Do You Have A Global Skillset?

Do You Have the Global Skillset?

by Donald Asher 

Colleges are doing more than ever to increase the global sophistication of their students. For example, although it is located far from any national border The University of Tennessee has adopted the motto, “Ready for the World.” Their MBAs are required to conduct a major team project abroad, and plans are underway for undergraduates to have a similar requirement.  Duke University launched DukeEngage in 2007, a program that actually funds students to get involved in service activities all around the globe. Rollins College now requires faculty to travel abroad once every three years, to increase their knowledge of the world and, presumably, to transfer their increased global sophistication to their students in class. Sally Blount-Lyon, dean of the NYU Stern School of Business Undergraduate College, recently wrote a much-noticed editorial for InsideHigherEd.com arguing “International Study Shouldn’t Be Elective.” According to the Forum on Education Abroad, 75% of member institutions are actively trying to increase the number of students they send abroad, in spite of the economic downturn.

So what are these students supposed to be gaining from this exposure to other cultures? Some ability to be effective in the new world economy, an economy driven by technology and borderless organizations, one may presume. In this generation, even workers who never leave Peoria, Illinois, may have colleagues in The Philippines or Singapore or Peru with whom they have to work on a daily basis.

These new workers will need a more global skillset than the one required by their predecessors. In an attempt to learn exactly what that skillset might look like, I went out and found people who have been successful in assignments all over the world, and asked their opinion. First, you have to let go of your preconceptions of the place and culture you are going to visit, says Bradley A. Feuling, CEO of Kong and Allan, a logistics consulting firm with offices in the U.S. and in Shanghai, China. “I see that many people from more developed countries still see international work as bringing their lifestyle abroad, as opposed to allowing their lifestyle to be influenced by their abroad surroundings,” observes Mr. Feuling, who chooses to be based in China.

He recommends that you set aside your expectations, and find a strong local partner and teacher to help you learn about the new culture and its business practices. “I would argue that a new skillset is developing, which is crosscultural and multi-geographical project management. This applies to global managers who are overseeing functions in multiple parts of the world. Here a complexity is added, that makes a person’s adaptability and flexibility more dynamic,” he continues. “These individuals must have strong project management skills and diverse cultural knowledge.”

Michael D. Babbitt concurs. About to leave on assignment to Asia with a multinational bank, he has worked before in Spain, Mexico, Canada, Guatemala, Panama, Thailand, Ireland, Belgium, and The Netherlands in stints lasting from two years to one week. He cautions that protocols can get subtle, and may be counterintuitive. First of all, never assume that people in the room don’t speak English, even if they use an interpreter. And you have to be very sensitive to who is on home turf and who is a guest, and who is selling and who is acting as a customer. “There definitely are nuances, things you do differently,” he says. “For example, you don’t bow to someone outside of Asia, even when meeting an Asian, unless you know them and have a history with them, in which case you may exchange bows. It gets complicated.”

Mr. Babbitt believes the days when Americans could ignore local customs and fail to prepare for international travel are over. “America is great,” he says, “but the rest of the world is catching up, and if you want to do business with other people, you have to speak and interact in a respectful way. This is critical to having successful actions in business and in private, when you’re abroad.” While working for an international bank, Mr. Babbitt spent three weeks preparing for each one-week trip. “If you are calling on them in their country, you are expected to know something about their culture and how things are done. I would look at the local market, and know which executives and whom I was to call on. It was more than just cultural preparation. I was getting ready to build relationships.”

Language skills are also key, says Babbitt, who became fluent in Spanish, and taught himself some local words and phrases wherever he was assigned.

Samir Prakash Sahoo also believes languages are the ultimate key to international success. Now an MBA student in the Midwest, he was most recently a marine engineer for Chevron’s international tanker fleet. “Officers were Italian, Danish, Scandinavian, Filipino, Turkish, British, Indian, or Asian, and the crew was usually Indian and Filipino. There were always a lot of languages on the boat, but English was the official language, even for the crew.” In spite of that, languages were critical for success off the boat. He had to engage with suppliers, engineers, and technical consultants in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, China, Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, and South Africa, where conversations might start in English and then veer off into any of a dozen languages.

“You can do business anywhere in the world. You just need to learn a few languages, such as Spanish, French, Italian, or Chinese—at least Spanish and Chinese, and maybe French,” says Mr. Sahoo. Some might add Arabic and Japanese to this list. “Obviously you have to be fluent in English. Apart from that, you should be tolerant of different cultures, and have a strong curiosity to learn. You can’t impose your own culture on others. You can observe and pick up a lot by interacting with other people. It’s very exciting. [People] are very different in their living and working styles. I think you have to read about others’ cultures, have a foundation of how people live and think in different areas of the world. Then, I would say that someone falls into the category of being a person who would find it very easy to do business anywhere in the world.”

So how would you get started building a global skillset? First, you need to become business proficient in a market language. Take two or more years of foreign language. Study abroad for a full semester, not just a short “exposure” experience. Get an internship abroad, if you can at all, and then try very, very hard to get an offshore assignment for your first job out of college. A search on “internships abroad” will turn up over half a million opportunities. To learn about transnational opportunities and foreign hiring practices, the best place to go is www.goinglobal.com, a web site run by Mary Anne Thompson, who is also the author of The Global Resume and CV Guide and a companion series, Going Global Career Guides. Also, to find the U.S. headquarters of foreign companies, use the Directory of Foreign Firms Operating in the United States. To find the offshore headquarters of U.S. based multinationals, use the Directory of American Firms Operating in Foreign Countries.

It’s a brave new world out there, and your best future may be borderless.

BIO: 

Donald Asher is the author of eleven books on careers and higher education, including How to Get Any Job: Life Launch and Re-Launch for Everyone Under 30; Graduate Admissions Essays (the best-selling guide to the graduate admissions process); Who Gets Promoted, Who Doesn’t, and Why (named 2008 Business Book of the Year); Cracking the Hidden Job Market; and The Overnight Resume: Fastest Way to Your Next Job. He speaks at over 100 colleges and universities annually on career topics. He welcomes your comments at don@donaldasher.com or see his web site atwww.donaldasher.com. © 2010 Asher Associates.

© 2012 Asher Associates. Permission for any individual to use as needed. For institutional or company permission, contact Permission Editor, Lisa Bertschi, Lisa@donaldasher.com. Also see www.donaldasher.com for more useful articles.

Donald Asher is a nationally known speaker and writer on the topics of careers and higher education. He is the author of eleven books, includingGraduate Admissions Essays, 3rd ed., Ten Speed Press, the best-selling guide to the graduate admissions process; The Overnight Resume: Fastest Way to Your Next Job; How to Get Any Job: Life Launch and Re-Launch for Everyone Under 30; Cracking the Hidden Job Market, and Who Gets Promoted, Who Doesn’t, and Why. He welcomes your comments atdon@donaldasher.com or see his web site at www.donaldasher.com. © 2010 Asher Associates.

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And the antidote to envy is.......

To envy is human. But envy robs us of so many possibilities including:

• Achievement.
• Peace.
• Humility.
• Connection.
• Happiness.
• Our best thinking, our best work, our best life.

So how do we get past our feelings of envy? To explore this, we need to think about what's going on when we experience envy. Envy occurs when we compare ourselves to others and when we feel unsatisfied, outdone, or a lack of confidence. Comparison and regret.

What's the antidote, then? You can't make a chocolate cake without chocolate. Remove either the comparison or the regret and you will prevent envy. And here is a fool proof way to quickly transition out of feelings of envy.

Become a fan. Instead of comparing yourself to someone else, show admiration. Give congratulations. Take the initiative to show support. Don't do this for show, become a fan for real. Shift your thinking from regret to being a fan and you will zap envy in its tracks. It can happen very quickly but only if you are sincere.

Envy is a killer. Envy will get in the way of your goals and dreams. Make it go away. Poof!

DRIVING SUCCESS: HOW YOU INNOVATE DETERMINES WHAT YOU INNOVAT

Innovation Is the Power to Redefine the Industry
For any organization, innovation represents not only the opportunity to grow and survive but also the opportunity to significantly influence the direction of the industry.
Apple Computers took the industry by surprise when it launched iTunes and iPod, not so much because these were innovations that nobody had ever thought of before
in the PC arena. Instead, it was the strategy of combining technology change and business model change into a one­two innovation punch. And the iTunes/iPod
combination is only starting to generate new concepts; one of the latest is an iPod special edition with U2 (the famous rock band), which opens up rich partnership
opportunities with content providers. Apple has put its mark again on the direction of the PC industry—a mark that will be tough to erase.

Making Innovation Work : How to Manage It, Measure It, and Profit From It

Authors:

Davila, Tony
Epstein, Marc J.
Shelton, Robert D.

Publication Information:

Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Wharton School Pub. 2006

Description:

eBook.

Subjects:

Organizational change--Management
Technological innovations--Management
Industrial management

Categories:

BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Structural Adjustment

Related ISBNs:

9780131497863. 9780132044882.

Career Coaching

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Almeda Discount: Almeda graduates get a first-month discount of $50.

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Thrive with ADD
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specialty: Coaching Adults with ADD - AD/HD.
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specialty: Career transitions, life balance, Career Planning, Coaching Employees, Decision Making, Getting Organized, Goal Setting, Leadership/Vision, Market Planning, Motivation of Employees, Personal Leadership, Public Speaking, Self-Confidence, Strategic Planning, Time Management, Training and Development
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Coach Chang
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Ten percent discount or extra session per month.

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Specialty: people in career transition; people who wish to maximize their potential; people wanting to gain more balance in their lives; people wanting to choose a satisfying career; those with an entrepreneurial spirit
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The Leadership Group International
Specialty: Career transitions; leadership development; career guidance and counseling; team coaching; entrepreneurship; personal guidance and counseling
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Almeda Discount: Almeda graduates would receive first session free, then a 10% discount on long term agreements of two months or more.

Success Coaching for Women
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Collins Coaching, LLC
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CareerTeam Partners
Location: New York,  NY  10023
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Academic Coach
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CRT Consulting Services
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RPM Success Group
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eWard Associates LLC
Location: Brooklyn NY
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Personal Coaching Services
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Home : Career Center

Veteran Crisis Line for Mental Health related illnesses and concerns for family and friends

http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ForFamilyAndFriends.aspx


DCoE Outreach Center*: The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) runs a resource center that provides information and resources about psychological health (PH), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The center can be contacted 24/7 by phone at 866-966-1020, by e-mail at resources@dcoeoutreach.org, or you can also go to DCoE Outreach Center

VA is here for the people who support our Veterans.

Whether you’re a Veteran’s spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, friend, or caregiver, the Veterans Crisis Line is here for you. If you are concerned about the safety and well-being of a Veteran, stand by them. Call 1-800-273-8255 and Press 1, chat online, or send a text message to 838255 to receive free, confidential support from an experienced, caring U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs responder.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched a new hotline — 1-855-VA-WOMEN — to receive and respond to questions from Veterans, their families and caregivers about the many VA services and resources available to women Veterans.
The hotline is staffed by knowledgeable VA employees who can provide information about benefits including health care services for women. Callers can be linked to information on claims, education or health care appointments as well as information about VA cemeteries and memorial benefits. Staff can answer urgent questions and provide referrals to homeless and mental health services as well as provide Vet Center information.

Women Using VA Health Care Doubled Since 2000

Women make up nearly 15 percent of today’s active duty military and 18 percent of National Guard and Reserve forces. The population of women Veterans using VA benefits including health care is growing rapidly. Since 2000, the number of women using VA health care more than doubled, from 160,000 in 2000 to more than 354,000 in 2012. Based on the upward trend of women serving in all branches of service, the number of women Veterans — female VA users — will keep climbing.

 We need to correct…misperceptions so we can provide more women Veterans with…benefits… 

VA is committed to making improvements for the growing population of women Veterans, including the way it communicates with them. In 2010, VA established an outbound call center to contact women Veterans and encourage them to enroll in VA health care.
“In VA health care alone, women constitute only 6 percent of VA patients, but those Veterans have a high perception of the quality care they are receiving,” said Irene Trowell-Harris, director of VA’s Center for Women Veterans.
“Many women who served don’t self-identify as Veterans and therefore don’t think they qualify for VA benefits. We need to correct existing misinformation and misperceptions so we can provide more women Veterans with the benefits they’ve earned.”

Women Veterans Eligible for Many Benefits

Women Veterans are entitled to apply for the same benefits as their male counterparts, which include health care and pharmacy benefits as well as education benefits, disability compensation, home loans, employment assistance and more.
“Some women Veterans may not know about high-quality VA care and services available to them,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The hotline will allow us to field their questions and provide critical information about the latest enhancements in VA services.”
The hotline (1-855-VA-WOMEN) joins numerous other VA hotlines that provide critical information and assistance to Veterans, such as those for Veterans in crisis and in danger of becoming homeless. Veterans can also receive information and apply for benefits online at VA’s www.eBenefits.va.gov and manage their health care at MyHealtheVet.va.gov.
- See more at: http://www.va.gov/health/NewsFeatures/2013/May/VA-Launches-Hotline-for-Women-Veterans.asp#sthash.ujfZjnyU.dpuf



Homeless Veterans or anyone concerned about one can also call or use online chat to reach the Veterans Crisis Line and get free, 24/7 support for any personal crisis. Responders are trained to work with homeless Veterans and connect them to resources in their area.
The National Call Center for Homeless Veterans provides assistance to homeless Veterans and their families; VA Medical Centers; Federal, state, and local partners; community agencies; Veterans services providers; and others in the community. If you or someone you know is a homeless Veteran in need of help, call 1-877-4AID VET (1-877-424-3838) to receive free, confidential support from a trained, VA staff member 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also get confidential support from the Homeless Veterans Chat.