Thank you for your kind comment, and for being a wonderful role model!

Steve

I've alluded to interpersonal (relational) skills in prior posts, including this one (Heart of Business): http://ospreyvision.com/blog/2009/03/17/cpr-for-the-heart-of-business/ . International business experience combined with relational skills are a powerful combination for collaborating across cultures. Daniel Goleman and others recognize that empathic or heart-centered skillfulness is integral in this age of global markets. Thank you for the reminder!

Steve

Thank you for your kind comment, and for being a wonderful role model!

Steve

Thank you for your kind words, and for being a great role model.

Steve

I've alluded to interpersonal (relational) skills in prior posts, including this one (Heart of Business): http://ospreyvision.com/blog/2009/03/17/cpr-for… . International business experience combined with relational skills are a powerful combination for collaborating across cultures. Daniel Goleman and others recognize that empathic or heart-centered skillfulness is integral in this age of global markets. Thank you for the reminder!

Steve

Your comments provided insights into understanding behaviors that are destructive, or at best non-productive. I've consistently understood and applied these kinds of behaviors as they relate to the Customer Experience Management business, where building trust is critical. However, all too often in our personal lives we permit the business of life to intervene, separating us from the good that comes when the heart is open.

Steve's work consistently reflects an open heart, integrated with wisdom and understanding.

Thank you for the reminder.

Joyce

Feelings of acceptance, care and interest generate very different heart rhythms than those produced by feelings of animosity, fear or worry. These are sensed by the person you're communicating with, often at an unconscious level.

When people are at ease, they feel non-threatened, which means that the stress response has not been activated. This is great news – communication can then move forward.

As I get to know you, Steve, it is apparent that you operate from a place of heart which enables you to add your particular brand of seasoning to your work.

Well said. Organizations that have a healthy generational and cultural mix seem to be better equipped in this environment. Thank you for your comments!

Steve

Thank you for insightful observations, particularly on how the multinationals structured their organizations and the impact that had on business. Enlightened businesses, large and small, have an opportunity to gain a competitive edge by developing “globally integrated” structures and collaborative cultures. Very interesting area to explore further…

Steve

Back in the early days of global-local assimilations, multi-nationals created directors of regions to cater to outlying posts. Sometimes these individuals, if they could speak another language and were willing, might be posted away from headquarters to run things from the ground. Where centralised control was most stringent, the whole thing was likely to be managed from a single base, with country managers on tight-enough-to-hang ropes. The paths of least resistance, and communications bowing to the “lowest common denominator”, were often the way that hierarchical control was dished out, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of anyone not drinking from the HQ fountain. Not only the business structure and culture, but also the brand in question rarely benefited from taking on local flavours and intertwining nuances to build a stronger global appeal in the early roll-outs. When a dogmatic brand – unsurprisingly – failed to win over the hearts of local consumers, the root cause was as misunderstood as the offer of a solution meeting local needs, exceeding expectations and being culturally accepted.

Now – as you say – with all sizes of business stretching beyond their own borders, I find a different geographical mobility (and direction), as well as a more cautious humility of expectations on the menu. It's a fascinating, ever-evolving topic.