Books

to large hand gestures to loosening a tie during a meeting, there is a minefield of ways to inadvertently insult an international colleague. Learning and practicing common nonverbal cues in an associate’s culture will be worth the effort to avoid coming across as rude and offensive.

Watch what you say. It’s important to avoid using slang, local idioms or “Americanisms.” For example, sports metaphors like “that came out of left field” or “can you pinch-hit this one for me?” are not universally understood. An associate may not understand, and it is unlikely they will say so, which can make them feel isolated and unaccepted. It’s also important to be careful making jokes as well. While a good sense of humor is an asset in any potentially awkward cultural situation, jokes can lead to misunderstandings and possibly be offensive.

Don’t try to multi-task. According to a survey from InterCall, the largest international conference call company, “65% of people do unrelated work during a meeting, 60% read or send emails, and 43% admit to checking social media.” While it may be easy to slyly multi-task in a virtual meeting, it will be perceived as rude if it is noticed. In addition, when meeting with an international client or colleague, whether virtually or in person, there’s a lot going on. From considering their cultural norms to understanding the interpreter in the background to making important business decisions, it’s important that participants not get distracted from main objectives. Paying attention to the task at hand can prevent a lot of trouble.

Consider how other cultures view time. Many countries place a high level of importance on starting meetings on time and keeping to strict schedules. On the other hand, punctuality is treated casually in countries like France or Argentina. This fluctuation can affect how much time there is to share relevant information. Understanding a client’s culture can help to prepare and organize the meeting agenda accordingly.

Time is also a consideration in the decision-making process. For example, the UK has a slower process than the U.S. Germany also takes its time, being very thorough in early stages, but once they have decided, things move quickly. Understanding and managing time expectations is critical.

Recognize hierarchical structures. Hierarchical structure can impact the way business meetings are handled. In many East Asian, Latin and African cultures, decision-making authority varies according to age, gender, family background, etc., and team roles are allocated accordingly. Even the way the meeting is conducted in these countries is affected. For example, in China, it’s important to always allow the host to leave the meeting first. Virtual meetings may minimize these issues since there are no seating arrangements, but, because the rules and protocols can be complicated, it’s a good idea to explicitly outline the expected formalities ahead of time so everyone knows how to interact.

CULTURAL AWARENESS IS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Embracing cultural awareness and diversity is a crucial part of doing business in an ever-expanding world. Cross-cultural intelligence inspires creativity, encourages inventive thinking and fosters better problem solving. Local market insight makes a business more competitive and profitable. It allows companies to better adapt products and services to be more meaningful and valuable to all customers.

A study done by McKinsey and Company showed that companies with more culturally and ethnically diverse executive teams were 33% more likely to see better-than-average profits. Making a genuine and concerted effort to understand cultural dimensions can build a greater understanding between the different cultures in an organization. This ultimately leads to understanding, trust respect — and competitive advantages — in a very complex world.

The Power of Fun

Journalist and screen/life balance expert Catherine Price argues persuasively that our always-on, tech-addicted lifestyles have led us to obsess over intangible concepts such as happiness while obscuring the fact that real happiness lies in the everyday experience of fun. We claim to not have time for it, even as we find hours a day for what Price calls Fake Fun — bingeing on television, doom-scrolling the news or posting photos to social media. In this follow-up to her hit book How to Break Up with Your Phone, Price makes the case that True Fun — which she defines as the magical confluence of playfulness, connection and flow —will give us the fulfillment we so desperately seek. Using True Fun as a compass, we will be more productive, less resentful and less stressed. And best of all? We’ll enjoy the process.

The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again

Catherine Price

$27

The Dial Press On shelves and online 352 pages

Hero on a Mission

There are four characters in every story: the victim, the villain, the hero and the guide. These four characters live inside us. If we play the victim, we’re doomed to fail. If we play the villain, we will not create genuine bonds. But if we play the hero or guide, our lives will flourish. The hard part is being self-aware enough to know which character we are playing. In this book, Donald Miller will use his own experiences to help readers recognize if the character they are currently surfacing is helping them experience a life of meaning. He breaks down the transformational, yet practical, plan that took him from slowly giving up to rapidly gaining a new perspective of his own life’s beauty and meaning, igniting his motivation, passion and productivity, so readers can do the same.

Hero on a Mission: A Path to a Meaningful Life

Donald Miller

$24.99

HarperCollins Leadership Available 1/11/2022 224 pages

Amp It Up

Amp It Up delivers an authoritative look at what it takes to transform an organization for maximum growth and scale. Frank Slootman shows that most leaders have significant room to improve their organization’s performance without making expensive changes to their talent, structure or fundamental business model — and they don’t need to bring in an army of consultants to do it. What they do need is to align people around what matters and execute with urgency and intensity every day.

Leading for unprecedented growth means declaring war on mediocrity, breaking the status quo and making conflicted choices daily, all with a relentless focus on the mission. Amp It Up provides the first principles to guide that change, and the tactical advice for organizing a company around them.

Perfect for executives, entrepreneurs, founders, managers, and leaders of all kinds,

Amp It Up: Leading for Hypergrowth by Raising Expectations, Increasing Urgency, and Elevating Intensity

Frank Slootman

$28

Wiley Available 1/19/2022 208 pages