Meeting the man I was very tired. Had just executed a three-day management workshop. The participants were active, asking good questions, challenging me when it was legitimate, demanding that we go deeper whenever I had hit a nerve. I try to pack as much into a day as possible, probably … Read more
“I think you have it wrong.” The hostess brings me to him. One of those places where you step up to sit at the table. The place was packed, all sorts of ages represented, the music surprisingly not disruptive. I had never met the man, but sure had heard much … Read more
“Your thinking is naíve and superficial.” Was it a slug to the jaw or pat on the back? Too tired and too unprofessional to control myself, I snapped back that he was the one who has it wrong. „And what‘s more, your thinking is naíve and superficial.“ Now, for those … Read more
The customer isn’t king Germans reject any relationship which even hints at a master-slave relationship. As suppliers, vendors, consultants – call them what you want – Germans want first and foremostly to be treated respectfully. Seldom are they willing to sacrifice their self-respect, their self-understanding, doing whatever the customer demands, … Read more
We accepted each other My client’s expertise, and his organization‘s, was engineering. But they were a product of two companies which had been merged a few years before – one German, the other American. My expertise was in explaining where Germans and Americans, who happen to be engineers, diverge in … Read more
The Cost of Cultural Misunderstanding Let us assume that there are, indeed, fundamental differences between the American and the German approaches to the customer-supplier business relationship. And let us assume that the difference illustrated above is one of those differences. High-Level Relationship ManagementYour company has people at high levels managing … Read more
