expat spouse

The Secret to Managing Expat Assignments for Modern Families? Start with the Spouse

Skilled professionals are increasingly likely to have an equally skilled partner at home. This makes it harder for companies to fill overseas positions when the move affects two professional careers. Multinational corporations are starting to recognize and try to understand the complexities of managing talent globally. But we wondered whether they are considering the “right” scope of complexities. As an …

How Culture Considerably Influences Children’s Development

From educational toys to governmental guidelines and detailed nursery progress reports, there are lots of resources available to help parents track and facilitate their children’s development. But while there are tricks we can use to teach children to talk, count, draw or respect others, a surprisingly big part of how they develop is determined by the culture they grow up …

How Unmanaged Diversity Will Lead to a Mess in Global Business [The Culture Guy Podcast]

When companies fail abroad, 50% to 70% of the time this is due to cultural differences that have not been addressed, says Sophie Lechner. The CEO of Global Commerce Education and creator of The G2 Experience is dedicated to making her clients aware of the dissimilarities and contrasts between markets and countries. Sophie Lechner about how organizing diversity properly will …

Can cultural differences between France and Croatia impact the World Cup Final?

The 2018 World Cup final will be football’s clash of the year, as France plays Croatia for the ultimate title. But will a contest on the pitch also translate to a collision of cultures? Right before the start of this year’s World Cup we put together an overview of all the cultures which were represented at the tournament. Here now is a …

Why knowing Spanish isn’t good enough to be successful in Latin America [The Culture Guy Podcast]

Adjusting to cultural differences between Spain and the Spanish-speaking parts of the Americas Spanish is the world’s second most common language with more than 400 million native speakers. Comparable to English it has been a lingua franca for centuries and you’ll find people on five continents whose first language is Spanish. This linguistic commonality, however, does not translate into cultural …

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Are Mexico and the United States really two distant neighbors?

Learn how to remove US-Mexican cultural roadblocks during this webinar 🇲🇽 💥 🇺🇸 With immigration and border security issues unresolved and while NAFTA is undergoing an overhaul with unclear outcome, trade relations between Mexico and the United States remain vital to both countries’ bottom line. The legal and political frameworks of business across North America may experience a reorganization, yet the nature of …

Younger Isn’t Necessarily Better When Learning a Second Language

It is often thought that it is better to start learning a second language at a young age. But research shows that this is not necessarily true. In fact, the best age to start learning a second language can vary significantly, depending on how the language is being learned. The belief that younger children are better language learners is based …

Are some cultures really less trusting than others?

Nobel laureate Kenneth Arrow once described trust as a “lubricant of a social system”. Economic exchange, in particular, is virtually impossible without at least some level of trust. While markets, shops and online traders attempt to reduce uncertainty through customer reviews or free returns policies, consumers have to decide for themselves whether to trust unknown trading partners calling themselves obscure …

Why the Japanese concept of Nemawashi affects leadership in a Western context [The Culture Guy Podcast]

Working with professionals from Japan, Mexico, and the USA For three decades Jack Parsons worked for a Japanese car manufacturer who is building vehicles in the United States. In fact, Honda was the first automaker from Japan which established a production subsidiary in the U.S. In his functions at Honda Jack was responsible for training and supporting his company’s network …

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Join us at the Global HR Business Conference

Learn, Engage, Connect, Exchange Ideas, Collaborate The Global HR Business series of conferences is coming to Atlanta, GA this April. Event organizer Edwin B. Cohen has been putting together an impressive speaker roster. This full-day event on April 11, 2018 will bring together professionals from various industries. Ed and his team have been connecting business people from across silos, from across …

Improve your Cross-Cultural Negotiation Style with these Country Tips

Understanding the local negotiation style is key to getting the business outcome you want If you’’ve ever tried to buy a carpet in a Turkish bazaar, you’’ll know the ritual.  The seller mentions a ridiculous price. You (if you are bold enough) make a ludicrously low offer. The seller expresses outrage. You haggle for a while. If your nerve is …

Comm Cafe Podcast Dwayne RIchards

Culture, Passion, and Business in the Comm Cafe

In his day to day professional life, Dwayne Richards serves as a financial advisor, finance director, and CPA to his clients in the Toronto area. One of his side projects is his podcast, Comm Cafe, which he uses to spread practical business advice and to share his guests’ informative and inspirational stories. Recently Dwayne invited Christian Höferle to be a …

Combining Czech, Japanese, and U.S. Influences to Boost Global Business [The Culture Guy Podcast]

From Third Culture Kid to International Business Etiquette Expert She lived abroad as a child and as an adult; she studied, worked, and traveled to more than 70 countries on 7 continents; she speaks French and Czech. Today Sharon Schweitzer has built a career around understanding cultural differences and the tremendous role they play in building strong and successful international business …

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The 7 Questions You Want to Ask a Cultural Training Firm

Inquire Before You Hire a Cultural Training Provider In an interconnected world with a global economy, every company is now competing on an international level. Unless, of course, they fail to develop the cross-cultural skill set which is needed to be successful in today’s business world. Companies who fall behind on building cultural competency are leaving money on the table. …

Why your perceptions of Iran are probably wrong [The Culture Guy Podcast]

Three countries in seven years For many Western expats the list of destinations for an overseas work assignment often include countries among the developed economies as well as the leading powers among the developing nations. So living in Australia and Indonesia might not be considered unusual for a student and young professional from Germany. However, relocating to Iran – a …

How leadership differs across cultures

What makes leaders good in the workplace? That depends on where in the world your workplace is. But one thing is clear: in most situations today, good leaders need to be able to manage across cultures. This means listening to what people are saying and understanding it; reading between the lines, rather than simply reacting. Leadership today requires a high …

Why failure is no fiasco and rather feedback [The Culture Guy Podcast]

Rachel Smets shares her confidence hacks for moving abroad On this episode Rachel Smets, author of “Awaken Your Confidence,” shares her experiences of moving abroad and living in different countries. Born and raised in Belgium, she currently resides in the Netherlands. She left home in her mid-20s and moved to Spain where she landed her first job abroad. Over the years, Rachel has lived in …

When silence doesn’t mean the same thing in different cultures

“Speech is silver. Silence is golden” This is a widely-used saying that many people in many countries are familiar with. And silence also has many different meanings in cross-cultural communication. Silence can be used to intimidate; or to save face; to show respect; or it can simply suggest that the other person is relaxed enough in your company to enjoy a …

How you can improve your foreign language skills – in 15 minutes a day

No global success without sufficient language skills You are working on foreign assignment. You are an expert in your field. Your success at home was one of the main reasons why you are here today – working for your company abroad. Your ability to speak and understand the language of your host country is improving. But you are in another culture …

What do expatriates want?

Take the survey Are you currently an expatriate on a foreign work assignment? Have you lived and worked abroad in the past? Are you considering taking a position overseas? Then this survey is for you! Please take a minute to answer these short questions for expats. This brief questionnaire is designed to help us better understand how people who live …