Steve Jobs was truly about connecting things
Read moreThe past two posts, and perhaps the next few, take their inspiration from the (relatively) new movie “Jobs”, which I managed to see on one of my long airplane journeys. I say “inspiration” because this film made me curious again about some of its characters and stories; that curiosity led me to re-read Isaacson’s fascinating biography, and to do a
Steve Jobs and the lessons of his early life experience
Read moreIn my coaching and teaching, I often speak of the general public’s misconception that people who emerge as world or business leaders have some extraordinary experience in their past, a “crucible” that has prepared them for leadership roles. In fact, effective leaders are characterized not so much by their specific experiences per se, but rather by the way they learn to
A cable, a motherboard and a fence
Read moreYou may be wondering what this title is all about. What can these three items possibly have in common, or how can they be connected? Well, let’s see if we can trace the link between them. We can begin by recalling the cables from the last blog post—the ones built by the Americans at AT&T, the ones that met or exceeded all
The complex game of cultural decoding
Read moreWhenever I speak about intercultural management, one of the stories that seems to captivate audiences most describes a basic misunderstanding between American and Japanese business units collaborating on a telecommunication project. This short anecdote sheds light on some of the profound differences between Japanese and American societies. And, it addresses a larger point about decoding, meaning, and context across cultures.
Some lessons in “intercultural management”
Read moreAs I wrote last week, the topic of intercultural management is one that I always have a lot of fun with, and one that I would welcome more opportunities to talk about in public. Whenever I prepare for one of these talks, it causes me to reflect on some of the insight I have had the good fortune to garner
Speaking about “intercultural management”
Read moreThis past Saturday, I spent the day in Aix-les-Bains, a beautiful resort town near Lyon. The event was the annual conference for the officers of the region’s Rotary Club. I was invited as an outside speaker to talk about management across the world’s cultures. About 500 people attended, and the lively audience was a pleasure to interact with. This was