Issue No. 192 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting features a book that will keep you out of trouble in more than 60 countries—and bless guests from other countries when they visit you. And this reminder, check out my Management Buckets website with dozens of resources and downloadable worksheets for your staff meetings.
Two-foot Canadian Rule
Oops. A few years ago, I offended a colleague from another country. Before I visited that country—or hosted a guest from that country in my home—I had meant to learn more about his culture, his behavior styles, his business practices, even his negotiating techniques. But I didn’t.
If you travel outside of your country, work in a multi-cultural office, worship with people from other cultures, email colleagues in other countries, or participate (or even lead) church short-term mission trips, I have a book for you.
Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More than 60 Countries provides a snapshot look at nations where you may be traveling. Example: I visited Turkey this year. If you relied on the prevalent loud speaker calls to prayer, you would think that Turkey is a Muslim country. But this helpful book pointed out that Turkey has no official religion, even though 90 percent of the Turkish population is Sunni Muslim.
Did you know it’s best to keep both feet flat on the floor in Turkey? “Displaying the soles of your shoes (or feet) to someone is rude.” And, “it is rude to cross your arms while facing someone.” Americans and Turks indicate “yes” by nodding their heads up and down, but Turks say no with their eyebrows. (You’ll need to study that section before your next trip.)
What’s the point? Cross-cultural travel is ripe with opportunities to embarrass yourself and demean others. Advance preparation will help. In Australia, for example, men “should not be too demonstrative with other men.” Contrast that with the 2005 photo of U.S. President George W. Bush and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah—and their hand-holding stroll at Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas!
Each country profile includes the country background, business practices, cultural orientation and protocol. Example: in India, don’t pat a child’s hair. “The head is considered the seat of the soul by many Indians.” In Canada (per the authors), “the standard space between you and your conversation partner should be two feet.” But French Canadians may stand closer. (Memo to my Canadian clients: should I bring a yardstick next time, or will you provide it?)
Other books, such as the CIA World Fact Book (click here for my review), cover every country, but this one focuses on just over 60, including England, Indonesia, South Korea, Pakistan, Mexico, Sweden, Columbia, Brazil, China and Russia. Globalization is here. This book will help you understand contexts, cultures and customs.
To order this book from Amazon, click on the link below for Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More than 60 Countries, by Terri Morrison and Wayne A. Conaway.
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
1) In the People Bucket, we talk about the four social styles: analyticals, drivers, amiables and expressives. So if a guest from another country asked you to describe the “typical person” in your country—how would you articulate the uniqueness (and perhaps strangeness) of your culture, yet help him or her understand that there’s a certain uniqueness in all of us?
2) Many books on national cultures and customs have old, out-dated myths about its people (perhaps you’ll find some in this book). The global village (CNN, Sky.com, etc.) has created greater awareness about people groups. Yet it seems that understanding other cultures is often a moving target. So, how do we stay on top of culture, protocol and customs—so you can be respectful, courteous and appropriately generous with colleagues and clients from other nations?
Ministry or Business? Insights from Mastering the Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Nonprofit
One of the big ideas in the Budget Bucket, Chapter 15, in Mastering the Management Buckets comes from Bob Buford when he mentored a young leader in integrating business practices with ministry sustainability.
Lately, I’ve listened in on a rash of emotionally-charged discussions of younger ministry staffers whining, “Are we a business or a ministry?” Frankly, the question doesn’t make any sense—practically or theologically. There is no dichotomy between God-honoring “business” and “ministry.” You need both, of course. To explain this, I enjoy telling a story about my friend, Dan Bolin.
When Dan was the young executive director of Pine Cove Christian Camps in Tyler, Texas, he received some savvy financial counsel from Bob Buford, then a member of the camp and conference center’s board of directors. (Bob is the author of the bestseller, Halftime: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance.) Now with an MBA to his name, Bolin serves as the international director of Christian Camping International. Dan told me that Buford’s advice still ranks up there on his list of the top 10 management insights.
In Dan’s first few months as the camp’s CEO, Bob had a defining conversation with Dan. “Dan, let me give you some advice. It may be one of the most important principles I can share with you about ministry leadership,” Buford said.
Dan’s energy perked up. He was all ears because he knew that Bob Buford was a successful business leader with a heart for God. Whatever leadership lesson Bob was about to share would be memorable.
Bob looked deep into Dan’s eyes and whispered, “Don’t run out of money!” With that jewel, Buford said goodnight and Dan drove home.
Is your organization a “ministry” or a “business?” Well…if you run out of money, it won’t be either.
For more resources from the Budget Bucket, including a recommended list of the financial reports you should provide to your board every month, visit the Budget Bucket on the Management Buckets website.
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