Changing Fences to Bridges: PART 2: Five ways of "Standing Out"
in Global Citizenship

     In our last newsletter, we discussed the importance of global awareness for business success and how you can fit in to various cultures. In this part 2, we will discuss how you can stand out to excel as a global citizen.

     One of the best ways to develop skills to deal with many different cultures is to first find someone whom you think already does this well and try to emulate or learn from the individual. Who comes to mind when you think of successful “stand out” leaders who can operate on the world stage? Bono with his work for AIDs in Africa might be one vision. Bill Gates, given his recent commencement speech at Harvard University, might have sparked a positive image in your mind. Some professor that personally influenced you might be the person to be an example. Recently, I met C.K. Prahalad, who is a professor at the University of Michigan Business School and author of The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid. He is an excellent example of someone who can operate successfully in many cultures and inspires others to make a difference through business results.

     I read Prahalad’s book before I went on my first business trip to India in March 2005. At that time I was impressed with the possibilities to reach a large population that consumer goods and industrial companies often ignore as potential customers and employees. More than 4 billion people live on less that $2 per day throughout the world. Reflecting on the distribution of income and wealth as well as purchasing power parity of different nations, one must think differently when doing business in countries such as China, Mexico and India.

     Through the book, I learned about innovative companies that used specific approaches to tap into the global economy. Prahalad writes about the commonalities between nations, “the building blocks of a market economy: transparency of information, universal access, dialogue among various thematic communities that form autonomously, and a discussion of the risks and benefits of various courses of action such as ‘Should I sell my corn today or hold back?’” The four building blocks he describes are “dialogue, access, risk benefits, and transparency (DART).”

     Adam Smith was one of the first thought leaders who argued that market supply and demand was a natural law and therefore universal. Clearly, we see evidence of this in the twenty-first century as we have in history. Understanding the concept of markets is an essential part of being a global citizen. Dialogue is necessary to maintain and build any relationship. Why should it be different in business? Availability and reliability of inexpensive mobile phones and computing expanded access to information, customers and markets exponentially over the last few years. The degree of risk we are willing to assume depends on our own resources and preferences, but explicitly addressing risk and benefit is something a FISO leader with financial acuity does with any major purchase or investment. Finally, transparency of prices and results also creates a more competitive business environment.

     To help you break through the clutter of more competition, here are five ways to stand out.

Global Citizenship: Standing Out

1. Be flexible in conversations and surroundings. Consider the speaker’s point of view before your own. This often invokes not only listening to the text (words) used by a speaker, but also the subtext. This means recognizing what beliefs, values, and attitudes must be held by the speaker for her or him to say what is being said.

2. Cultivate an excitement and an interest in others' backgrounds. If your energy is fed by your love of listening to how an individual grew from his birth to his current state, this will be obvious to the native in the foreign land. Every story is different and not always bounded by a nationalistic view.

3. More than travel, stay open to absorb what you observe and experience. This is how you become a person of the world. Culture should be subject to dialogue allowing for mutual understanding and dignity of the individuals involved.

4. Seek good mentors to share different perspectives and to have confidence in your development.

5. Intelligence and good judgment reigns. People will seek you out as you share your global stories and insights as applicable to their situation.

© 2007 Blythe McGarvie
1-757-345-3595
bmcgarvie@LIFgroup.com