The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Intercultural Business Leaders

What is the most highly valued skill in the business world? Get In Front Communications recently published a poll of Harvard Business Review subscribers. Here is what they found:

Ability to communicate is the most important factor in making an executive promotable. It is even more important than ambition, education and hard work.

As your organization becomes increasingly international, your work demands more than mastering your own language. It’s hard enough to get your message across and convince people who share your cultural background. The challenge is far greater when your audience has different values, beliefs, as well as different ways of communicating, listening and organizing their world.

In working with these varied cultures, how do you…

  • Convince superiors to modify their approach?
  • Sell your concept to people from a specific background?
  • Recruit the right people for the right task?
  • Speed up completion of outsourced or delegated work?
  • Get your sales team to implement a new strategy?

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Listening Skills in Cross Cultural Communication – Why So Important?

Do you lead or work within a multi-cultural organization? What one factor is most critical to your success? Here are some powerful reasons why you must learn to listen effectively.

Good listening skills in cross-cultural communication are absolutely essential. Experts and experience continue to emphasize this. This one aptitude gives you great power to impact other people’s thinking.

The Cost Of Not Listening Well

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Cross Cultural Communication – Is The Direct Approach Best?

What is the best approach when different cultures meet to make business decisions? Many people would seek a direct path toward the one right decision. Is this always best?Here is an example of what often happens with this approach:

A CHINESE-AMERICAN BUSINESS MEETING

Not long ago, a Chinese company became an industry leader because of their successful marketing research. A US company bought this Chinese firm and sent an American team to meet in Beijing with the newly acquired Chinese marketing staff.

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