Delegation: an opportunity for success and failure.

It is often said, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” This can also be said about opportunities in business. One such opportunity is regularly presented when managers/leaders delegate tasks. If meant positively, these special tasks are usually indicators of an employees drive. On the other hand, they could be just the leftovers that a selfish manager could care less to complete. However, ideally, delegating is meant to be a productive chance for an employee to prove himself. Yet, how much pressure could be unintentionally felt by the recipient? “What happens if I’m successful? What if I fail? What if it’s just average?”

The corporate world can be extremely competitive. The proactive worker will want to achieve as much as possible, but with the wrong manager, that worker will be easily discouraged as the right opportunities might not come easily. The insecure worker might just want to float around the office, but with a driven manager, he might feel unneeded pressure that could unintentionally sabotage his efforts. So, if we view delegation as an opportunity for success or failure, we could presume that the option depends on the beholder.

Training is confidence-building

As a trainer, observation is probably the most valuable aspect of your career. The ability to see and identify certain behavior components in an individual or within a group could be vital in determining how the rest course should proceed. Nevertheless, there may be an even more important factor that could jeopardize the entire event if not attended to immediately. The role confidence plays in the matter.

Coaches, teachers, trainers, and even parents have an unusual position in society. To a degree, they are an authority in their given fields, and consequently they must often interact and stimulate people who may be completely insecure – authority without controlling factor. A language coach, for example, must break any notions the client has on ability and proficiency, otherwise progress could be slow. A teacher, likewise, must encourage open communication and tolerance when different learning styles clash in the classroom.

Could it be suggested that confidence is a stimulant definable in many shapes and forms? An over-confident student may need a wake-up call illustrating the lack of perceived proficiency, while a timid personality could adversely affect the pace of group activities. As an external stimulant itself, the trainer must cope with both delicately (as in the case of the over-confident) and encouragingly (as in the case of timidity).

Ultimately, where does that leave us? Is confidence-building a vital part of all training endeavors?

Emotional versus Professional Conduct

In the realm of emotional versus professional conduct, how can the terms be best labeled? Should people be emotionally liberal at the office or stay so professionally-focused that they alienate their friends and family? Should we become vessels of explosive honesty by declaring our ‘bad day’ or by prophesying our own destruction? Or should we perform our tasks like programmed androids without reciprocation? And so, is the real question: is conduct simply a question of taking responsibility of one’s actions and the impact of said action?

There are countless professionals around the world who are beyond exceptional in their work performance, maybe even brilliant, and yet upon one false move, these geniuses can be best described as a deciding member of WWIII. Although some of the greatest personages in history had been declared insane and unstable in their days, today they have surpassed the limitations observed and created in their time, often being viewed as martyrs for the greater good. Change is good, but major upheaval works faster.

On the other hand, professional indifference can be proclaimed as being too stoic or even inauthentic. If one chooses to focus on a career with proper prospects above kindness and building relationships, does that make a person a beast of burden? Could that robotic monotony sacrifice creativity and ingenuity within the status quo? The worker bee that does the most still dies an unknown, but the bee scout that finds a new source of food will be remembered, albeit temporarily.

Witnesses have shared tales of a schizophrenic Human Resource manager who in one minute would run her department like a military coup and at another moment (during an important meeting with distinguished delegates) have an unstoppably embarrassing temper tantrum when her opinion is not validated.

What about the external consultant who was hired to create a new application, but often spent time socializing with the project team, even asking the project manager out to lunch on several occasions? This lead to the consultant’s utter humiliation when he asked his project manager whether or not he was liked. The project manager begrudgingly replied, “I don’t have to like you. This is not kindergarten.”

And still, the worker bee drudges along. Working hours on end without any externally visible satisfaction. Naturally, we can attest these examples to personality profiles, organizational behavior theories of motivation, and even interpersonal communications skills. However and ultimately, where lies the median in our corporate world? Who is responsible for the behavior and what should be done about it?

Europeans Learn Business English and May Shift the International Market

The influence of internationalization is something that has become very apparent in the last few weeks. We are all connected as the financial markets clearly show. As English continues to dominate global commerce, adapting yourself to the world market is becoming the norm. Most notable is the shift within Europe.

Many young Europeans are focusing on improving their English so they can leave their native country for more opportunities in other major markets. I recently had a student from Rome, who visited the Netherlands without the knowledge of his employer, to spend a week in a language institute so as to prepare himself for job interviews in London and Amsterdam. One of the first things he realized was that his Italian-English way of doing business would not be globally understood. A shift in mindset was necessary and after his week with me, it had begun.

Business English has become a fundamental requirement in the current corporate landscape. Without a solid understanding of the nuances of the English language, a non-native English speaker automatically loses a major advantage in their commercial endeavors. Whether within negotiations, during presentations, or just for social conversation, many citizens of various European nations are realizing that the global economy is driven by the English-language and they need to understand that language pronto. In the Netherlands, language institutes and communications coaches are increasingly becoming the norm in the development of this market. Germans, Belgians, and many other Western European citizens frequently travel to language schools in the Netherlands to improve their English skills and to network. In doing so, these people develop an essential internationalization competency – breaking barriers.

Until another language (i.e. Chinese) becomes the central language in the race for globalization, nonnative English speakers must continue efforts to understand their British, Australian, and U.S. counterparts. However, the language institute shift is also creating a change in the balance of power that the Anglo-speakers have maintained for many decades. Even though many Europeans are learning the English language and its unique nuances, if a certain country is considered a global force to be reckoned with (i.e. Russia and China), native English speakers must adapt their language to the styles of the local cultures as well.

Native English speakers have often had to make efforts to communicate culturally with their foreign constituents. Yet, this effort has not always been successful. For example, everyone knows that doing business in many Asian countries (especially Japan) requires a high-level of indirectness and respect.

Hierarchy and saving face are imperative business qualities. I worked for an international Japanese company a few years ago and even though they were based in Europe, most of the rules of the Japanese Theory Z still applied. It felt like an Asian territory within Europe. The European employees within that company had many difficulties adapting themselves to the Japanese. On the other hand, the Japanese held their stances and would not bend to Western norms, as they clearly controlled that specific market.

Unfortunately, there is also a level of animosity towards native English speakers. Specifically, the common lack of multilingual skills among English speakers is one of the reasons that communication is often difficult throughout the corporate world. Most British and U.S. citizens do not speak more than one internationally spoken language and to some, it appears that they are not particularly interested in learning another language for the sake of internationalization (at least for now).

Nonetheless, most young adults (from any country) fail to understand the benefits of languages until they start to fully realize the world they live in. And with the popularity of language institutes, everyone has an opportunity to learn English or any other language to capitalize on globalization. Knowing more than one language fluently gives career-minded individuals a superior edge. I had a Dutch student recently who came to me with the hope of being able to tackle both Asian and British Business English cultures. He was a fairly fluent and accurate English speaker, but when we did several rigorous role-plays, the shock on his face from his lack of language awareness was heart-breaking. He survived. Still, I can promise you that when he faces a Brit or a Singaporean. He will be ready.