Finding Common Ground Across Continents

“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.”  - Seneca

Travel has always been part of my life, but over the last year it has taken on deeper meaning. After recovering from a significant injury, I found myself back on the move again: first to Buenos Aires, then across the world to Hong Kong and Taipei for EO meetings and chapter visits.

These trips reminded me just how similar our lives are, no matter where we live. Every morning, people in my home of Guatemala are getting ready for the day the same way people in Hong Kong or Taipei are: brushing their teeth, battling traffic, grinding toward a better life for themselves and their families. It is a rhythm we all share, even if we speak different languages or hail from different cultures.

That simple reality connects entrepreneurs everywhere. In Buenos Aires, I saw a thriving EO chapter filled with relentless entrepreneurs. They opened their homes for incredible dinners and welcomed us into their culture.

At the same time, I was dealing with a challenging transition with one of my agency’s largest clients back home, a reminder that entrepreneurial life remains unpredictable no matter where you are standing. Those shared ups and downs make me even more grateful for the volunteer leaders across EO who keep showing up despite their own daily obstacles.

Quini connected with EO members from around the world in his recent travels.

The more I travel, the clearer I see both our similarities and our differences. Cultural nuances — how directly people communicate, how they express emotion, how they show respect — emerge in every boardroom. Some cultures are extremely direct in their feedback; others hold their thoughts until the end. On EO’s Global Board, I have learned the importance of intentionally inviting voices that might otherwise stay quiet, because those perspectives are often the most insightful.

Through Forum, EO has trained many of us to start meetings not with agenda items but with a simple question: How are you feeling? It is remarkable how much more productive, and empathetic, a room becomes when people are honest about their emotional state before diving into complex decisions.

That emotional awareness was essential during a recent Global Board meeting during which we had to navigate a sensitive issue. While I will keep the details vague, I can say this: I made a mistake in how I communicated a message, and the next day I had to return to the board, admit it, and explain why it mattered. What struck me most was how differently people processed the situation. Some were focused on governance. Others were focused on optics. Others were focused on relationships. And yet everyone stayed grounded, respectful, and committed to doing what was best for the organization. It was a powerful reminder that diverse cultures may approach conflict differently, but empathy, humility, and trust still translate universally.

In my many trips to Asia, I have learned about the concept of “saving face.” Instead of calling out mistakes bluntly, leaders often think about how to help someone preserve dignity after a misstep. It is not about avoiding accountability, but instead delivering it with grace. That idea has since reframed the way I think about difficult conversations.

Another highlight from my recent travels came from an unlikely place: a dim sum cooking lesson and a dance workshop during our board meeting in Taipei. I barely cook at home and some board members joked that dance class was far outside their comfort zones, but that was the beauty of it. We moved our bodies, laughed, and let ourselves be silly. Barriers disappeared. That shared vulnerability builds trust much more quickly than any formal agenda ever could.

Quini and fellow EO Global Board Directors connected over a cooking class. 

During dinner with the local chapter, I spoke with EO Taipei’s President Scott Miau, who told me about his passion for fast cars and a recent trip to race in Macau. I shared my love of rock climbing. It reinforced a notion that a friend from an EO vent once told me: You can have a meaningful conversation with anyone in the world if you focus on three universal dimensions. Everyone has a family, whatever shape that family takes. Everyone does something to earn their way through the world and support their life. And everyone has a passion that invigorates them and makes time seem to speed up. If you ask anyone about those three things, you immediately find common ground.

There is also a universal language I have come to appreciate more than any other: laughter. If you can make someone laugh, or if you can laugh at yourself, doors open instantly. It signals humility and sincerity. It tells people they can trust you. When you are working across cultures, trust is everything.

Entrepreneurship can be lonely if we let it be. But when we cross borders, literally and metaphorically, we realize that we are far more connected than we think. Same mornings, same traffic, same ambitions, same fears, same drive to give ourselves and our families a better life. The cultures and customs may change, but people do not. I find something profoundly inspiring and reassuring in that notion.

Joaquin “Quini” Cordero (EO Guatemala) is EO Global Board Chair and founder and president of Lumen, an advertising agency.