CAREER
don’t overdo it. Instead, find chances to ask "how have you done it here in the past and what has worked?" One of the benefits for you of working in another country is the chance to build your stock of references from around the world. So, see this as a learning opportunity, not a chance for you to inject your way into their process.
television show or an element of pop culture that’s only known in your own country, your British colleagues won't relate, may miss your point and will likely start to tune out. I've sat in many a seminar or event presentation given by American presenters where this has happened and usually the audience begins to shift in their chairs. Whether your audience is 1 person or 100, know them and the references that have meaning for them. Being able to credibly refer to something from British pop culture, in an authentic way, will help get your message across and certainly help your clout!
5.
After living and working in Britain for almost four years, the most treasured thing I returned home to the United States with were the relationships I made with my British colleagues. Tey taught me a new way to work, often made me roar with laughter and made friends that I will have for life. People are the most important thing in business and in life. Being able to relate well to your British colleagues will make your time working abroad a success and your experience richly rewarding in ways that even money can’t buy.
Be conscious of cultural references that are natural to you but will be unknown to people you work with in Britain. For example, if you reference a popular book,
Take your lead on interpersonal relationships by learning from your British colleagues. Avoid using your own native experiences too much as a reference.
Melissa Romo is an American businesswoman who has worked in Poland, France and the United Kingdom and collaborated with colleagues from Brazil to Australia and most countries in between. She is the author of a historical novel about identity and nationhood entitled Blue- Eyed Son. She now resides with her family in New York.
www.focus-info.org
FOCUS The Magazine 29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
