You don't create a corporate culture.

What is the consistent behavior showing up in your corporate culture?

This is your culture. Not what is in the brochure. Compliance does not build skills. New rules do not always change attitudes. Values don't change corporate cultures. Behaviors do.

Read more about this and how to work differently in the awesome book, Rework by Jason Friedman and and David Heinemeier Hansson.

People all over the world are working virtually across time zones, culture, language and even cube to cube in their own offices.

So, doesn't it make sense then to improve their virtual intercultural communication skills be practiced in such a setting?

Often, these skills are more important than their face-to-face and in-person skills, as this doesn't happen so often.

What do you think?

Today our Top Tips focus on 10 tips for managing and dealing with organizational changes.

Perhaps the clearest and most useful ideas on change are contained in the Prichett and Pound booklet, The Employee Handbook of Organizational Change. First, they dispel the myths about change such as:

Myth

• It will go away.
  
• My job is the same.
• Problems prove that changes are harmful for the organization. I’m not in a position to make a difference.
• They don’t know what they are doing.

Reality

• It won’t.
  
• You need to change too.
• Problems are part of the change process.
• You are part of the solution or part of the problem Some mistakes are inevitable.

They also make some recommendations abut being a change agent:

1. Be positive.
   
2. Take ownership of the changes.
   
3. Pick your battles.
   
4. Be tolerant of mistakes.
   
5. Practice stress management.
   
6. What is the size of the problem?
   
7. Is it very serious?
   
8. What is the source of the problem? Is it personal or organizational?
   
9. Is this a temporary or permanent problem, and will it reoccur?
   
10. What are the causes of the problem, not the symptom.
    

I often wonder about identity. What does it mean these days? How do we identify with the multiple identities we all have?

In reconciling my own multiple identities, I am more open and less fearful to someone else's multiple identities.

We are much more than a single identity.

I am a human being. born in X, studied in Y, married C and now living in F.
I am.

How do you manage your multiple identities? What kind of communities are created when we honor  and respect each others multiple identities?

Are you ready for coaching? Would you answer the questions below with yes or no?

1. I am ready to do what it takes to reach my goals.                           
2. I am willing to listen to the viewpoint of someone else.           
3. I am willing to invest in myself.                                             
4. I am willing to get out of my comfort zone and try new things.         
5. I am willing to make the commitment necessary to make the changes I am seeking.                                                
6. I am willing to commit to the process, knowing that change doesn’t happen overnight.                                                 
7. I am willing to ask for support and accept the support I receive.      
8. I am ready to invest in myself.                                              
9. I am ready to put myself first in my life and work.                             

 
Give yourself one point for every yes you circled and 0 points for every no you circled.  Count up the number of yes’s and then the number of no’s.
 
If you scored:
 
8-10 points You are ready to make the investment and hire a coach.  Your commitment level is high and you will achieve much from working with a coach.
 5-7 points.  You are almost there.  During your trial session, work with a coach on areas that are getting in your way.  Ask the coach to support you in removing those blocks so you can move forward and begin to create the change you want in your life.
 0-4 points.  Most likely you are not ready to hire a coach.  During your trial session, ask the coach for suggestions on what you could do to prepare yourself to begin the process of change.

Learn more about Caterpillar Spirit Coaching here.

Knowing about a cultural difference is one part of learning.

Knowing which cultural difference makes a difference for you and the people you are interacting with is a more important part of cultural learning.

Not all differences will make a difference for you.

Cultural differences do not explain everything.

Start asking questions about what cultural differences actually make a difference for you.

We're happy to share with you our helpful advice and suggestions for working more effectively with US Americans by better understanding their cultural values and style.

1.Just Do It. US Americans tend to have a ‘just do it’ attitude and show a pragmatic style when making decisions. Decisions which are made quickly and involving a certain level of risk are accepted and expected. Less information may be required to make the decision. More information is likely to come after the initial decision has been made.

2. Why Not? When deciding whether or not to do something, US Americans tend to ask themselves why not. Why not try something new, take a risk and perhaps fail? The US American culture is a trial-and-error culture.  Learning through failure is part of the US American way.

3. Agree to Disagree.  While US American communication style tends to be direct, some may understand the style as very indirect when dealing with negative or critical information. Agreeing to disagree on a particularly sensitive or personal issue can happen in the US to maintain the relationship and preserve harmony. Such a communication style can sometimes be confusing as it is not a ‘direct’ method of dealing with conflict or disagreement.

4. What do you do? Accomplishment and success is a strong US American value. This can be seen in resume styles as well as in interviewing questions. While the quality of experiences is important, so is the quantity of those experiences, both personally and professionally. Taking risks, trying out new careers, hobbies and learning from them to add to ones’ accomplishments is a key element in understanding the US American drive for change, success and progress.

5. I, Me, I. US American culture values individualism and thinking for themselves. This doesn’t mean US Americans aren’t willing to offer a helping hand. What it does mean is not giving up control of one’s life and one’s destiny to others and being able to make one’s own decision as free as possible based on personal choice.

Caterpillar Spirit’s trainings, workshops and coaching programs provide valuable strategies, tips and support to manage the challenges mentioned above. If  you or your team are experiencing some of these challenges and looking for support, contact us to learn more. We look forward to hearing from you.

Working in the field of professional and personal development, we often focus on soft skills and not hard skills. However, the soft skills are often the hardest skills for so many. But those are the skills that matter and prevail.

Water is fluid, soft and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard.

This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.
- Lao Tzu (600 BC)

Expatriation brings with it a unique set of challenges. We've included some of these challenges below as well as challenging questions to get you to think about how you can change and improve your perspective.

Challenges

1. Unclear objectives of the assignment

• Why am/are I/we doing this?

2. Unclear and/or unrealistic expectations

• What do I expect of myself?
• Is this realistic? If not, what is?

3. Small world mentality

• Am I frustrated due to a minimization of the differences?

4. Boredom

• How can I create a routine for myself?

5. Reduced productivity

• First, see #1. Second, ask yourself, how can I better manage my personal and professional goals during this transition? Hint: It typically takes the normal expat at least 6 months to reach productivity levels of their home country, so don't be so hard on yourself!

6. Mental and/or physical problems

• How can I take better care of myself?

7. Overwhelmed and pulled priorities

• How can I place boundaries on my time?

8. A loss of support network

• What resources exist? Remember to include virtual resources!

9. Not learning the language fast enough

• What will I do so I speak/hear/read the host language everyday? Also, see #2.

10. Negative attitude toward host nationals

• How can I increase my empathy? What else is going on that I am unaware of?

Completely removing all frustrations from our lives and from all relationships is an unrealistic goal.

However, reducing our stress cycle to a particular situation can truly change in how we approach life. If a current stress cycle to a challenging situation is 1 week, setting a goal to reduce it to 3 days is realistic and gives back the control one may need in managing the frustration and knowing it can be managed in a different manner.

Yes, it is going to be frustrating but perhaps not for 1 week.

It may not be easy, but it certainly can be easier.

Reminding yourself of these helpful questions in the middle of stress cycle, however long, can help:

• How much time, energy and frustration do I want to choose to give to this particular issue?
  
• In doing so, am I aware that putting my energy in this place will take it away from another place?
  
• Is this what I want? Is this what am I committed to?