T

he current craze in social media is that word, “viral”. For as many people that are content generators, great is the day when their work and content moves from obscurity to reach far and wide, cutting across every culture of the world.

In discussing the subject of work, we have already talked about two incredible facets.

1. Work is exemplified through the creation of something new
2. Work is exemplified through growing and increasing whatever is new

Going Global

Today, one might argue that making your work to global is another facet of work. However, let’s calm down a little bit and explore this subject carefully.

Must all our “works” have a global reach? Think of someone with a car-washing business. Must her focus be to make a global reach with her work? How about the person with a restaurant? How about a clinic? Or even a school?

Definition

The word “Globalization” according to the Oxford online dictionary is:

The process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.

We have no problem saying that brands such as Apple, IBM, Amazon and Google are global brands. There are other brands that are not technically global, but they span quite a large region.

What is the purpose of globalizing your work?

I know it sounds a bit strange to start thinking about globalizing your work when in essence you are actually struggling locally.

However, there are two major reasons as to why globalization of your work. Before we can discuss those though, we need to realize that the work that is worth globalizing has facets of being your core work and your purpose.

In other words, most of the work that comes from our passion has a chance of making it on a global scale. Why? Because that work must of necessity be something worth trudging with for decades on end.

The place of Passion in Work Globalization

That is why without the passion for that work that comes directly from you’re the heart, one can easily give up.

We have seen photos of Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg when they were starting Amazon and Facebook respectively. You can add to that list just about any global brand.

For the most part, their work has taken years to grow to a behemoth that it is today. I have a sneaky feeling that if you had asked these people at the onset if their work would be global one day, the answer would never have been an emphatic Yes.

It Starts Small; we all can

If you asked them if they thought that they would make this kind of success that they are experiencing, I dare say that a large percentage of these people would never respond in the affirmative.

This is good news. Why? Because just as they were at starting up their “life work” so are we. We have the same chance and the same potential.

Life Work

Notice that their work to be global it is something that can actually be termed as their “life work”. That’s an interesting term that cuts across every facet of work, whether it is in the sports, industry, religion, business, education, governance, science and technology or whatever else there is.

The work worth doing is that which has the potential to go global. I theorize that it has the following characteristics:

My Theory of  “Global Work”

• It is something new. That means that you are creating it from scratch. If not you are buying it from someone but then injecting your new DNA in it.
• There is your passion all over it. It is your “life’s work”. In other words, one can easily say that you were born for it
• It has a value that provides solutions to a problem that is in many parts of the world
• It is something that cannot be done with one person. It will need a team, but the greatest characteristics of this team will be passion, determination and lots of hard work.

Two Ways of Work Globalization

1. Organic growth

   For as long as your work meets the above criteria, it will be only a matter of time. We are told that anything that you focus on grows and expands. Organic growth is what has caused very many people’s work to become global.
   Most of the people that have seen their work go global did that through letting the work grow organically.
   It is however very easy to be content and comfortable with status quo even as there is obvious potential for growth. That is why one needs to think about the global reach and anticipate it or even dream about it.

2. Global Needs

   The fact is that not everyone in the whole wide world will directly or even indirectly benefit from your work. Case in point of Facebook. In China nearly 95% of the population do not use Facebook.
   However, people who need Facebook are all over the world. Not everyone will benefit from my work in the whole wide world. However, across the earth, there are scores of people who would directly benefit from my work.

I believe those are the two major reasons for the globalization of your work. In the present world, technology, infrastructure, air travel and the “gig” economy makes it possible for your work to go global easier than it was just a few decades back.

I would say that the main purpose of your work going global is for you to deploy your purpose to help as many people as possible across the globe.

It is not a reserve of a few individuals. It is a possibility for all of us. Think about it.