This blog post will not do the country of Costa Rica justice. There is no way I can put into words the fantastic experience I had while in Costa Rica for a few short days. I learned not just the business culture of Costa Rican people but also the personal/ family life culture of Costa Rica and its people. The value I will take away from the trip is infinite and will for sure be used in my future career, whatever it may intel.
Let’s start with the beginning; I went to Central America thinking that all nations inside its boards could have been better and were undeveloped. I soon found out that this was not the case for Costa Rica; the country of Costa Rica and its people are, without a doubt, some of, if not the most intelligent, members of the world society. The Costa Rican view on how an owner should run a business and how employees should be treated should be an example for the rest of the world. An example is when the class visits a small but growing rainforest tour. During the tour, we were taken through a rainforest and shown the different species living there. While the owner of the rainforest tour is running his business as a for-profit company, he is still trying to regrow the rainforest around his current plot of land. The owner informed the class that he wanted to see more forests around the country; that way, the environment would be more pleasing. The tour owner believes that more forests will bring in more visitors to view the forest, only causing an increase in profits for the company.
Another example of an experience that shaped my view of business and leadership was the zipline tour company. During the trip, we had the fantastic opportunity to go to a company that offers tours through a rainforest while taking its guest on multiple zip lines. I want first to express the kindness that all of the employees showed the class and the other guest; we later found out how fun of a job the employees had and how the company’s leadership model promoted team growth and personal happiness. After taking the zipline tour, we spoke to one of the managers and learned that his goal was to ensure his employees were happy. The manager believed that happy employees would spread their happiness to the guest, making a great experience. The owners and team members built the business model on happiness, not the bottom line.
Both examples show how business in Costa Rica is very different. In contrast, in America, the bottom dollar is pushed more before the happiness of the guests and employees, while Costa Rica has gone the other way. Costa Rica wants to focus more on the experience with the idea that a better time will, in return, lead to more profits for the organization.
I hope by now, towards the end of this blog post you can tell that overall my experience has shifted from the viewpoint that Costa Rica was in no way comparable to the United States regarding business. Still, at the end of the trip, I concluded that Costa Rica is its own thing, the citizen of the nation who found a way to be happy and work on the side. The businesses in Costa Rica have found a way to do what is right and help the local area and, in return, make some profit. The country should be a model for most businesses that plan to operate in the future.
