it's part of why we do global business... it's interesting and fun! Like when I had an office in the World Trade Centre in Singapore and I decided to work overnight to leave for Changi Airport early morning for China, 5:30am taxi... and the doors were locked. I almost broke my shoulder breaking an exit door so that I could get out. Ouch. Ronin 浪人 samurai was there in Singapore to console, too!
The global tribe didn’t exist to support me in my years living in Asia, so part of our vision of Global Chamber is to have a support structure for all globies, everywhere - for business and emotional success! None of us needs to be alone doing global business anymore … no being a lone wolf by necessity. It's valuable to connect, integrate and collaborate to optimize success. For all the cross-cultural issues... to find clients... to work with trusted resources who know what they're doing.
You can choose to be a lone wolf, but I don't recommend it. The global tribe is now available at Global Chamber and our members are smart, professional, experienced, honest, growth-oriented, positive, inspiring, possessing high integrity and easy to work with. Life and business saving... it takes a village.
Mainly we connect member with clients, but we also help in other areas, too.
As a member at Global Chamber® Tokyo or anywhere, reach out any time.
Be part of the global tribe to avoid risks, find opportunities, save time and be happy!
Doug Bruhnke - CEO at Global Chamber
About: Global Chamber® is a growing, supporting and collaborating community of CEOs, executives, and leaders in 525 metro regions around the world... connecting member businesses to new opportunities and advancing growth and success. It's the only chamber of commerce in the world operating in hundreds of locations that proactively helps exporting, importing and investing members to connect through warm introductions to clients, partners, projects, investors and resources. Global Chamber® is a registered trademark of Global Chamber, LLC since 2014.
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