Watching George and Carlos in the video made me think, it's easy to see the cultural differences when they are portrayed to such extremes. I don't think it's always so easy to understand and notice the culture differences in daily interactions. I believe the point of the video was to make you aware of how to be more cognizant of others and their actions. We can't expect all people's behaviors to mirror Carlos's or George's, but we can bring more awareness to our interactions with others.
It was interesting to discuss the characteristics of global leaders and see how I compare. I'm looking forward to taking the GCI survey.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Silence is golden
Among the several things I learned about myself this weekend is that I am uncomfortable with silence. I need some way to fill the void.
I was clueless during the card game and hoped that the others knew what they were doing. Surpisingly I came to understand the set of "rules" based on the non-verbal cues from my teammates. Sitting in silence and watching the others made my clueless situation comfortable. Not being allowed to talk actually helped my situation, because it was easier for me to follow and understand directions. :)
The X-ian exercise was awkward and intimidating. I felt compelled to take control of the situation by talking. When the "X-ians" were not responding I felt I was going nowhere in the conversation. The silence between each question made it harder for me to talk to them. It wasn't until I took a step back and was desperate to try anything that I thought about communicating with them the same way they communicated with me: no eye contact. X-ian taught me that silence is golden. We can actually get stuff done and understand each other.
The Aracruz simulation taught me that listening cultivates understanding. Listening to multiple points of view while trying to balance mine helped me keep an open mind. Our dialogue around our goals, assumptions, and direction of our solutions made our group most effective. I think we could have done a better job of stating our assumptions. I know at least I could've! :) I assumed they knew my assumptions since they listened to our presentation. If I had to go back and redo the simulation I would initate more dialogue. I would take what I heard and reiterate it to the other stakeholders to make sure I understand them.
In Stock Administration I constantly meet with differenet stakeholders: employees, managers, human resources, legal, and payroll. I will work on approaching issues and meetings from multiple points of view. Rather than going into a meeting thinking, "They need to undrstand us and we are right," I'll remind myself to think, "What are their goals? What can we accomplish together?"
I was clueless during the card game and hoped that the others knew what they were doing. Surpisingly I came to understand the set of "rules" based on the non-verbal cues from my teammates. Sitting in silence and watching the others made my clueless situation comfortable. Not being allowed to talk actually helped my situation, because it was easier for me to follow and understand directions. :)
The X-ian exercise was awkward and intimidating. I felt compelled to take control of the situation by talking. When the "X-ians" were not responding I felt I was going nowhere in the conversation. The silence between each question made it harder for me to talk to them. It wasn't until I took a step back and was desperate to try anything that I thought about communicating with them the same way they communicated with me: no eye contact. X-ian taught me that silence is golden. We can actually get stuff done and understand each other.
The Aracruz simulation taught me that listening cultivates understanding. Listening to multiple points of view while trying to balance mine helped me keep an open mind. Our dialogue around our goals, assumptions, and direction of our solutions made our group most effective. I think we could have done a better job of stating our assumptions. I know at least I could've! :) I assumed they knew my assumptions since they listened to our presentation. If I had to go back and redo the simulation I would initate more dialogue. I would take what I heard and reiterate it to the other stakeholders to make sure I understand them.
In Stock Administration I constantly meet with differenet stakeholders: employees, managers, human resources, legal, and payroll. I will work on approaching issues and meetings from multiple points of view. Rather than going into a meeting thinking, "They need to undrstand us and we are right," I'll remind myself to think, "What are their goals? What can we accomplish together?"
Eye of the Storm
Sunday's class was another thought provoking one. Even though we are not really in the eye of the storm, it was still fun to imagine how it would be for Aracruz stakeholder's. It helped me see the motivations and reasons behind the actions of each stakeholder and also realise that no one is the bad guy here. I also had so much fun doing the "acid sea". Again this exercise brings into perspective what happens when each local team approaches a particular goal on its own without respecting and taking into consideration the other involved teams. Another key take away is how typically leaders forget about the people following them and are more focused on goals.
The afternoon session was interesting for me as I had the opportunity of evaluating my peers. This made me realise things from an outsider/professors perspective. Had I been on those teams, I would have made the same mistakes as my peers. However, having a chance to look at them in a different angle reinforced the point that we have to be really observant in picking things up and putting them to action. This is because, in real life too we will not be having all necessary information handed out to us for developing a course of action. I would say that the only glitch during this class was late lunch :( .
The afternoon session was interesting for me as I had the opportunity of evaluating my peers. This made me realise things from an outsider/professors perspective. Had I been on those teams, I would have made the same mistakes as my peers. However, having a chance to look at them in a different angle reinforced the point that we have to be really observant in picking things up and putting them to action. This is because, in real life too we will not be having all necessary information handed out to us for developing a course of action. I would say that the only glitch during this class was late lunch :( .
Learning through examples/exercises
Like everyone else in the class, I was dreading the whole idea of spending the Saturday in class. However I'll take such an activity oriented class any day over idly sitting at home. The thing that I could really connect to is "Learning through examples/exercises".How does one teach someone the qualities of becoming a leader?Everyone knows that it is difficult to interact globally due to cultural differences, communication styles etc, but to actively see it through role plays, TV programs etc really drives the point home. Watching the TV program was like looking into the minds of our class. I am sure each one of us would have thought about the other as being spiral in talking or being aggressive in putting forth points, but now I feel we will view the situation in a different manner. The cards game brought us the reality of a situation where we might work together as a team but still be unaware of all necessary information leading to chaos and confusion.
The Sally Chang case was another exercise I enjoyed doing. This is typical of any company where parties involved may not even realize they are not communicating what they want to do. At the end of the exercise I really could appreciate what the professor meant by sitting back and analyzing our actions before deciding on the next course of plans. I really hope by the end of this course I learn a lot more and also make sure I apply this in day to day life
The Sally Chang case was another exercise I enjoyed doing. This is typical of any company where parties involved may not even realize they are not communicating what they want to do. At the end of the exercise I really could appreciate what the professor meant by sitting back and analyzing our actions before deciding on the next course of plans. I really hope by the end of this course I learn a lot more and also make sure I apply this in day to day life
My first class - in every sense
I am excited about penning down my thoughts on my first MBA class. As I entered the BUS 297 class on 26th January, I was filled with anticipation and excitement. This was my first ever class every sense - my first class in a foreign soil as well ass my first course in MBA. Needless to say the fact that I am finally pursuing my dream of doing MBA, kept my adrenaline pumping. Once I entered the class, I was further happy to see the mix of people that I was going to study with - I mean this is what I want to do MBA for, meet up people from various backgrounds and learn a lot from their experiences besides learning from the professors.
Once the class started however, I realized I had a lot of disadvantages. For one, most of them are already halfway into the course or on the verge of completing it and hence I had no clue what the class was talking about when they used the terms - blackboard, greensheet etc. The second biggest shock was when I realised we had to debate on Globalization within 20 minutes. That task seemed to be impossible for me considering the fact that I only know the basic meaning of the word and its general implications. Only later did I realize that it was an easy feat, had I learnt the material which was posted on the "Blackboard". Nevertheless it was still interesting to see so many opinions from people who are actually opposed to the topic they are debating on. This really gives new meaning to "putting yourself in the other person's shoes". So even though some of my enthusiasm was dampened, I still was able to learn a couple of valuable points at the end of the class.
Once the class started however, I realized I had a lot of disadvantages. For one, most of them are already halfway into the course or on the verge of completing it and hence I had no clue what the class was talking about when they used the terms - blackboard, greensheet etc. The second biggest shock was when I realised we had to debate on Globalization within 20 minutes. That task seemed to be impossible for me considering the fact that I only know the basic meaning of the word and its general implications. Only later did I realize that it was an easy feat, had I learnt the material which was posted on the "Blackboard". Nevertheless it was still interesting to see so many opinions from people who are actually opposed to the topic they are debating on. This really gives new meaning to "putting yourself in the other person's shoes". So even though some of my enthusiasm was dampened, I still was able to learn a couple of valuable points at the end of the class.
A good reference book
All,
I suggest you get a copy of "Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands" by Terri Morrison and Wayne Conaway. It is a wonderful book about different cultures and is designed for business travelers. It provides basic information (tips on doing business, country history, type of government, languages spoken, cultural orientation, protocol, business etiquette) from the "road warrior" perspective. Not that we don't have enough to read... See you tonigh
I suggest you get a copy of "Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands" by Terri Morrison and Wayne Conaway. It is a wonderful book about different cultures and is designed for business travelers. It provides basic information (tips on doing business, country history, type of government, languages spoken, cultural orientation, protocol, business etiquette) from the "road warrior" perspective. Not that we don't have enough to read... See you tonigh
Weekend Class
I have to say that I was not all that excited about sitting in class for an entire weekend after long days and nights at the office the prior week. I was however pleasantly surprised. The group activities were very engaging. I really enjoyed being able to work with a multitude of different people from different phases of life. When students are able to learn through others experiences and ways of thinking I believe it magnifies the learning opportunities.
I very much enjoyed the card game on Saturday, I learned so much about myself and my thought process when it came to doing things in life. I have always thought of myself as so laid back and "go with the flow" but very quickly realized how pushy and somewhat dominating I was...people were going to play by my rules because I was right (or so I thought)...this opens my eyes to re-evaluating my actions in certain settings and also helps me to judge reactions. I also really enjoyed the Aracruz simulation done on Sunday. This was one of the first times I have gone into a stakeholder conversation not thinking about how I am going to negotiate my opinion. Instead we made it a point to understand every parties wants a needs and come to a mutually accepted decision with that in mind.
I have taken other classes in this program that also discuss leadership and innovation so I am familiar with the material. However, even with that previous knowledge I can see that there is always more to learn on these subjects.
I very much enjoyed the card game on Saturday, I learned so much about myself and my thought process when it came to doing things in life. I have always thought of myself as so laid back and "go with the flow" but very quickly realized how pushy and somewhat dominating I was...people were going to play by my rules because I was right (or so I thought)...this opens my eyes to re-evaluating my actions in certain settings and also helps me to judge reactions. I also really enjoyed the Aracruz simulation done on Sunday. This was one of the first times I have gone into a stakeholder conversation not thinking about how I am going to negotiate my opinion. Instead we made it a point to understand every parties wants a needs and come to a mutually accepted decision with that in mind.
I have taken other classes in this program that also discuss leadership and innovation so I am familiar with the material. However, even with that previous knowledge I can see that there is always more to learn on these subjects.
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