Don’t worry. You are probably not weird. But when you venture abroad with your business, customers, partners, clients, and staff might perceive you as strange. And this will hurt your business now and in the long term.
In my many years livening abroad in different countries, I have seen numerous strategies to understand other countries and markets. I have tried that path and immersed myself in the literature about culture and how different nationalities behave. The problem is that reality very seldom matches theory—books about, eg. Japanese business culture is just like books about your first baby. They are written about the average person/baby, and the books do not prepare you for the considerable variation among individuals. Nobody is like the average of a large population because we are not only conforming to national culture, we are also affected by our company-, professional-, social group- and other cultures. And on top of that, we have our personality; we are introvert/extrovert, action-oriented/reflective, etc. What can you do then? My experience has been that instead of looking at other people's cultures, I should start with my own. Where am I truly weird seen with other people's eyes? For example, I am from a hard-core protestant culture (no, I am not thinking about religion as such but the values), and I respect time and punctuality. To me, a nine am meeting starts at nine, which again means everybody arrived before that time. And it irritates me when others don't respect that. I probably don't have to specify where in the world this brings me in trouble with the locals! In short: I have found out why other people might find me weird! With my cultural profile as a starting point, I am on track to improve my relations with foreign contacts, customers, and partners. I can help you and your company to start a profitable journey. And as an Executive Coach, I want to grow your international business and facilitate a path towards better understanding and communication with your foreign partners. For more information, contact [email protected]
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