By John Magee Red Man. Green Man. It’s a cliché that Germans are inflexible, that their processes are inflexible. I, too, believed that for many years. This is a complex topic. It depends on the process, of course, and on the particular step within a process. In some cases, Germans, … Read more
By John Magee Americans and Germans decide to integrate processes. Process harmonization is the term used. A common experience. First look at and become familiar with the other side’s processes, procedures, etc. The Americans hand over their binders. Many of them. Long. Detailed. The Germans hand over theirs. Not as … Read more
By John Magee Bart had meetings in Düsseldorf and he asked me to come up on the train and meet him for dinner. I take the train up from Bonn. It is a quick, comfortable, efficient ride. From the central train station in Düsseldorf it was only twenty minutes with … Read more
By John Magee Summer in Germany. My boy is big enough to sit in a seat mounted on the back of my bike. We go for a ride through the pedestrian zone. Saturday. Lots going on. We come to a street crossing. Narrow street, cars moving slowly. Red man showing. … Read more
By John Magee Systematic thinking is one of the strongest of German character traits. It‘s a red thread woven in and through all of the topics CI addresses. I think of the many Germans in my seminars and workshops. I observe their tendency time and again. I separate the Americans … Read more
By John Magee Germans have a clear understanding that the consultant, supplier or vendor fills a need or gap on the side of the customer. It is implicitly agreed upon by both parties that the consultant, vendor or supplier offers something which the customer does not have or cannot do. … Read more
By John Magee I‘ve become friends with a woman in my neighborhood. Anna is new to Bonn, having moved here to take a sales job in a well known electronics and household appliance retailer, the largest chain in Germany and very successful. Her sales training lasted four weeks. Based on … Read more
By John Magee A few weeks back I caught a stomach virus. I needed to pick up some medicine at my physician‘s office – Dr. Planck. It was a Friday afternoon. I did not have an appointment. His office, in the middle of Bonn, is small, with just Dr. Planck … Read more
By John Magee Let‘s visit that fine line again, between when to serve the customer – meaning give the customer what they want, have ordered, believe is best for them, even if it is not – and when to consult the customer – meaning to dissuade (persuade against) the customer … Read more
By John Magee We all know of the magic triangle: quality, schedule, budget. We also all know how difficult it is to deliver a product, a service or internal work results which meet each of the three criteria. Seldom does a team deliver high quality results, within schedule, and within … Read more
