See It - Bridge It - Cross It
How do you build a bridge between two cultures?
Method A: Just build it and hope for the best. Whether or not people actually cross the bridge is—at best—a matter of trial and error.
See: discount lederhosen at a Los Angeles Wal-Mart
Method B: Create an outpost on each side of the ocean. Ask people if they want a bridge and what they might use it for. See what bridges already exist, and announce your plans for a new one. Even if you speak with each group in a different language make sure they see the same bridge in their minds. Then start building from each side and meet in the middle.
See: $4.75 frankfurters (hot dogs) at Yankee Stadium
We begin our cross-cultural training with few assumptions or stereotypes. As we see it, international business boils down to one word: humility. When building bridges, we don’t just assume people will cross them.
In our coaching we make the journey across that bridge as light-hearted and joyful as it is serious and enriching. After all, learning how to tell a joke flawlessly in a foreign language is no small feat. Nor is a successful negotiation with a co-worker or customer from another culture. But mastering the nuances of culture and language is worth the struggle.
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