Booher BanterBusiness Communication Consultant

A client recently called with this leadership challenge:  “Our accounting team is located in the U.S.  We crunch numbers, interpret them, draw conclusions, and recommend. Our headquarters is in Germany. The Germans are precise.

“They gather mounds of data—but resist drawing conclusions. They are very literal. They want someone to tell them what to do about the data—precisely—with nothing left to interpretation. Then we have engineers from 27 other countries and cultures, and they fall everywhere in between. Getting them all to interpret the data and agree to conclusions is mind-boggling difficult.”

This is but one example of the integration of high-context and low-context cultures in our global workforce that has created enormous potential for miscommunication.

Leaders of the future will create more than a passing awareness of cultural differences—enough to bridge the divide.

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Posted at 9:55am in General Communication | Permalink | Add Comment » |

At a recent speaking engagement, the agent who’d booked the event attended my keynote. Afterward, we chatted as we headed across a skywalk for lunch.

She was texting as we walked. “Sorry, but I’m trying one more time to get ahold of this speaker. I’ve got a client wanting to book him, and I’ve sent him six text messages this morning already. He’s just not responding. He’s probably out speaking and planning to email me tonight. Or worse, he’s leaving me a voicemail back in my office! I’m not in my office to get voicemails! This older generation just doesn’t understand the expectation for speedy responses.”

Later, I shared that conversation with a group of leaders. The first response was, “But there’s grave danger in such speedy responses. Often decisions made in the moment aren’t based on integrity. You need time to consider the ramifications of ethical issues.”

Different generations in the workplace have different communication habits regarding speed of communication and the perception of responsiveness. Can you afford to guess what your customers and colleagues expect?

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Posted at 1:27pm in General Communication | Permalink | Add Comment » |

A fifty-something CEO recently complained to his colleagues around the conference table, “I hardly ever hear from my kids anymore.” The other colleagues at the table—all CEOs—chimed in. Max added this tidbit from the conversation he’d had with his own son the previous weekend:

“Son, your mother and I would like you to call occasionally. We want to know what you and the family are up to these days.”

The son responded, “What? Don’t you read my Facebook page?”

The same scene is unfolding every day in the workforce. The various generations are using different channels to communicate.

As a leader, if you want to make sure your employees, suppliers, and customers hear your message, you have to tap into all channels. And most important, you have to listen to all channels.

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Posted at 5:06pm in General Communication | Permalink | Add Comment » |