It's not about you: Navigating cultures in the global market

It's important to understand the differences between cultures in order to succeed when doing business across cultural lines, said diversity and inclusion expert Christine French, speaking at the annual meeting of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). Even if you are not doing business outside your country, your customers without doubt come from a range of cultures. French is the founder and president of Phoenix-based Global Diversity Consulting LLC. "My mantra is this: it's not right or wrong, it just is," she said. "How you deal with it can make a difference. Don't judge."

Christine French tells a story about a business trip to Brazil to deliver a seminar. At 8 a.m. on the day of the meeting she was busy in the conference room making sure everything was ready for her clients, who would arrive an hour later. Nine o'clock came and went, but no one came through the door. At 10 the seats were still empty, and at 11. She was upset. What's going on here, she wondered. Around 11:45 her clients began to trickle in, greeting her and asking about her flight.

When French finally started teaching around 1 p.m. she told the group that the seminar was normally eight hours long. What did they want to do? No problem, they replied. They worked into the evening and then went out for a late dinner together. French got back to her hotel at 3 a.m. The story illustrates a cultural norm that can have ramifications for anyone doing business globally.

In Latin America, as in many other parts of the world, punctuality is a much looser concept than in the U.S. or Europe. "I should know these things," she laughed. French is the founder and president of Global Diversity Consulting LLC, a Phoenix, Arizona-based firm specializing in diversity and inclusion.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), French said that it's important to understand the differences between cultures in order to succeed when doing business across cultural lines. Even if you are not doing business outside your country, she said to her listeners, your customers without doubt come from a range of cultures. "My mantra is this: it's not right or wrong, it just is," she said. "How you deal with it can make a difference. Don't judge."

You've got to be carefully taught …

Culture, French said, is "the acquired knowledge that people use to interpret experience and generate behavior." Language is an example of acquired knowledge. "If I was raised by wolves I would be howling at you now," she quipped. But there are many other behaviors that we are taught. For example, during French's childhood in Vietnam her mother taught her to wash her face, comb her hair and change her clothes before going out.

Learned behaviors like these become the filter through which we see the world, and when we see things we don't understand we often interpret negatively. Then we act accordingly. The key to success is to know this, and to adjust, French said. Earlier in her career, French interviewed a young man for a job. He turned up for the appointment with multiple piercings. When she saw him she wanted to say "ouch." His appearance ran counter to her mother's teachings, and French reacted negatively. Next?

"I knew I would not be objective, so I asked a team member to sit in on this interview," she said. Since the company was looking for technical skills — not necessarily a clean-cut appearance — the young man got the job. He is now a vice president of the firm, French said. If she had blindly followed her cultural orientation he might not even have been hired. Another of French's examples came from high end retail.

A pricey apparel store recently brought in a team of consultants to assess the reason for flat sales. They discovered that salespeople were not paying attention to customers who were not regulars. Although these shoppers didn't fit the profile, they might nevertheless buy an expensive garment for a special occasion … but they were ignored. Once the pattern was identified, the staff was retrained and sales went up 20 percent.

Everyone operates from a frame of reference that comprises values, attitudes and experiences, French said. This frame shapes your assumptions, and therefore the prejudices and stereotypes that translate into behavior. "When we lock gears and refuse to see anything but what we know, we lose out," French said.

It's not about me

Navigating successfully across cultural lines involves moving outside of your frame of reference in order to understand someone else's, French said. For example, some companies are puzzled about their low rate of success in Asia, French said. If you march in, say "good morning," spread out your materials and start talking about how you are going to help them make more money, you might not get the result you want, she said.

Why? Because in an Asian culture you are expected to know the name of the person you are visiting, and use it when you say "good morning." And when you cover their counter with brochures without asking permission, you have violated that person's space, she added. Many Asian cultures feel personal space is sacred.

Worst of all, after demonstrating how little you know about your prospective client and her business, you arrogantly announce your product or service will improve profits. You may not even know that you've failed, because you may go away with the response, "I'll think about it," or "I will try."

It sounds like the door is at least partially open, but in fact your prospect was probably just being polite, French adds. Saying no may be interpreted as assuming a position of power — and that's rude in some cultures. In your own culture you did nothing wrong, but this business situation is not about you — it's about the customer. To succeed you need to educate yourself. So what should you study?

The other 62 percent

Remember that verbal communication is only 38 percent of the message in a multi-cultural exchange, French said. Be aware of your body language — especially if you talk with your hands. For example, the "ok" sign is a vulgar gesture in many places, she warned. Businesspeople would do well to heed French's mother's instructions: Keep your hands folded or at your side. A handshake or hug may be completely unacceptable, she said.

In some countries gender rules prohibit touching between men and women. Even the way you walk may offend. The purposeful American stride may be out of place in Asian cultures where people walk in measured steps, taking up as little room as possible. In America, we equate honesty with eye contact, French said, but in Native American cultures looking into a person's eyes may be considered defiant.

French herself remembers a job interview shortly after she arrived in America. She kept her eyes lowered — proper behavior in Vietnam — and the interviewer kept trying to catch her eye. Even colors carry messages. French said white is the color of mourning in some places; purple represents death in Latin America; red (think about your power suit!) is too aggressive for some countries. Blue may be safest — French said it is neutral.

Be on the look out for narrative style, too. Not everyone will talk in a straight line, going from A to B to C. Some cultures communicate with storytelling, or may explain situations only after numerous digressions, or even circle the point — defining their message by stating everything it is not. French's advice is to observe carefully, keep quiet and listen closely — then ask "How may I help you?" Observe, listen and ask. A primer for bridging cultures.

Bottom Line:

A few of Christine French's tips for taking your business proposition across cultural lines that could bring success in your own as well:

1. Practice active listening.
2. Assume positive intent — for example, a question may sound rude, but maybe the person is simply trying to understand.
3. Be direct.
4. Be open, sincere, specific and timely: answer the question that's asked (see number 1).
5. Check for understanding by repeating what you think you heard.
6. Keep your promises. If you say you will do something in a week, do it.
7. Manage your body language.
8. See the whole and not just the part. In some cultures people want to hear everything before speaking; Americans and Europeans sometimes speak too soon.
9. Suspend judgment: it's not right or wrong, it just is.
10. Do some reading. Good picks include "Riding the Waves of Culture" by Charles Hampden-Turner and Fons Trompenaars or "Lions Don't Need to Roar: Using the Leadership Power of Personal Presence to Stand Out, Fit In and Move Ahead" by D. A. Benton.