When in Rome….Behave Yourself
By Clark Roundy, Luxul Wireless VP of Marketing
While traveling in Asia recently, I have been reminded of that old adage about doing as the Romans do. If not taken too literally, this can be good advice about the importance of being culturally sensitive and avoiding what can be perceived as offensive behavior. In many parts of the world, Americans all too often have been labeled as arrogant, obnoxious, and even a bit boorish—not necessarily a stretch, especially when compared to certain Asian cultures that tend to be more conservative in social settings.
Last night when I sat down for dinner in the Sinchon district of Seoul, I couldn’t help but notice the group of American businessmen sitting two tables away. In fact, the entire restaurant couldn’t help but notice them. In rather typical American fashion they were being conspicuously loud and even a bit rude—totally oblivious to how their behavior might be perceived by those around them. Contrast the behavior of these fine gentlemen with that of the three Japanese ladies seated at the table next to me. They were the perfect picture of proper Japanese etiquette—talking quietly with hands folded neatly in front of them and making no effort to be noticed. The behavioral and obvious cultural differences were striking.
In business settings, experienced international executives typically understand and will shrug off potentially offensive behaviors as cultural. Certainly, if the business opportunity is compelling enough, they may indeed give even the most boorish of individuals a pass—but that doesn’t mean it’s ok. When in another country, it’s always good manners to observe and try to follow local behavioral customs. True international business success is attained by being respected, which comes from showing respect. I’ve heard some American businessmen dismiss this notion by saying, “I’m just being myself.” I’m not saying don’t be yourself—but be culturally sensitive.
Some years ago, the newly named CEO of a technology company I worked for wanted to visit our Japanese distributor in Tokyo. While there, he simply chose to be himself—and by doing so, he unwittingly trashed a long standing multi-million dollar business relationship in a single afternoon. It seems his behavior was perceived as arrogant and disrespectful towards the CEO of our distribution partner. Our partner’s CEO had been offended, and in order to “save face”, he chose to terminate the relationship. To this day I remain best of friends with the partner CEO; and because of our friendship, we were eventually able to recover the business relationship. Unfortunately, we never fully regained the momentum we had previously established in Japan.
Doing business internationally isn’t rocket science—it’s mostly about building relationships by being courteous and respectful. Use common sense. Observe and study the culture of the people you want to do business with and then conduct yourself accordingly. Always be sure to be yourself—your most polite, well-behaved self.
About Clark Roundy, Luxul Wireless VP of Marketing
Clark Roundy is VP of Marketing at Luxul Wireless. Throughout his 20 year career, he has worked extensively with early stage and emerging companies to identify core competencies and implement key growth strategies. Mr. Roundy has held key executive positions at Linux Networx, Penguin Computing, Parvus Corporation, Alta Technology, and the Eyring Research Institute. His roles have included sales and marketing leadership, strategic planning, international business development, product management, and professional services program development. In his role at Luxul Wireless, Mr. Roundy is responsible for marketing strategy and oversees all outbound marketing programs as well as product and brand management.
The views presented in this blog are solely those of the blog post author and not necessarily those of Utah Business.
Tags: business deal-breakers, Culture, Distribution Partnerships, international business, International Expansion