A representative of a growing Chinese company, Mr. Chin, came to Los Angeles to find a distributor for his new product. He had appointments scheduled through a Government program created to help expand trade between China and Los Angeles. One contact was especially promising. That meeting, with Mr. Wise, was scheduled for a Tuesday at 10:00 AM.

On Tuesday Mr. Chin decided to make some phone calls before leaving his hotel. Due to the length of the calls he did not arrive for his meeting until 10:30. When he arrived he was surprised that Mr. Wise was abrupt and cool. He was dismayed to learn that only 30 minutes were available for his presentation because Mr. Wise had another appointment at 11:00 AM.

Insight: By being late Mr. Chin gave up half of his time for the presentation. Even more seriously, his lateness communicated that the meeting was not important. Schedules are very important in American business – if you are going to be more than five to ten minutes late, be sure to phone (and have a good reason). Being on time is a mark of respect and shows you are serious about doing business.

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"No one seems to understand why I find it upsetting but I intensely dislike how my staff addresses me. They never call me Mr. Frost. It's always John. Hi John. This is John. Meet my friend John. I hardly know these youngsters. They work for me, most of them and it's still – John, never Mr. Frost. Why do I have to put up with this?"

Insight: Mr. Frost runs the US division of German company and adds his voice to the many others who are startled by the American informality. Underscoring the idea that everyone is equal, most American companies encourage all employees to use first names regardless of rank. It is not considered disrespectful but rather a way to encourage community, democracy and teamwork.

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According to a Frenchman who regularly visits California to supervise a recent acquisition of his Paris- based company: "They (the Americans) are so rude. They don't want to shake your hand when they see you. Lunch is taken at their desk instead of having a meal and conversation. It's ridiculous!"

Insight: Americans shake hands as part of introductions, to greet people they don't see regularly, to offer congratulations. They are not exchanged regularly with people one sees on a daily basis. More and more, people are rushed and feel overscheduled. One way Americans try to compensate for this is to give up relaxed meals, especially at lunch times. Lack of availability for a meal is not intended as an insult, simply an effort to find time to do more work!

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From a Swiss businessman who has lived in the US comes this story:

"It is easier to get acquainted with Americans and to start a 'relationship' than it is with people in other countries. For my family moving into a new neighborhood was an excellent experience: the first day, before the movers had even finished unloading our furniture, our neighbors invited us to a BBQ dinner. Further, I find it great how Americans are so easy in starting to talk with you in bars and restaurants."

Insight: Most Americans move cities and states several times during their professional lives. Accordingly they must continually build new relationships. From necessity, they learn to easily engage with new people. Understanding the experience of being new to a place, they are willing to welcome newcomers to their neighborhoods.

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For what it's worth I'd just like to supply you with a succinct statement of my own interpretation of working with Americans, being a dual nationality British-Czech:

Americans do not employ critical thinking as much as I would expect in the UK or central Europe . The end result is that:

A) We are perceived as cynical, which is a negative to most Americans

B) Americans are perceived as not cynical enough, which is a negative to many ‘Europeans' (whatever that is)

C) Americans accept information without question if it comes from a trusted source, which leads to a propensity to be poisoned by false information, and a “get on with it and forge ahead” approach when the information is shown to be false

In the end there is no absolute negative or positive, only what we each believe. What is important to each of us is our set of expectations, which goes hand in hand with our beliefs. If we understand each other and accept each other, then we will rarely suffer the negative emotions associated with contradiction of expectations.

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