Cultural Differences & Cultural Diversity in International Business (Chris Smit: International Business Expert | Cultural Differences | Diversity Expert & Peter van der Lende: leading business developer)

Culture Matters Podcast Welcome to the Culture Matters Podcast Introduction Episode. Build Your Cultural Competence On the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. You will find over 200 episodes to choose from and to listen to. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. Links If there were any links mentioned in this episode, they would be here. But since this is only an introduction session, there are no resources to mention. How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, maybe even listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the first official episode where our guest will be Anis Bedda.

Summary In this episode I Interview Anis Bedda. Anis is an independent consultant in the areas of business development, communication and innovation related projects. A partner of Global enterprise and ex-manager at Hub Brussels. Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. Links Specific links and or resources that are mentioned in this episode are: Cultural Detective; a practical approach to cultural differences. Peace and food Peace and food… Part II You can reach Anis in a couple of ways: Email: anis.bedda@gmail.com Twitter: @anisb LinkedIn: be.linkedin.com/in/anisbedda How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voice mail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, maybe even listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

Summary In this episode, I Interview Antoin Deul. Antoin (a Dutch National) is a global project manager and staff scientist who has lived in the US for 12 years and has worked and is working on sustainability projects in many countries. Find out from Antoin why it is important to be a "Man" and to be able to drink a good amount of alcohol when doing business in China! Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. Links You can reach Antoin Deul in a couple of ways: Twitter: @antoindeul LinkedIn: http://nl.linkedin.com/pub/antoin-deul/6/57b/424 How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and maybe even listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! An interesting podcast on sustainability can be found here.

Summary In this episode, I Interview Dorothy Dalton. Dorothy is an International Talent Management Strategist who connects people, organizations and opportunities. She is Co-Founder of “3Plus International”. An organization to support professional women via mentoring and coaching programs. Dorothy explains the differences in CV's in different cultures and how she instantaneously lost her Liverpool accent. Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. An article on international management expectations can be found here. Links You can reach Dorothy Dalton in a couple of ways: LinkedIn: be.linkedin.com/in/dorothydalton/ 3Plus International Twitter: @DorothyDalton www.dorothydalton.com How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voice mail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, maybe even listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

Summary In this episode, I Interview Richard Hill. Richard is the author of "We Europeans" (1992), "Euro managers & Martians", "The Art of being Belgian", "Great Britain Little England", and a number of other books. Learn how Richard explains why (he thinks) the French are an "autistic" nation (don't worry, he nuances it to "self-absorbed" later in an excellent story! And why the Belgians are unassertive and pragmatic people who have a developed way to compromise. And finally why the European Commission (EC) is not paying as much attention to cultural differences as it should. Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. Links You can reach Richard Hill in a couple of ways: Mobile phone: +32 470 305677 Landline: +32 2 343 77 26 Email: richard@minkehill.com Website: Books by Richard Are the French autistic? Read the article here. How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voice mail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, maybe even listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

Dutch Directness and Beyond In this episode, I Interview Bob Grol on Dutch Directness Bob is a born and raised Dutchman. He currently runs his own organization called FYPS (For Your Professional Solution). Learn from Bob in what way, and how and why the Dutch are as direct as they are. And why that is interpreted by Asians as very rude. Also, Bob shares plenty of personal stories. Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. Links You can reach Bob Grol in a couple of ways: LinkedIn FYPS (For Your Professional Solution) Email: bobgrol@fyps.nl How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and maybe even listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Dutch Directness on Culture Matters

Summary In this episode I Interview John Alexander. John is from Australia, but lives in Sweden. John explains the differences between Hard Consensus (Dutch) and Soft Consensus (Swedish). He also describes the differences between Australians and Brits. John shares a number of stories from his own experience. Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. Links You can reach John in the following ways: Email: john@johnalexander.se His personal website: http://www.johnalexander.se/ How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voice mail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, maybe even listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

Lulu Wang In this episode, I Interview Lulu Wang. Lulu Wang is a famous Dutch writer of Chinese origin. She has published 10 books, of which 3 are published internationally. Her first book The Lily Theater is published in 28 countries. Her tenth book is called Rainland, wo ai ni (Rainland, I love you!). Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. Links You can reach Lulu Wang in the following ways: LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Website How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and maybe even listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Lulu Wang on Culture Matters

Summary In this episode, I Interview Bernard Foccroulle. Bernard Foccroulle is General Director of the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence and Chairman of ENOA (European Network of Opera Academies) In this interview, we discuss Opera, and how culture also has had and still has an influence on this type of music and performance Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. Links You can reach Bernard Foccroulle in the following ways: Twitter: @enoacommunity Website: http://www.enoa-community.com/ How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, maybe even listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

Today's Guest Deva Rangarajan In this episode, I Interview Deva Rangarajan. Professor dr. Deva Rangarajan is of Indian origin and has been living in Belgium for the last 10 years. Deva Rangarajan is a professor at the Vlerick Business School and is currently in the middle of setting up a sales center there. Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. Links You can reach Deva in the following ways: Email: deva.rangarajan@vlerick.com Website: http://www.vlerick.com/ How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and maybe even listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

Culture and Consumer Behavior Professor dr. Giampaolo Viglia is a Research Fellow at the University of Eastern Piedmont and a Professor at Toulouse Business School. Interested in Consumer Decision Making, Pricing and Overconfidence In the amazingly interesting interview, we talk about cultural differences when it comes to Choosing a car How a website needs to be different across different cultures What hotels and airlines can learn from cultural differences and Giampaolo's studies How price dynamics work across different cultures And much more... And of course about Culture and Consumer Behavior. Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. Links You can reach Giampaolo the following way: Email: Giampaolo.viglia@gmail.com How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and maybe even listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Culture and Consumer Behavior on Culture Matters

Pierre Delalande on operating a high-speed train service Yet another Frenchman living in London... Pierre Delalande is head of Public Affairs within Eurostar, the high-speed train company that connects London to Brussels and Paris. During the interview Pierre talks about his experience in Canada, Brussels, and now London as head of public affairs for Eurostar. He shares several Eurostar business-related experiences, as well as several personal cultural experiences. Typically when it comes to the differences between the British and the French (and what you can learn from this). Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. Links You can reach Pierre in the following ways: LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/pierredelalande How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and maybe even listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

In this episode I Interview Paul Wait. Paul wait is CEO of the Guild of Travel Management Companies (GTMC) which represents 80% of business travel in the United Kingdom alone Paul talks about his time in Scotland, his time at American Express (27 years!), and his time heading the sales teams at Virgin Atlantic. He is one of the rare top managers that really understands the strategic importance of managing and understanding cultural differences.

Cultural Differences in Brussels After completing his Master's in International Relations at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and two EU-related internships in Brussels, Wytze Russchen worked as a political adviser to Mr. Willy De Clercq, a member of the European Parliament and Belgian Minister of State. In this podcast, Wytze talks about Cultural Differences in Brussels Wytze assisted Mr. De Clercq in his capacity as Chairman of the European Parliament's External Trade Committee and the Legal Affairs and Internal Market Committee. He is considered one of the most influential Dutch persons in Brussels. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Email: Wytzerusschen@gmail.com Website: http://dr2.nl/russchen-consultants Twitter: http://twitter.com/wytzerusschen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wytzerusschen Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. Read an article about the Euregio here (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Cultural Differences in Brussels on Culture Matters.

Culture and Travel Greeley Koch is the executive director of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives and a world-class business traveler. In this podcast, he talks about Culture and Travel. A twenty-five-year veteran of the travel industry, he is an advocate of passenger safety, comfort, and security, while boosting traveler productivity. Koch is also an authority on business travel investment and innovation. His 3 tips for becoming more culturally competent are: Do your research before you leave Go there (wherever you're going) with an open mind Be flexible towards whatever will come your way (bonus) Get out of the office (and visit a market or so) Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Website: http://acte.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/greeleykoch LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/pub/greeley-koch/6/494/758 Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

About This Weeks Guest John Amaechi is a psychologist, New York Times bestselling author and former NBA basketball player. All this united in one person? Yes! and with 6' 4" he not only physically stands tall, but also when it comes to his view on sports, business and other international matters. His 3 tips for becoming more culturally competent are: Be mindful towards other cultures Approach different cultures with a Benevolent Ignorance The previous point combined with an "I would like to get to know you" attitude Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Website: http://www.johnamaechi.com/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/JohnAmaechi Website: http://beijinglegacyblog.com/Welcome.html Website: http://amaechiperformance.com Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here.   How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

International Travel About This Week's Guest Josh & Erin from travelwithbender.com have been traveling with their two children since May 2012. In this podcast, we talk about International Travel and family life. It’s an open-ended, unplanned, round-the-world trip discovering amazing places for families. They have stayed in hostels and 5-star luxury resorts, traveled on scooters and cruise liners, danced with leprechauns, and cuddled tigers. Nothing is out of bounds or out of reach for this remarkable Australian family. Their 3 tips for becoming more culturally competent are: Make sure you learn a handful of words in the local language. Just a couple is enough. It shows that you care and that you're trying. Do try the local food. If you can, try some street food. Otherwise do a bit of research. On their website, you can find a great post about getting local food in New Orleans. Hang out with the locals. The Benders do this at the playgrounds where their kids play. Even if you don't speak the language you will get to know the local culture better. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Email: erin@travelwithbender.com Website: http://travelwithbender.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/TravelwiTBender (notice that the H is missing!) Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. International Travel on Culture Matters

I wanted to take this opportunity to say Thank You for your support in 2014. I hope 2015 will even be better!   Well, it’s nothing very special: Try to be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book now and then, get some walking in, and try to live in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.  - Monthy Python’s ‘The meaning of life’ -    

Culture, Diversity and Inclusion About This Week's Guest Stephen Frost Stephen Frost is the Head of Diversity and Inclusion for KPMG UK. He served as Head of Diversity and Inclusion for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games from 2007-2012. He was educated as a Hertford College Scholar at Oxford University and a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard University. He also teaches inclusive leadership at Harvard Business School and an extended class at Sciences Po in Paris. He advises several organizations and governments worldwide and is the author of the book The Inclusion Imperative. His 3 tips for becoming more culturally competent are: Listen (also make sure you listen to people who are usually quiet); we don't have all the answers, and if you listen, you hear more. Take Risks: many people are too afraid to take the plunge. Simply do what you intend to do. Relax "into it"; meaning that you sometimes need to go with the flow and see what happens. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Website: http://frostincluded.com Email: stephen@frostincluded.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/frostincluded LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjamesfrost/ Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Culture, Diversity, and Inclusion on Culture Matters

A Student Perspective on Culture About This Week's Guest Kiran Beersing-Vasquez on a Student Perspective on Culture A 20-year-old student of mixed background. Born in the UK and moved to Belgium at age 9.  Attended an international school in Brussels, which had 9 different language sections, and students from all over the world with similarly mixed origins. Now back in the UK and on his Year in Industry, with a Mechanical Engineering degree. Mother and Father originate from Guatemala and Mauritius respectively. His 3 tips for becoming more culturally competent are: Take as much interest as you can, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Approach things from a neutral perspective as much as possible. It's OK to be ignorant, as long as you try to understand the other culture. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiransbv/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/kiranbv94 Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! A Student Perspective on Culture on Culture Matters.

Cultural Differences and Global Dexterity About This Week's Guest Andy Molinsky Andy Molinsky is a professor of organizational behavior at Brandeis University's International Business School and the author of the award-winning Harvard Business Review Press book "Global Dexterity". He also blogs regularly about culture, cultural adaptation, and organizational psychology for Harvard Business Review. In this podcast, he talks about Cultural Differences and Global Dexterity. His 3 tips for becoming more culturally competent are: Try your best to understand your own culture first. Try to have the courage to step outside of your comfort zone. Usually the "real world" is more "emotional", which is not always easy for us. Read the book Global Dexterity. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/andy-molinsky/a/a73/bb3/en Twitter: http://twitter.com/andymolinsky Email: molinsky@brandeis.edu The Book Global Dexterity (affiliate link) Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Cultural Differences and Global Dexterity on Culture Matters

About This Week's Guest Teresa Knapp Teresa Knapp is the Director of Program Development for International Student Exchange. She has been in the field of foreign student exchange for 25 years. Teresa Knapp gives her 3 tips for becoming more culturally competent: Get rid of common sense; what works and sounds like common sense in your own country and culture will probably not work in another culture. Be open to communicating, and make sure you are truly listening. Be willing to learn, and to see through the eyes of the other culture. Interview Links The links that are mentioned in this episode are: Email: teresa@iseusa.org Phone: 844-556-6688 Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

Cultural Concierge About This Week's Guest Amanda Workman Amanda grew up in Eastern Africa, lived and worked in Hong Kong, and has traveled and worked throughout Eastern and Southern Africa, India, China, and Western Europe.  This lifetime of experiences has given her a passion for people and cultures and as a result has helped to develop a unique perspective on Global competency, cross-cultural nuances, and training internationally.  When she is not finding new adventures by spending weekends in Paris, riding elephants in Thailand, or listening to lions roar on safari in Africa - Amanda can be found in Dallas, TX spending time with her friends, and her pets, and dreaming of her next adventure. Her 3 tips for becoming more culturally competent are: Look around you. Simply stop and look around you without being busy all the time. Look at what is right, rather than what you could fix, make better, or improve. Listen to what is being said; without the intention to respond necessarily. "Love" the other person. The other person is human too. Ask yourself: What can I learn from them? Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Website: http://cultural-concierge.com Twitter: LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/amandawworkman Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Cultural Concierge on Culture Matters

About This Weeks Guest Timothy J. Bridgman Timothy was born in UK, lived in Poland on/off since 1999, went to Poland to try to become Poland's first world fusion music DJ, then over the same period became lecturer at University of Lodz. Left employment at University of Lodz in 2012 to retrain as an Interculturalist. He now specialise in intercultural training for domestic international careers in Poland. Tim has extensive experience helping graduates prepare to enter into careers for SSC/BPOs in Poland. His 3 tips for becoming more culturally competent are: Film: Bogowie (2014) – Dir. Łukasz Palkowski (Imdb link) Music: Moizm (2013) - Tomasz Makowiecki (Wikipedia link) Book: Positively Disappointed: Business Across Cultures in Poland (2015) – Timothy J. Bridgman (Book) Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Website: http://www.szkolenia-lodz.com/intercultural-training/ Linkedin: pl.linkedin.com/in/timothyjbridgman/ Email: tjb@szkolenia-lodz.com Ebook Download: Positively Disappointed: Business Across Cultures in Poland (2015) – Timothy J. Bridgman Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes, Click here. How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

About This Week's Guest Cultural differences and virtual assistance Sunder P is the Managing Director & CEO of TTK Services Pvt. Ltd., a TTK group company focused on providing technology-enabled consumer services. He is responsible for business strategy and the overall profitability of the firm, overseeing three divisions with distinct business models, operations in 6 cities in India, and a staff strength of more than 300 employees. He has been involved in conceiving and building innovative services in the outsourcing market, leveraging technology and specifically the consumer Internet for the last 12 years. One of those divisions is called "GetFriday". Get Friday is the largest player in the organized Virtual Assistant (VA) Services market globally. It provides 24/7 VA services to individual and small business clients in more than 50 countries across the world, spanning 4 timezones. Get Friday has been featured on numerous world media and renowned publications across the globe for their service innovation. The list includes the NY Times, WSJ, CNN, ABC GMA, CBS News, The Times (London), The Guardian (UK), Sydney Morning Herald, Der Spiegel and many more. His 3 tips for becoming more culturally competent are: Acknowledge, accept, and respect that there are cultural differences Be empathetic towards the other person Be respectful of what the other person brings to the table in terms of who he or she is Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Website: http://getfriday.com Website: http://getfridayace.com (for premium service and bigger organizations) Email: support@getfriday.com Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Cultural differences and virtual assistance on Culture Matters

Sigrid Kaag About This Week's Guest Ms Sigrid Kaag is the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon. In this episode, Sigrid Kaag talks about her experience working for the UN, and her intercultural experience throughout her impressive career. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Wikipedia Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigrid_Kaag Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

Cultural Differences in India About This Week's Guest Neil Miller Neil moved to Chennai in January 2010 with his wife and four suitcases. In this podcast, he talks about Cultural Differences in India. He prepared by reading a lot of good books and meeting a lot of knowledgeable people. However, nothing could have prepared him for what he experienced trying to start his own business and then working with a mid-sized family-owned Indian company. Every time that he thought India would finally get the best of him, he was able to add a layer to his understanding of India. His goal is to provide the most useful, helpful, insightful, and accurate information available in India. His 3 tips to become more culturally competent are: Ask "Why" if something is happening around you that you don't understand. Even if what you see, hear or experience looks or sounds weird, don't hesitate to ask what is going on. Dive deep(er) into the local culture if you're staying for more than a year in another place. Don't only stick to the expat circles and/or the lunches in five-star hotels. Meet local people, get into their homes, and eat food together. Consider that someone else's culture might be better than yours in their country. E.g. Leadership in India is more paternalistic. Americans can look at this and judge this negatively. But in a country like India, this style of management can be very functional. Be humble that their ways of working work for them. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Website: http://learningindia.in Website: http://madrasmediamarketing.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/neilandindia Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! In the article doing business in India, we talk more about this subject. You can read it here. An interesting podcast on cultural differences in India can be found here Cultural Differences in India on Culture Matters

About This Weeks Guest Sabina Idler Sabina Idler is Founder, UX researcher and Interaction designer at UXkids. She is passionate about designing and improving interactive media for all ages. Sabina grew up in the south of Germany. Since then she has lived in the US and traveled through Australia and New Zealand before in 2010, her passion for kids and media brought her to Amsterdam. Her 3 tips to become more culturally competent are: Don't judge other cultures. Just see them as being different, and not better or worse. Be curious. Whenever you're wondering about something that you don't understand, ask what you're seeing, or experiencing. Or simply ask what others are doing? Be open to travel, and don't stick to the common paths. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Email: sabina@uxkids.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/SabinaIdler How To Design For A Cross-Cultural User Experience (part 1/2): http://blog.usabilla.com/designing-for-a-cross-cultural-user-experience-part1/ How To Design For A Cross-Cultural User Experience http://blog.usabilla.com/designing-for-a-cross-cultural-user-experience-part2/ LinkedIn Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

About This Week's Guest Professor Dr. Alex Mottrie Prof. Dr. Alex Mottrie is the Head of the Urological Department of the OLV Hospital Aalst in Belgium. He is also President of the European Robotic Urology Section and the worldwide Society of Robotic Surgeons. Finally, he is CEO of the OLV Vattikuti Robotic Surgery Institute (ORSI). His tips to become more culturally competent are: Next to being professional, try to be social as well. Although sometimes difficult to do, be as open as you can to other cultures, their way of life, etc. Speaking an extra language here and there really helps bridge the culture gap. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Website: http://www.alexmottrie.com/ Email: a.mottrie@telenet.be Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

About This Weeks Guest Vanessa Shaw Vanessa Shaw is an experienced consultant, trainer and active speaker at leadership conferences. She is a work futurist on a mission to help organizations and teams collaborate virtually in a way that builds trust and fosters innovation so that they can impact positive change in their work. Vanessa helps clients to navigate the digital revolution by implementing the right technology for their team. She then helps them to create virtually team environments that bring to life the human side of tech. She has a Bachelor's in Communications from the University of California, Santa Cruz. And graduated top 10% national honors. During her career, she has facilitated projects in the US, Latin America, Europe and SE Asia with multinationals, non-profits, the United Nations Economic and Social Council, White House, and over 50 universities. Originally from the Silicon Valley, Vanessa Shaw has lived abroad since 2011, currently enjoying Barcelona.   You can find her on twitter and the web at Human Side of Tech. Her tips to become more culturally competent are: Be resilient. When something is happening in an intercultural setting, that you don't like or don't understand, be able to get up and start over. Be creative when you're dealing with people Smile :) Better yet, laugh! What's the funny side of what just happened? Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Website: http://humansideoftech.org Email: vanessa@humansideoftech.org Twitter: http://twitter.com/humansideoftech Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

Cultural Differences and the EU About This Week's Guest Madi Sharma Cultural Differences and the EU Madi Sharma is an entrepreneur and a social capitalist. She's a member of the European Economic and Social Committee, and living her life with one strict motto No Excuses! Her tips to become more culturally competent are: Say "Thank You". These simple words show a great deal of empathy and interest in what happens around you. In addition, this leads to a show of respect for the person you're addressing. Understand things from the other person's perspective. If the other person or yourself says "No" to whatever, try to find out what's behind this "No". There is always a deeper meaning. Understanding the deeper meaning will help you understand the other culture better (and your own). Value diversity. Don't be afraid of it, but see the added value in cultural differences. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Website: http://madisharma.org Email: madi@madisharma.com Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

Uncertainty Avoidance in International Business The Hidden Cultural Dimension You Need to Understand When Doing Business Overseas This podcast is something different from the regular Interview podcasts that I do. I wanted to pay more attention to Hofstede's fourth and most difficult dimension: Uncertainty Avoidance. Time and again explaining this dimension is difficult to do. A lot of people link it only to official rules. But that is not enough. Uncertainty Avoidance covers a whole lot more. Listen to this podcast and find out what else is linked to this complex cultural dimension. If you want to learn more, why not get the complete book on Uncertainty Avoidance? Exclusively available on Kindle by Amazon. Click here to get it now. Uncertainty Avoidance Links Some links on this website that also cover aspects of Uncertainty Avoidance: What is Uncertainty Avoidance Examples of Uncertainty Avoidance Uncertainty Avoidance in the Netherlands and Belgium Compared Uncertainty Avoidance, the United States and the Credit Crisis Uncertainty Avoidance in Venezuela Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Trust is important in international business, read more about trust here. Uncertainty Avoidance in International Business on Culture Matters

Why Company Culture Matters [Podcast] Why does company culture matter? because it can make or break your organization and your success. When I talk about "company culture", for me it is the same as corporate or organizational culture, so I'll use them interchangeably. Every organization has a company culture. Even 1-person organizations. Difference Between National Culture and Organizational Culture National culture talks about the values a nation, country or culture has. Organizational culture does not (!) talk about values, but rather "how things are being done here". Which is significantly different than values. The 7S Model The 7S Model (pictured) clearly explains the essence of what influences a company culture; with "Shared Vision" in the middle representing the corporate culture. How to Change a Company Culture Contrary to National culture, company culture can be changed. How? Start with the slow variables (purple) Know your starting point Choose the path of least resistance Podcast Links Here are the links mentioned in this podcast: NYT article on Amazon's corporate culture Article on Why Company Culture Matters Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Read here why cultural competence is crucial in an international environment.

Do's and Don'ts in International Business I get the question pretty much every time I give a workshop or lecture: "Can you give us some do's and don'ts on how to do this or that?". When this question gets asked, I always warn people that do's and don'ts are very contextual; what works in one context doesn't work in another one. So, always be very careful when it comes to applying do's and don'ts you have heard or read about. I'm curious to hear about your experiences when it comes to intercultural do's and don'ts. Please leave your comments at the bottom of this post. Thanks! Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! An article about how to "behave" in an international environment can be found here. Do's and Don'ts in International Business on Culture Matters

How to Work with a VA and Cultural Differences Working with a Virtual Assistant (VA) from a different culture is not always easy. In this podcast, I talk about my own experience and how you can benefit from this as well. Overcoming Cultural differences is usually the biggest hurdle to take when it comes to working with a VA. It's not PowerPoint or Dropbox or any other technical platforms that will make or break your relationship with a VA. It's the cultural differences that will. Pay attention to those and things will run smoothly. If you don't things could get a lot rougher. Links in this episode: The Four-Hour Work Week Other books on working with VA's How to work with a virtual assistant Sunder P talks about Get Friday and International VA's [Podcast] Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Work with a VA on Culture Matters

About This Week's Guest Christophe Van Gampelaere Christophe Van Gampelaere is the Belgian partner at Global PMI Partners, the only global consultancy focused exclusively on international merger integrations and carve-outs. Christophe Van Gampelaere's three tips for becoming more culturally competent are: Read. Read books from Geert Hofstede Erin Meyer and others when it comes to culture (see the links below). In other words, educate yourself. Know where you are yourself when it comes to cultural differences. Institutionalize culture in the M&A pre-deal negotiations. When you're communicating with different cultures, after the M&A deal has been signed, take into account that different cultures communicate differently and that you should do too. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Website: http://gpmip.com Books by professor Geert Hofstede Books by Erin Meyer Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

How to Explain Culture to Kids Kids are no adults. With this, I'm not telling you anything new. So how do you explain culture to kids? Most of the work I do is with adults. All of the work I do is with adults. Except for this one time I had the opportunity to work with Children. I was asked to explain the concept of cultural differences to a group of children ages 6 to 16, from several European countries. I can tell you, it was quite a challenge. But it was a really nice challenge to take up. I learned several things that I will address in this podcast. So have a listen to this podcast where I share my ideas and wrap up with some tips for you if ever you're working with kids and need to explain culture or any other abstract concept. Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! More on how to explain culture to kids on this podcast.

About This Week's Guest Thomas Kessler on culture and M&As Thomas Kessler is Partner and Managing Director of Global PMI Partners and draws on 20 years of experience in Mergers & Acquisitions and particularly in Post Merger Integration. The importance of culture in transactions is one of the essential success factors. Thomas looks at culture beyond being a success factor. In his experience culture should be a key decision factor when acquiring. He will present his view on how companies can incorporate culture during strategic selection and due diligence to ensure they are considering the impact of culture integration in the purchase decision. His three tips for becoming more culturally competent are: Be open and listen actively. Take note of the others' organizational culture; What do you see? What do people talk about? What do they celebrate? etc. Realize that culture is a major success factor when it comes to M&As. There are plenty of success stories (mentioned in the interview), but unfortunately also many failures. Have people on board in your organization that act as "champions"; so other people can see what they do, how they act, and in this way identify themselves with the desired (new) culture. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Email:thomas@gpmip.com Telephone: +49 172 255 9788 Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

How Culture and Personality are Intertwined Culture and personality. Where do they fit? How are they mixed together? Is there overlap? Which one dominates? In this short podcast, I'll give you my, non-academic, view on this very interesting topic. I'm curious to hear your feedback, so please do not hesitate to drop me a line. Thank you!   Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

Why Culture Plays a Role in Sports About This Week's Guest Susan Salzbrenner Susan Salzbrenner supports multicultural teams, professional athletes, and leaders of today and tomorrow to navigate diverse cultural contexts. In this podcast, she explains the role that culture plays a role in sports. She is an organizational psychologist, consultant, and trainer, focusing on diversity & inclusion, cultural intelligence, and international talent development. She's lived in 6 countries on four continents, has learned (and failed at) many languages, and played a bit of basketball along the way. Her three tips for becoming more culturally competent follow the acronym FIT F: Find new perspectives. Observe stuff that is new to you; actively look for new and unfamiliar things I: Integrate what you have found into your own life and personality T: Trust the process; don't be impatient. It will happen but might need time. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Twitter: @fitaxcultures Website: http://fitacrosscultures.com The book Play Abroad 1-0-1 Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Culture plays a role in sports on Culture Matters.

Pricing and Cultural Differences Why Doing Business is Never About the Price Possibly a bold statement, but I still believe it is true: doing business is hardly ever about the price. It is much more about emotions and... about people or the perception that we have of other people. Here we talk about Pricing and Cultural Differences. Many business decisions made are not about the price. They are much more about emotions. And emotions... are culturally motivated. Listen to the podcast and let me know what you think. An article about how to "behave" in an international environment can be found here. Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

Third Culture Kid About This Week's Guest Third Culture Kid with Tayo Rockson The CEO of UYD Media and host of the As Told By Nomads podcast. His three tips to become more culturally competent are: Be curious. Explore what is out there. Explore what you don't know or think you don't know. Travel. By travelling you expand your world like nothing else can. He also suggests to get lost on purpose. This way you will meet and interact with people you otherwise would have never met. Be open-minded. Tayo thinks it is dangerous to think that your way of thinking and judging is the only and absolute way. There are other ways as well. For sure. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Email:  tayorockson@uydmag.com Website: http://www.uydmedia.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/tayorockson Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Third Culture Kid on Culture Matters

Anna Maria Darmanin About This Week's Guest Anna Maria Darmanin Anna Maria is an entrepreneur, a policy adviser, a sailor, and a University lecturer where she teaches Intercultural Communication. A Maltese, who lives in different places at different times of the year: Belgium, Canary Islands, Sicily, and Malta. Her three tips to become more culturally competent are: Listen, listen, listen; and this is more than hearing. What is the other saying? Do you truly understand what the other actually means? If not, ask. Be more aware of your own culture. Your own culture colors how you see the others. As the Chinese saying goes: "When you and I look at the same river, we both see a different one". Respect the differences you face when communicating interculturally. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

About This Week's Guest: Sundae Bean Sundae Bean is an executive coach, intercultural specialist, and trainer. She supports organizations by helping their employees and the accompanying families live well and work successfully across cultures – without losing their sense of adventure. She is American by birth, Swiss by marriage, and an expat in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso by choice. Her three tips to become more culturally competent are: Understand what your own cultural values are. You need to understand them first to make sense of what the "other" is doing. Get curious about the other culture(s). Ask yourself if it is really true what you think, feel, see, and/or experience. Make sure you are well-balanced. What I mean by this is that you need to be physically healthy and well rested, because experiencing intense cultural differences can take not only a mental toll but also a physical toll. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Website: http://sundaebean.com/ Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

About This Week's Guest Jeanne Boden Jeanne Boden is Managing Director at ChinaConduct, a company specializing in training and coaching European, Chinese, and people from around the globe in EU-China cooperation and communication. As a Belgian/European Jeanne Boden holds a PhD. in Oriental Languages and Cultures. She spent many years in China studying, conducting research, and working in many contexts and positions all over China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan. Her five! tips to become more culturally competent are: Become aware of the difference between your culture and the Chinese culture; although you should realize that there is no magic wand to do this. Study not only the culture but also the context where your business will take place. Who are the people? Where do they come from? What is the company like? The region that you're doing business... etc. Experience the culture. Here and there. Know the reality. Not only working long distances but also when you're there. Go out and get lost and learn and enjoy that experience. Don't be naive about the other culture. It is not that you should either admire or deny it. Cultural differences are always "grey". Connect to people, both when you're there and also when they are here. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Website: http://chinaconduct.com Email: info@chinaconduct.com An article about how to "behave" in an international environment can be found here. Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Another article about China and the Chinese can be found here.

Don't Mention the Word Culture When You Talk About Culture; Tim Kuppler About This Week's Guest Tim Kuppler Tim is the Director of Culture & Organization Development with Human Synergistics. He also founded CultureUniversity.com which features insights from top culture experts. He led major performance and culture transformations regionally and globally as an automotive supplier executive so he has loads of practical experience.  He now collaborates with many cultural experts and focuses on driving meaningful change in the world through cultural awareness, education, and action. His three tips to become more culturally competent are: Understand Culture Fundamentals from the top experts in the world. Commit to a personal and organizational learning journey. If you're changing your organizational culture it is not a one-time effort. You have to connect your first initiatives to either a top problem, challenge, or goal. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Email: http://www.cultureuniversity.com/contact-us/ Website: http://cultureuniversity.com Human Synergistics Website: www.HumanSynergistics.com Human Synergistics Blog: www.ConstructiveCulture.com More on this, here. Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

Cultural Differences for Startups About This Week's Guest Trajan King on Cultural Differences for Startups Trajan has worked and lived in 6 countries, speaks a handful of languages, and works for clients worldwide. He's consulted for Apple, Adobe, Yahoo!, eBay, IBM, and others.  He currently runs a membership community for entrepreneurs, InvincibleStartup.com. After starting over 15 companies, running a couple of multi-million dollar companies, and working on both Wall Street and Silicon Valley, he helps companies worldwide grow and earn more money. He's consulted for Apple, Adobe, Yahoo!, eBay, IBM, and others. He currently runs a membership community for entrepreneurs, InvincibleStartup.com. After starting over 15 companies, running a couple of multi-million dollar companies, and working on both Wall Street and Silicon Valley, he helps companies worldwide grow and earn more money. He currently runs a membership community for entrepreneurs, InvincibleStartup.com starting over 15 companies, running a couple of multi-million dollar companies, working on both Wall Street and Silicon Valley, he helps companies worldwide grow and earn more money. After starting over 15 companies, running a couple of multi-million dollar companies, and working on both Wall Street and Silicon Valley, he helps companies worldwide grow and earn more money. His three tips to become more culturally competent are: Meet people from different cultures and take an interest in them. See what you can learn from them first. Don't just watch the news and make your own judgment from this. Watch different sources of news, watch a YouTube video on the culture, and open an English newspaper site from that specific country. Learn a bit of the language. It shows respect and even if you get it wrong people will appreciate you for it. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Twitter: @trajanking Website: http://inviciblestartup.com Do's and Don'ts in International Business Six things that can go wrong in international business Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Cultural Differences for Startups on Culture Matters

About This Week's Guest Lisette Sutherland Lisette Sutherland is the Director at CollaborationSuperpowers.com, a company that helps teams work together from anywhere. She is also a Founder of Happy Melly, a company helping to globalize companies that are improving the lives of knowledge workers. With over 10 years of experience with web-based collaboration tools and online community management, her goal is to get the best people working together regardless of location. Lisette Sutherland gives three tips to become more culturally competent: Slow down. Ask what you don't know. Although you might not know what you don't know (a blind spot) still ask questions and more questions. When working virtually, you can create a Holiday Calendar. Holidays are important in every country and this way you can find out more about the other culture by asking why the holiday is and how it is celebrated. Create a "Personal Map"; like a mind map, but then you put your name in the middle. Around your name, you write things about yourself. But you don't explain it yourself, you let your virtual team members ask what they see. This is a great way to get to know each other and do virtual team building. Create a virtual water cooler or  "Kitty Talk" (this is explained in the podcast). This means that you simply pick a time when you all meet online and just chat. Not about work per se. This can be about everything. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Twitter: @lightling Website: http://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com/ Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

About This Week's Guest Alfredo Behrens Alfredo strongly believes in drawing management lessons from indigenous organizations to increase the efficacy of teamwork. He offers a Brazilian Carnival Parade training module to this effect. Alfredo holds a Ph.D. degree awarded by the University of Cambridge, he already lectured at Princeton University and London Business School. He currently lectures with Harvard Business School Publishing and FIA Business School in São Paulo. Alfredo collaborates with environments such as the Harvard Business Review and the Financial Times. He authored over 30 articles besides several books, like "Culture and Management in the America"s, published by Stanford University Press, 2009. His three tips to become more culturally competent are: Self-awareness. How well do you know yourself in relationship to the other(s)? See foreign films. It will give you an overview of life in a different culture. And it's cost effective as well! If you can, travel. But don't go for the all inclusive package deals. Instead, make sure you go out and speak to the local people. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Email: 0800Alfredo@gmail.com Website: http://alfredobehrens.com Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

About This Week's Guest Global Business with Professor Erin Meyer Erin Meyer is a professor and INSEAD, one of the top international business schools, and the author of the best-selling book “The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business”. She is here to speak with us today about how national cultural differences impact day-to-day interaction. Her three tips to become more culturally competent are: Learn as much as you can about the culture(s) you work with. When you work with more than one culture also make sure that you understand the relative differences. In other words, how does one culture perceive the others and vice versa? Be humble; Humility is everything. Make no mistake, every culture has one or more benefits. By being humble, you might discover just what it is. Be curious. Even if you have lots and lots of experience and if you think "You Get It". You can always learn more. ABC=Always Be Curious. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Website: http://erinmeyer.com Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

About This Week's Guest Paul MacAlindin Paul MacAlindin is an internationally renowned conductor and author of "UPBEAT: The Story of the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq". He led the orchestra from 2008- 2014 in Iraq, France, Germany, and Britain, solving enormous hurdles of culture, language, and education along the way. The National Youth Orchestra of Iraq is by far the most challenging and rich intercultural experience of his career. UPBEAT is out on August the 18th 2016. His three tips to become more culturally competent are: Know yourself culturally. Realize that you're the fish in your own bowl and that you might not know enough about your own culture. If you do this, you can realize that you're different than the other person but you can still work together. If you can, learn another one or two languages. Although not easy, it helps tremendously in overcoming cultural differences. Learn to laugh at yourself. Remember, when it's about culture, it's not about them. It is about you! Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: LinkedIn: https://de.linkedin.com/in/conductor Twitter: @paulmacalindin Email: macalindin@hotmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/macalindin/ Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

About This Week's Guest Bjoern Lasse Herrmann Bjoern was born in Germany, and has become a recognized entrepreneur and expert on data products for businesses, performance benchmarking and business ecosystems.Most recently his team & Most recently his team & he set out to decrease the massive failure rate of businesses by transforming the business world from instinct driven to data driven. The first product Compass.co (no M!) now serves thousands of E-Commerce businesses around the world. His tip to become more culturally competent (there's only one) is: Be really interested in the other culture. In other words, don't be interesting, but be interested. Open up and engage with the other culture(s) you're working with. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjoernlasse Twitter: https://twitter.com/bjoernlasse Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast!

About This Week's Guest Jeroen Ketting Jeroen Ketting is a Dutch business advisor, author, and speaker who has helped hundreds of companies succeed in the challenging Russian market. His thought leadership and contributions to the public debate have made him a sought-after expert on Russia for both governments and the media. His thought leadership and contributions to the public debate have made him a sought-after expert on Russia for both governments and the media. Ketting's extensive Russian network, experience, and practical advice are invaluable for companies looking to do business in Russia Ketting's extensive Russian network, experience, and practical advice are invaluable for companies looking to do business in Russia. His 3 (plus a bonus) tips to become more culturally competent are: Only deal with Russia if you enjoy dealing with Russians in Russia. Look at the country and its people as a glass being half full, rather than half empty. You'll be more effective and efficient if you leave your own viewpoints behind, but with that, you don't have to become Russian (you can't and you won't). You play soccer/football with soccer/football rules. You don't play soccer/football with rugby rules. Play "the game" like the game should be played in the country that you're playing it. Make sure you get introduced to Russia. Business cards alone won't do it. Understand what you're getting yourself into. Follow a course, get a workshop, get some coaching, and read a book. Start before you're even in Russia with this. (Bonus) Try to understand and accept (the Russians); don't be judgemental. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Simply Google "Ketting Russia" This will bring you the website: http://www.thelighthousegroup.ru/gb/ Otherwise, get in touch with me and I will give you the details of Jeroen. Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Culture Matters

Effectively working with Remote Teams About This Week's Guest Hugo Messer talks about effectively working with remote teams Hugo Messer has been building and managing teams around the world for over 10 years. His passion is to enable people who are spread across cultures, geography, and time zones to cooperate. Whether it’s offshoring or nearshoring, he knows what it takes to make a global collaboration work. His 6 tips to become more culturally competent are: Focus on creating one team or one partnership. Invest time in this and try to get away from an "us versus them feeling". Take time to think about how you will work remotely. Do this before you actually start executing and working. When you're developing software, use an iterative framework like Scrum. Make the process incremental. You need people with empathy on location to find ways to get across the cultural hurdles. Use daily "standup" meetings. Get together (virtually) every day for 5 to 10 minutes to re-align where everyone is. This way you can truly build a remote virtual team. Everyone in the team must be on the same page. They should all be aligned with each other. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: To get all the ebooks that Hugo wrote: http://ekipa.co/ebooks Email: hugo@ekipa.com An earlier podcast with Lisette Sutherland on how to work with virtual teams Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Via this website: Just use the “Ask Your Question” tab on the right of the screen and leave a voicemail Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Effectively working with Remote Teams on Culture Matters For more on this, click here.

About This Week's Guest Insourcing and cultural differences with Bart van Loon After volunteering for the United Nations in the aftermath of the Kashmir Earthquake in 2005, Bart realized the potential of the South Asian labor market in Europe. Ever since he is building long-lasting professional relationships between companies and employees spanning the globe. His tips to become more culturally competent are: Always realize that when it comes to communication this is a shared responsibility. It is a 50% sender and a 50% receiver thing. Don't stereotype when you're dealing with individuals. When you're dealing with one person, you're not dealing with the "average" person from that culture. So be careful with this. Have patience when you're dealing with someone from another culture. Take for instance the English language (or for that matter any language that two people share to communicate): The first time a Brit speaks to someone from Pakistan, (s)he might face some difficulty in understanding. But give it some time and before you know it you won't even hear the differences in accents. Interview Links Links that are mentioned in this episode: Bart's personal website: http://bbbart.be Email: bart@zeropoint.hr Build Your Cultural Competence In the Culture Matters podcast, we interview real people with real stories. Every other week there is a guest with broad international experience and lots of cultural insights. I interview real people with real stories. To subscribe directly using iTunes or Stitcher, Click here, or here (or click any of the images below). How To Get In Touch With Culture Matters I'd love for you to get in touch. There are a couple of ways you can do this: Email me at chris.smit@culturematters.com Send me a Tweet: @chrissmit Finally Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far, and to listen to my Podcast. I hope you will be back for the next episode of the Culture Matters Podcast! Insourcing and cultural differences on Culture Matters

Jeri Weber, a US American lawyer knows about the demands of the legal profession and working with other cultures. She spent the first 18
 years of life viewing the world through her US perspective.

Audrey Mezas is the Dutch owner of Expat in Amsterdam. She is an Expat/Executive Personal Assistant to athletes, professors, families, international entrepreneurs and business executives. The difference between Audrey and say a relocation company is that she delivers "tailor-made personal" service for each of her clients and accompanying them almost everywhere they need to be. Audrey also trains teams in Executive Excellence and has moved 17 times and lived on four continents. Audrey is the "Expat in Amsterdam."