Over the course of my career, I have come across many different business and leadership cultures. While navigating these cultures, I have made mistakes, but I have also achieved some great successes. I know from personal experience that understanding what is and isn’t appropriate can be tricky. Nevertheless, as leaders, the responsibility falls to us to learn and adapt when cultural norms vary widely from our own.
I certainly had to adapt when I transitioned from working for a large American bank to working for a Japanese pharmaceutical company. Neither the organizational culture nor the national culture could have been more different from what I was used to. Nevertheless, certain behaviours quickly became part of my normal mode of operation. These included remembering to use ‘-san’ at the end of someone’s surname when addressing them, receiving a business card with both hands and reviewing it carefully to show respect, allowing silence in meetings for reflection, and being mindful of the speed at which I was speaking.
While those behaviours mattered, my deeper aim was to develop a sound understanding of local customs and to build more effective relationships. So I asked the team’s most senior Japanese leader to arrange a group dinner with other senior leaders on the evening prior to my first official meeting. I had heard it was important to establish strong relationships before conducting business and I wanted to get off to a good start. After a traditional meal and hours of conversation, aided by plenty of sake (rice wine), we left the restaurant and passed a karaoke bar. Next thing I knew, I had joined several leaders in an impromptu evening of singing that lasted until the wee hours. This proved valuable in encouraging those leaders to speak openly during the meeting the next day. It also helped me to build strong, long-lasting relationships.
The experience showed me that understanding local customs and norms is key when doing business with other cultures. Yet understanding on its own is not enough. You must also embrace those norms and adapt your own leadership style if you want to engage the locals and build rapport with them. When you show this level of respect, you are more likely to be well received.
Thanks to my Japanese counterparts, I have become a more adaptable and effective leader. Some of the most important lessons I learned from them include recognising the value of taking a longer-term view of business instead of short-term decisions based solely on profits, and that slowing down change programmes to ensure genuine, rather than surface-level support, delivers greater success. Also, as my karaoke experience testified, investing in individual relationships inside and outside of work boosts personal commitment.
Finally, the biggest lesson that I have learned is this: don’t assume – ask! Most people appreciate it if you show an interest in their culture, a desire to adapt and a willingness to respect their ways of working. Being curious and taking a genuine interest often results in far greater learning, and, ultimately, leadership success.
Featured in Edge Magazine May 2017