Golden Rules for Dealing with Asian Businesses, part 1 of 3

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Today, more Americans than ever are doing business in China, Japan, Korea and other parts of Asia. Below is advice explaining what Western business people need to know about national traits and customs in those countries if they want to succeed.

1. Speech is to promote harmony
In the West the primary purpose of speech is to exchange information. In Asian cultures, what is actually said is of less importance than how and when it is said and who says it. Platitudes are trotted out in profusion in Japan; flattery is also included. Westerners consider it as time wasting and pointless; in the Asian view, the longer this harmonious exchange is maintained, the more likely it is that successful business will ensue.

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About the Authors

Kai Hammerich received his M.B.A. from Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management and his M.Sc. in economics from the University of Aarhus, Denmark. Based in London, he is a consultant with the international search firm Russell Reynolds Associates. Kai has conducted numerous CEO and board-level assignments for major global companies. He has in-depth experience advising clients on how to align a company’s talent portfolio with its overall business strategy and company culture. Kai has been nominated by BusinessWeek as one of the most influential search experts worldwide.

Richard D. Lewis is a renowned British linguist and founder of Richard Lewis Communications – a language school for executives as well as a company that advises on cross-cultural business issues. He is the creator of the Lewis Model of Cross-Cultural Communication and author of many books including the bestselling When Cultures Collide: Leading Across Cultures.

StrategyDriven Organizational Performance Measures Best Practice Article

Eliminate Low-Value Metrics

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StrategyDriven Organizational Performance Measures Best Practice ArticleOver time, organizational performance measurement systems can grow to include hundreds if not thousands of individual metrics. While each metric contributes some value in establishing the overall picture of performance, not all metrics offer equal value in doing so. Some metrics contribute so little value that they may be more costly and distracting than their value warrants. Consequently, executives and managers should consider eliminating these measures from the overall system.

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About the Author

Nathan Ives, StrategyDriven Principal is a StrategyDriven Principal and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

Jeffrey Gitomer

Leadership actions that are not an option for leaders.

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“Where’s the action? Where’s the game?” is a line in the song “Oldest Established” from the immortal Broadway show (and my personal favorite) Guys and Dolls.

For the uninformed, the show is about a craps game and a leader named Nathan Detroit. The movie version stars Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando and won all kinds of awards.

The plot is about gambling, winning, attracting, and making it happen no matter what. It’s just a great show and movie with great music and a happy ending.

The theme is one of looking to the leader to make things happen. And it’s the same in your business – just without the craps game and the songs. BUT not without gambling. All business is a gamble and all businesses look to their leaders to ‘make it happen.’

Here are the actions I have observed about leadership that are mandatory for leadership success. They’re internal actions that build trust, earn respect, and create a team of inspired people – inspired to be productive and do their best…

  • Great leaders are value providers, not order givers. At the TOP of every employee’s list of job wants (besides more money) is to be appreciated and valued. When appreciation for a job well done is conveyed, positive environment thrives.
  • Great leaders tell the truth. Truth creates trust and confidence and a reliance on the consistency of message. All other leadership characteristics and outcomes fade if there is a lack of truth. (Same in life.)
  • Great leaders are in control and earn respect. Quick to decide and not afraid to make or admit mistakes, great leaders are respected because they take action and respected because they are vulnerable.
  • Great leaders focus on OUTCOME to ensure completed tasks. Don’t focus on task or project completion. Rather, think what will happen AFTER the project is completed. Outcome, not task. Outcome, not results.
  • Great leaders are responsible by example and expect the same from their people. Everyone ‘looks’ to and at leaders. Watches their every move. If the leader is slack, lacks work ethic, or is slow to decide, they have given tacit permission to their team to be and do the same. The best leaders are first in, last out, and work their ass off in the middle.
  • Great leaders value and display tolerance and temperance. First in themselves – then from others. I’m not a fan of leaders who rant. Lots of successful ones do rant, but there are rules to follow if you’re one of them.
    RULE 1 – Praise in public.
    RULE 2 – Reprimand in private.
    RULE 2.5 – Record yourself doing both praise and reprimand. See how you sound to others by listening to yourself. You may not like it.
  • Great leaders are excellent communicators that are listened to intently, and are clearly understood. The one characteristic that gets more productivity and generates more achievement and positive outcome is clear communication. Leaders have a responsibility and a challenge to be excellent at it.
  • Great leaders train WITH their people, continuously. If training is to have a lasting value, it must have leadership support AND participation. Leaders must train to be better leaders. Start by rating yourself 1-10 on the qualities I have listed here. Anything less that a 7 (out of 10) requires immediate attention.
  • Great leaders are wide open to new ideas and innovation. “That’s the way we’ve always done it” is a recipe for failure. Leaders are readers, constantly searching for new ways to be better.
  • Great leaders are tech-savvy. Leaders need to be tweeters, and need to lead the way by communicating value and ideas through social media. A leader’s example can create an avalanche of great service, goodwill, loyal customers, increased sales, and better reputation – or not.
  • Great leaders concentrate on and think BEST. It always takes extra effort to be or strive to be ‘best,’ that’s why so many people fail. Failure occurs when people (leaders or not) fail to do their best and be their best – daily.
  • Great leaders remain committed. The best leaders never waver. They’re loyal, steadfast examples of what and who others aspire to be and be like. They’re not just mission driven; they’re also ‘personal mission’ driven. They are respected and followed because of their commitment.
  • Great leaders encourage. They build pride with a ‘you can do it’ philosophy and communication style. They encourage their people to succeed, and do so with a helpful, positive attitude. A coach and a teacher, not a manager or a boss. Big difference, both in results and morale.

Did I just define your leader? Did I just define how you are inspired to be and do your best every day? I hope so, but I doubt it.

The challenge for you, whether you’re a leader or a team member, is to study these qualities, and talk about them openly. One of the tragedies of leadership is that the (overrated) 360-degree feedback process, usually only goes 180 degrees.

Great leaders don’t just lead by example – they set the standard. What kind of standard are you setting?

Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.

About the Author

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].

StrategyDriven Leadership Inspirations Quote

Leadership Inspirations – Opportunity and Work

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“I believe that opportunity looks a lot like work. I never had a job in my life that I was better than.”

Ashton Kutcher
American Actor

“I sometimes met rich young people, enemies by temperament of every painful effort, who had been forced to take up a profession. Their nature and their fortune permitted them to remain idle; public opinion imperiously forbade it to them, and they had to obey.”

Alexis de Tocqueville (1805 – 1859)
French political thinker and historian,
best known for Democracy in America

Jeffrey Gitomer

Leadership words that need to be banned. Forever.

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Pabulum leadership words really bug me – but not as bad as they may bug you if they’re uttered by your leader.

Leaders are known by their words, deeds, actions, values, principles, and by the people they attract both on their team and in the world, but…

  • It’s their words that set the tone for the environment.
  • It’s their words that start the internal chatter.
  • It’s their words that start their internal reputation.

…THEN it’s the actions that follow. All are studied and judged by the team.

OBVIOUS OBSERVATION: Great leaders attract great people. So why is there so much leadership mediocrity? Must be their words (and the way they’re spoken)!

I read a lot of stuff about leaders and leadership. Below are a bunch of leadership ‘words‘ (in no particular order) that sound good, but mean virtually nothing. You’ve heard them, and groaned about them.

I’m defining several of the words I have an issue with (cannot stand), in italics, then explaining why I have the issue, challenging the status-quo, and suggesting better words, replacement words, substitute words, in ALL CAPS, and explaining my reasons.

  • Embrace means you’re ok with it, but not necessarily a participant – not good. I don’t want leaders to ’embrace change.’ I want a leader that takes ACTION. ACTION is a better word, because it means something’s happening.
  • Accountable means they fess up if (and after) something goes wrong, and results are measured. RESPONSIBLE is a better option. Be responsible for yourself and to yourself. Be responsible for your words and deeds. Be responsible for your attitude. Be responsible and take responsibility for your achievements.
  • Effective – to me, effective means mediocre. Sort of carries a ‘so-what’ feeling to it. I really don’t want an effective heart surgeon. I want the BEST. He’s an effective salesman? Or he’s the BEST salesman? Which would you rather have?
  • Diversity – I really don’t know what this means in business. It’s a word spoken by many, understood by few. I guess it refers to hiring and doing business with all types of people and businesses. Sad that the world has to come to this. It seems forced. When leaders preach diversity, they have to make a special effort, rather than a natural effort. I prefer the word INCLUSIVE. It tells a deeper tale of involvement, and is a positive word that needs no defining. It’s also singular. I’m inclusive. “I’m diverse” or “I’m all about diversity” sounds contrived.
  • Focus – this is a word that means the leader is ‘honed in on’ something, and that’s what he or she is paying major attention to. I would rather know from my leader what his or her INTENTION is, and what the intention is to do something about what you’re focused on. Just because you’re focused on something doesn’t mean you intend to do something about it.
  • Understand – you’re kidding me, right? This is a totally weak and passive word. Bob understands or Bob is understanding. So what? Is Bob doing anything about it? That’s leadership. I want someone that knows what to do, and does it. I want an EXPERT. When I have an issue, do I want to bring it to someone who understands – or do I want to bring it to an expert?
  • Paradigm – This is a two-decade old word that has lost its way. Sometimes it’s accompanied by the word ‘shift’ and means there’s a new way. Or to add to this corporate speak dialog, the word ‘change’ is added as well. Change is arguably the most negative word in business besides bankrupt. A better word is OPPORTUNITY. When change occurs or there’s a paradigm shift, doesn’t it make a whole lot more sense to look for the opportunity? I agree.
  • Results – Bob is results-oriented. Bob focuses on results. Not good. Bob needs to lead his people, and convey his intensions. A better word is OUTCOME. OUTCOME takes both people and task into consideration AND stresses what happens after completion.
  • At the end of the day is a summary of expectations and predictions – usually stated in the negative. When someone says this I can assure you they’re just searching for words. At the end of the day has no alternative – the phrase should just be eliminated – forever.

REALITY: Think about all these words in a group. As a leader, which group would you like to have attributed to you?

GROUP ONE: Embrace, accountable, effective, diversity, focus, understand, paradigm, results, at the end of the day.
GROUP TWO: ACTION, RESPONSIBLE, BEST, INCLUSIVE, INTENTION, EXPERT, OPPORTUNITY, OUTCOME.

Group TWO will consist of proactive, powerful, respected, followed leaders. Group ONE will consist of reactive, weak, disrespected leaders that will lose their best people – to the leaders of group two. Embrace that paradigm.

Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.

About the Author

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].