Reaping the Full Benefits of Foreign Investment Requires ICE-Q

The nature of a multinational company (MNC) is to invest capital in markets outside of the country in which it began its operations. Typically, this business activity is called foreign direct investment (FDI). For open economies to flourish, cross-border trade is essential. Another critical factor for successful international business is ICE-Q – a combination of three essential, durable skills: subject …

Mexico United States Cultural Differences

What You should Know about Cultural Differences Between the U.S. and Mexico

As part of our Fall/Winter Webinar series we recently offered a joint session on the main cultural roadblocks between the United States and Mexico, together with our partners at Gea Cultura. During this webinar Salvador Rodríguez Gil Batista and Christian Höferle identified ways to establish robust and reliable bridges across the Rio Grande/Bravo. Watch the webinar recording here and learn …

The Culture Moment 45

The Culture Moment 45

A recent article on Harvard Business Review (HBR) asks: “Are You Sugarcoating Your Feedback Without Realizing It?“. Apparently, many employees want negative feedback to be delivered in a more candid way. It has been our experience that you best take that with a pinch of salt, if you work in a global context. Make sure you adjust your candor to …

The Culture Moment 43

Why do people call some of the most essential abilities “soft skills”? How can strengths like effective and impactful communication, the ability to relate and connect to people, adaptability, integrity, or cultural intelligence be seriously described as “soft” – as in “less relevant than hard”? How about we rather call these strengths Human Skills or People Skills? The term we …

A Look at Global Employee Relocation in 2019

The peak season for relocation — June through August — is nearly over. One of the most common reasons why people move is that they are changing jobs or starting a new job. For some of these relocating employees, getting to their new homes will involve a lot more than just loading their stuff into a moving van. That’s because …

Fuel your Transatlantic Growth – Close the Culture Gap to Germany!

Learn how to avoid major cross-cultural mishaps when doing business in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in our upcoming webinar. 🇺🇸🇩🇪🇦🇹🇨🇦🇨🇭 Do you want to accelerate your business success in German-speaking Europe? Are you interested in protecting your transatlantic investment in talent and assets? This webinar will walk you through the triggers and tripwires of German business culture and showcase strategies …

The Culture Moment 40

The Culture Moment 40

This corner of the world comes with a fascinating blend of cultures. Somewhere in the Alpine region. At an elevation of around 4,200 feet. Where everyone speaks at least two languages. And where the local culture is, in fact, a mix of two. This is the mountain refuge my family has been coming to for decades. I remember hiking up …

The Culture Moment 37

The Culture Moment 37

What’s an excellent way to create connection when you are dealing with people from different cultures? Make sure to try food and drink. Share a beverage, share a meal. And, very important: show genuine interest in the other culture’s drinking and eating traditions. Then, in return, offer your culture’s traditions to others. What is The Culture Moment? The Culture Moment …

The Culture Moment 36

The Culture Moment 36

Somehow this episode of The Culture Moment turned into a bit of a rant. Let’s blame it on the rain… How authentic can we be when we work across cultures? And how authentic do we want to be when we are having a less than perfect day? Some musings about accepting the fact that, as humans, we are imperfectly perfect. …

The Culture Moment 35

The Culture Moment 35

Just like you allocate time and resources for maintaining your real estate, you want to schedule culture maintenance for your organization. Take care of weeds and uncontrolled growth. What is The Culture Moment? The Culture Moment is our short-form video format: every clip is a bit more than three minutes long and contains a complimentary intercultural nugget, presented by Christian …

The Culture Moment 32+33+34

The Culture Moments 32+33+34

A lot of our clients work in a global context between English-speaking North America and German-speaking Europe. That’s why we compiled nine tips on how to improve your transatlantic communication with people from the United States and Canada, if you are a foreigner from the heart of Europe. Would you like these 9 tips explored in more detail and combined …

The Culture Moment 31

The Culture Moment 31

Let’s say you want people to better unterstand the culture of the country or region with which you identify most (could be your home country or adopted home). How do you create commonality with people from other cultures and countries? Here are some tips for questions and conversational topics you can use. The chat evolving from these will highlight your …

The Culture Moment 30

The Culture Moment 30

Suspend your judgement and observe keenly. Whenever you travel take the time to observe your surroundings. You’ll encounter people from all walks of life. This will allow you to practice your knowledge about cultural differences. Remember the Mark Twain quote about how travel is the antidote to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness? It can truly be, if you observe with eyes, …

The Culture Moment 29

The Culture Moment 29

People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.What is your WHY? Here’s mine. Find out more about the power of WHY with Simon Sinek. What is The Culture Moment? The Culture Moment is our short-form video format: every clip is a bit more than three minutes long and contains a complimentary intercultural nugget, presented by Christian …

The Culture Moment 28

The Culture Moment 28

How do you deal with difference? Here’s a radically simple way to tackle your fear of the foreign, the uneasiness with otherness: Take the other to lunch, ask these three questions, and suspend your judgment in favor of listening to relate. What is The Culture Moment? The Culture Moment is our short-form video format: every clip is a bit more …

The Culture Moment 27

The Culture Moment 27

Here’s an answer to the question why our company is called The Culture Mastery. There are four stages to learning anything and we’ll take you through all of them so you can master the new skills: Unconscious Incompetence ❯ Conscious Incompetence ❯ Conscious Competence ❯ Unconscious Competence What is The Culture Moment? The Culture Moment is our short-form video format: …

The Culture Moment 25

The Culture Moment 25

There is a way to find out whether a cultural training firm is right for you and your organization. Seven questions you should ask. Inquire before you hire! We also have a blog post on this topic. What is The Culture Moment? The Culture Moment is our short-form video format: every clip is a bit more than three minutes long …

The Culture Moment 24

The Culture Moment 24

Companies that capitalize on culture do better in reaching their goals. Are you leaving money on the table by insisting on doing business “your” way? Or are you open to the idea of adjusting your approach? Either way, you should be aware that when businesses embrace a global mindset they get better results. What is The Culture Moment? The Culture …

The Culture Mastery 23

The Culture Moment 23

Are you planning to go to the C-Suite? Are you expecting it to be a sweet/suite ride? That road might be a bit bumpy, if you are missing the key “Vitamin C” ingredient: a healthy organizational culture that is in alignment with your corporate goals and with the diverse cultures of the markets in which you are doing business. Are …

The Culture Moment 22

The Culture Moment 22

When global executives outline key pillars for making expat assignments work I pay close attention. Of the three things I learned from a senior leader, No. 3 should make you think. Especially considering that less than 15% of HR professionals have worked abroad. And still many HR departments think they can cover expatriate support programs with in-house solutions. Three things …