Hello, here is your January issue of Take
Charge Success Strategies

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Volume 7, Number 1 January 2007
Publisher: GoalMinds, Inc.
http://www.goalminds.com
Copyright 2007 Jo Condrill All rights reserved.

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Welcome to our many new subscribers. Thank you for joining
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Celebrate with us GoalMinds' 10th Anniversary!!!

10% off all products and services during the month
of February 2007. Http://www.goalminds.com
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'Whatever your life's work is, do it well. Even if it does
not fall in the category of one of the so-called big
professions, do it well. If it falls your lot to be a street
sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures,
like Shakespeare wrote poetry, like Beethoven composed
music.' -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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IN THIS ISSUE

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1. Managing Cross-Cultural Differences, by John Lau, DTM

2. What's Wrong with This Generation? LL Donnelley eTips

3. Daily Positives, Edward P. Fiszer, Ed.D.

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'In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.'

--Thurgood Marshall Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1967-1993

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1. Managing Cross-Cultural Differences, by John Lau, DTM

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What is Culture?

Culture in general is concerned with beliefs and values on
the basis of which people interpret experiences and behave,
individually and in groups. Broadly and simply put,
'culture' refers to a group or community with which you
share common experiences that shape the way you understand
the world. The same person, thus, can belong to several
different cultures depending on his or her birthplace;
nationality; ethnicity; family status; gender; age;
language; education; physical condition; sexual orientation;
religion; profession; place of work and its corporate
culture. Culture is the 'lens' through which you view the
world. It is central to what you see, how you make sense of
what you see, and how you express yourself.

Four Cultural Dimensions

Cultures - both national and organizational - differ along
many dimensions. Four of the most important are:

- - Directness (get to the point versus imply the messages)

- - Hierarchy (follow orders versus engage in debate)

- - Consensus (dissent is accepted versus unanimity is
needed)

- - Individualism (individual winners versus team
effectiveness)7

Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges

Culture is often at the root of communication challenges.
Exploring historical experiences and the ways in which
various cultural groups have related to each other is key to
opening channels for cross-cultural communication. Becoming
more aware of cultural differences, as well as exploring
cultural similarities, can help you communicate with others
more effectively. Next time you find yourself in a confusing
situation, ask yourself how culture may be shaping your own
reactions, and try to see the world from the other's point
of view.

Culture Shock

Failure to identify cultural issues and take action can lead
to a culture shock. In order of priority, the most often
found symptoms of culture shock are:

1. Feeling isolated

2. Anxiety and worry

3. Reduction in job performance

4. High nervous energy

5. Helplessness

Not coping with culture shock symptoms when they appear can
lead to a very negative situation. Respecting Differences
and Working Together Anthropologists discovered that, when
faced by interaction that we do not understand, people tend
to interpret the others involved as 'abnormal', 'weird' or
'wrong.' Awareness of cultural differences and recognizing
where cultural differences are at work is the first step
toward understanding each other and establishing a positive
working environment. Use these differences to challenge your
own assumptions about the 'right' way of doing things and as
a chance to learn new ways to solve problems.

Building Trust Across Cultural Boundaries

Research indicates that there is a strong correlation
between components of trust (such as communication
effectiveness, conflict management, and rapport) and
productivity. Cultural differences play a key role in the
creation of trust, since trust is built in different ways,
and means different things in different cultures.

For instance, in the U.S., trust is 'demonstrated
performance over time,' Here you can gain the trust of your
colleagues by 'coming through' and delivering on time on
your commitments. In many other parts of the world,
including many Arab, Asian and Latin American countries,
building relationships is a prerequisite for professional
interactions. Building trust in these countries often
involves lengthy discussions on nonprofessional topics and
shared meals in restaurants. Work-related discussions start
only once your counterpart has become comfortable with you
as a person.

Cultural differences in multicultural teams can create
misunderstandings between team members before they have had
a chance to establish any credibility with each other. Thus,
building trust is a critical step in creation and
development of such teams. As a manager of a multicultural
team, you need to recognize that building trust between
different people is a complex process, since each culture
has its own way of building trust and its own interpretation
of what trust is.

John Lau, Dtm, is a businessman in Kuching, Malaysia, and a
member of the Toastmasters International Board of Directors

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'One can resist an invasion of armies but not an idea whose
time has come.' -- Victor Hugo

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Mastermind groups seem to be one of those ideas whose time
has come! Practiced long before Napoleon Hill spelled it out
for us in his classic, 'Think and Grow Rich,' it seems like
'everybody's doing it' today. GoalMinds recently released
it's MasterMind Manual at http://www.mastermindmanual.com
and now comes a whopping new package of products assembled
by Boon Kiat and Joel Chue in Singapore. Joel's interview
with me is part of the package. It's being offered at
discount for a short while. Http://tinyurl.com/2ykg63

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2. What's WRONG with This Generation? LL Donnelley eTips

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What's WRONG with this generation?

These words have been expressed from one generation to the
next since man could speak. The reality is that nothing is
wrong with any one generation. Each is just different from
the previous generation.

Today four generations are represented in the workplace:
Traditionalist, Boomer, Generation X, and Millennial.
Sometimes their generational differences create new
ideas...other times misunderstandings and conflict.

Traditionalists, numbering 75 million, are over age 60 at
this point. They likely make up senior leadership and the
Board of Directors. Born before 1945, their life experiences
taught them respect, the need to save, rugged independence,
that women should be at home (except if war broke out),
patriotism as the responsibility of each American, and that
loyalty was critical to the success of their companies and
their country. As their Baby Boomer children matured,
Traditionalists questioned where they had 'gone wrong.'

The Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. There were 85
million of them, and they had a very different view of the
world. Simply put, they viewed that it needed to change!
People who influenced this generation were Martin Luther
King, John Kennedy, and the Beatles. Vietnam, the Moon
landing, Rock and Roll, drugs, war protests, the Civil
Rights movement, and the changing role of women all set a
tone of standing up, being counted, and challenging the
status quo. This generation committed itself to 'the cause'
and their work. They looked for consensus-based leadership
versus the command and control style of the previous
generation. As their Generation X children matured, they too
wondered what had happened.

Today's 46 million Generation X children grew up in a time
when most American institutions began to be challenged
openly in the mass media - the government, the schools, the
church. From 1965 to 1980, two-job families and a sky-
rocketing divorce rate resulted in latch-key children, a
fiercely independent group of people who regularly question
who should be trusted. By their sheer numbers, they
influenced many aspects of our work environment in their
expectation of flexible work arrangements, casual dress, and
the ability to work from home. They watched their Boomer
parents lose long-standing jobs and decided that employment
security was within themselves and not something provided by
an employer. They have a tendency to move on quickly when
they have learned what there is to know in a job. And they
are absolutely unimpressed with status and title...they
follow competent people regardless of who the formal leader
might be.

The Millennial generation, born from 1981 to 1999, is only
beginning to show up in our work environments today. The 75
million of them are sometimes referred to as the Echo
generation, as they possess many of the characteristics of
Traditionalists. They are technologically the most savvy of
all the generations since they view the information
superhighway as a way of life. Their communication style is
short, blunt and to the point since text messaging forces a
concise style. Raised during a time when unpredictable
violence could occur at school, in the mall or in a major
city, it is no surprise that safety is a huge concern. Their
electronic life has created a sense of intimacy that used to
be reserved for face-to-face interactions. This group is
team focused, ambitious, respectful, and the most 'color-
blind' of all the generations. They want to follow leaders
who are achieving meaningful outcomes. They want
involvement, respect for their contributions, a boss who
shows an interest in their career, and a connection with
others in their work environment.

Obviously, there are exceptions as with any trending of
masses of people, but the general message holds true. The
challenge for each of us is to understand these generational
differences. Whether you are publishing a product, managing
a team, or selling services, understanding the filters of
your audience will allow you a better chance of success.
Without this awareness we speak solely through our own
filters, which may send the exact opposite message to what
we intend.

R R Donnelley eTips January 23, 2007 www.rrdonnelley.com

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3. Daily Positives: Inspiring Greatness in the Next
Generation, by Edward P. Fiszer, Ed.D.

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The space between thought and action is filled with choice.
Regardless of whether the person makes the choice in a
matter of seconds or over a long period of time, this space
has the potential to make a great impact on the world. This
impact may be positive or negative, depending on the
person's inspiration.

Inspiration to do the right thing, if consistent, can prime
young minds for making positive choices. They can learn the
importance of aligning actions with goals, and know that
doing good things can make positive changes every day.

While written with a younger age group in mind, the excerpts
and examples may also be applied in a work situation. For
example:

When you are part of a team, you have important work to do.
Don't say you're part of a team if you will not help. Each
participant has a variety of skills and should use those
skills to accomplish the team's goals. Individual credit
doesn't happen because the efforts of the entire team are
judged. If the best possible effort is given by all members
of the team, then all team members can feel the same great
feeling of accomplishment. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote,
'The reward of a thing well done is having done it.' Your
reward for great participation with your group is the
completion of the project to the best of the group's
ability. If you choose not to participate, you are letting
down your friends as well as yourself. If everyone on the
team gives their best effort, your group will earn the
success they deserve.

Ask for the book at your local bookstore or library Daily Positives, ISBN 978-0-9740970-1-5

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Edward P. Fiszer, Ed.D., is the founding principal
of NEW Academy Canoga Park, an elementary charter school which emphasizes art and science.
He also teaches graduate level courses in education at National University and California State University, Northridge. Http://www.fiszerconcepts.com

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