3 Game-Changing Tips for Global Relationship Building

In today’s globally interconnected world, learning to build trust with people from different cultures isn’t a ‘nice to do.’

It’s a ‘need to do.’ ?

That’s true in nearly every profession, industry and company I can think of.?

The problem is that most of the advice we have about how to do this is stuck in a very old way of thinking about culture and cultural differences.?

This is exactly why my co-author Melissa Hahn and I wrote our new book Forging Bonds in a Global Workforce - releasing this week!!

We hope you will get yourself a copy and help spread the word! ??

In the meantime, here are a few “big picture” insights from the book that hopefully pique your interest.?

Insight #1: The goal of effective cross-cultural communication isn’t about avoiding mistakes.

Instead, it’s about building a sense of rapport and trust so that mistakes mean little (or at least, less) and can even become valuable learning opportunities.

Insight #2: Predicting the effect of culture on a person’s behavior is like predicting the weather on a given day.

It’s inherently unpredictable, but we have some frameworks and tools to give us insight into what we can potentially expect.

Insight #3: You are not a passive prisoner of your culture.

The truth, we believe, is the opposite. Culture is a resource. It’s a toolkit. Culture is something you have agency over and can use in your own way when building global relationships.

Bonus Insight:? Building relationships across cultures is ultimately about creating a sense of “we.”

When you first meet someone from another culture – or, frankly, even someone from your own culture – there’s no sense of “we.” You are two distinct people with no common history, memories, experiences, trust, or positive emotional connections. ?Our book teaches you how to increase the odds of making this connection –by eliminating distorted ways of thinking and introducing opportunities to forge new bonds.

PS: If you are interested in more insights about culture, work, and psychology:

Download my free guide to 7 Myths to Working Effectively Across Cultures

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