Jinsoo Terry - Multicultural Education

Multicultural Leadership Impacts the Bottom Line

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0600

Multicultural leadership is becoming the norm to many companies as they hire people of every race, nationality, religious background and age group. This diverse workforce will work side-by-side in the same office, same building, and work environment.

Multicultural leadership experience is important in order to have a successful operation in this 21st century of global businesses. The most successful companies will be those that know how to lead and direct a diverse workforce in a fun, respectful and productive manner.

Good multicultural leadership encourages and cultivates their diverse workforce to bring out the best that they can be. One asset our multicultural workforce has is that they want to succeed. They have a burning desire to be the best that they can be on the job. They want to make a positive contribution.

Multicultural leaders must learn how to adapt to their diverse workforce to bring out their potential that is just waiting to be tapped.

Here are seven ways to help in the transition of multicultural leadership. These tips can help multicultural leaders make the workplace a productive, fun, and engaging place for their diverse workforce.

Workforce Diversity Leadership Training: How to Train Foreign-Born Employees where English is Their 2nd Language

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0600

Workforce diversity is alive and well in our companies today. The demographics of the workforce have changed. Today’s labor pool is different than the past. Available talent comes from an array of people with different ethnic backgrounds and life experiences.

Competitive companies must attract the best from this labor pool.

Communicating with each other can be a challenge when English is the 2nd language of many of the foreign-born employees. Yet, I have found there are many things a multicultural leader can do to improve communication and motivate the diverse workforce.

Workforce diversity leadership training is important for all companies that have a diverse workforce. Here are five tips I learned to make it a better place to work for my diverse workforce:

1. Communicate with care. Ask in nice way if they understand you. Speak slowly so they understand you. Your diverse workforce wants to do a good job so make sure they understand your instructions or comments.

2. Let them develop thick skin. Allow them to express themselves even if their English is not perfect. Encourage it. Let them offer new ideas and suggestions. Take the time to listen to their comments.

9 Steps to Succeed with your Korean Business Negotiations

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0600

Understanding Korean Business Culture:

9 Steps to Succeed with your Korean Business Negotiations

1. Bring lots of business cards. A businessman is not comfortable with you until he knows what company and what position the person he just met is from.

Therefore, the exchange of business cards in Korea is VERY IMPORTANT (especially for Korean Business Negotiation). It is a formal affair and plays an important role in instructions.

2. Bring a brief Bio in English and Korean with you to the business meeting. This will connect you with the right people quickly by providing this information.

3. Pay attention to rank. For more than 2000 years Koreans were conditioned to pay attention to the social status of Koreans. This “programming” makes them very sensitive to the rank of all Koreans.

In companies, managers can be quickly identified by the size and quality of their desks and chairs. A high-ranking individual sets in a larger desk than others. Top ranking executives have private offices just like in America. Chairs without armrests mean ordinary staff members.

When people enter an office they can assume that the desks nearest the entrance are the lowest-ranking employees in the office.

4. Surviving Korean Hospitality. Koreans typically roll out the red carpet for friends and visitors in the form of food and drink. At the office guests and clients are served some kind of refreshment. They might offer you coffee, fruit juice, soft drinks or even beer! It seems that “Pleasure before Business” is the preferred way of doing business in Korea. They even are accustomed to paying the restaurant and bar bills even if they are not the host. Hospitality is an age-old Korean custom.

Business Protocol in a Multicultural World

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0600

It is very difficult for American companies who do not understand the Business Protocol, language and customs of Korea to do business in Korea. Fortunately many Koreans can read and write English efficiently enough to communicate with the English-speaking world.

However, verbal communication can be challenging to them. Also the Korean business style is different that U.S. style.

One time I had an American business partner and I went to Korea to conclude a business negotiation and deal for half-a-million dollars. I didn’t receive a contract from them during the negotiations. I only received a verbal agreement.
I came back with the business deal but without a written contract. My business partner was worried and upset that I didn’t bring a contract with me.

I reassured him that I have the business. But he said, without a contract we don’t have any business. Two days later the contract came by mail and my partner was happy to see it.

This is the way many Koreans do business. There is logic and instinct during the negotiations on both sides and the signed contract comes later.

Understanding Business Protocol is Important

Understand Business Protocol and your negotiations will run smoothly and faster.

There is the story of the American businessman, Mr. Smith. He was having difficulty communicating with Koreans in English. He didn’t understand why Korean people were upset with him. He was trying to sell his product like you would in the United States. He sold everywhere except Korea.

He jumped right into talking about his product and tried to logically explain it, but he had a language barrier. Koreans expect you to understand cultural customs when you work with them just as we do in the United States.

Business Protocol and NEGOTIATING tips to help you communicate with the Korean business people.

Understanding Korean Business Culture Starts with Knowing All About Korean HAN

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:00:00 -0600

Global companies who want to do business with Korean business people will benefit by knowing Korean business culture and the concept of Korean HAN – A powerful, deep feeling of sadness, frustration, anger, and resentment that sometimes threatens to explode. This emotion comes from 5,000 years of restriction that has built a force within Koreans and has passed from generation to generation.

This emotion of Korean HAN comes out as PASSION when there is a topic that Koreans feel strongly about, and shows up frequently in Korean business negotiations. It also fuels Koreans’ driving determination to succeed. They may not show it with their low key body language but they have a burning desire to succeed.

Koreans have made AMBITION a national trait. Their obsessive determination to succeed allowed South Korea to become a social and economic powerhouse with one generation.

When meeting Koreans, show understanding and respect for their “passion” to stand up for important issues and their determine to succeed.

Koreans are proud of their culture and that includes their

Understanding Korean Business Culture: Learn Cross-Cultural Communication Skills

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:00:00 -0600

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to see first hand the problems caused by cultural barriers in communication. A biotech company in the United States had legal issues with a biotech company in Korea. This problem could have been resolved by all parties involved with a better understanding of cultural differences and improving cross-cultural communication skills in their negotiations and meetings with each other.

When negotiations come to a standstill it is time to evaluate and improve the business relationship in order to have successful International business negotiations. In my opinion the number one reason for unsuccessful business negotiations is cultural barriers in communication.

Here are some tips on how to improve your communication skills with Korean business executives.

Good body language is important.

Here are some differences. Koreans eye contact is usually indirect and Americans is direct. Korean posture is generally leaning forward with a slight bow, whereas Americans are straight and upright. Facial expressions of Koreans are very low key with a lack of expression and even deadpan at times, and Americans smile and are more expressive.

Understand that Koreans come from a culture that tries to show understanding and respect for others. They are low key usually so be sure your communication skills match your Korean counterpart.

Understanding Korean Business Culture: Business Protocol, Korean Etiquette and Use of Entertainment

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:00:00 -0600

Conducting successful business meetings and negotiations with Korean business people can be as simple as knowing proper business protocol, etiquette, and entertainment.

Understanding Korean business culture can make your negotiations easier and successful when you learn some of the traditions listed below.

1. Business Etiquette

Exchanging business cards is an important ritual to do, and it is important to notice the status of the person who’s handed you a card.

Gift giving is a common practice within Korean business settings. Allow the host to present his gift first and be sure to accept the gift with both hands.

Koreans believe that contracts are a starting point, rather than the final stage of a business agreement and prefer them to be left flexible enough so that adjustments can be made. Be aware of how your Korean counterparts view these documents in order to avoid any possible misunderstandings.

Always let a third party introduce you to your Korean counterpart, when meeting him or her for the first time.

Today, it is quite common for Koreans to shake hands with foreign colleagues after a bow, encompassing both cultural styles. To show respect during handshaking, you should ensure that you support your right forearm with the left hand. When departing, a bow is usually sufficient.

2. Business Protocol

How to be a Rapper

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0600

I had a session with Agerman, my rap music trainer, in downtown San Francisco. It was a four-hour session. I was practicing for my CD Release Party. Agerman has 20 years experience rapping and he is well known in the San Francisco bay area. Previously he was a member of the rap group, “Three Times Crazy.”

In the beginning I learned the breathing technique and how we would perform on the stage. Positive Rap music is all about bringing possibilities and potential to the listener. Also I learned when you perform that you start at the left side of the stage, then the middle, then move to the right and stay connected with your fans at all times. Your body gestures are very important along with eye contact to keep your fans motivated. I was trying to copy him but I was not born a Rapper—he was!

Visiting Star Studded Hollywood

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0600

I visited Hollywood three times in a three-week period. My main reason was to find a Booking Agent who can help me with my speaking engagements in the United States. As you guessed there are many, many beautiful people in Hollywood. I stayed at the elegant Standard Hotel on Sunset Boulevard where all the celebrities hang out.

The hotel was a very cool and hip place. Many beautiful people from all over the world came there looking for entertainment opportunities. It was like a world trade show: people from all over the world were there.

There were people in beautiful clothes and I could see all the unique colorful beauty of everyone. Clothes were very different from San Francisco. Lots of body and skin showed as much as possible.

I was in the spectacular lobby where there was a huge cage with women employees inside of it using their computers. I’m sure they hired models to do this because they all were gorgeous. A lot of the bellmen had tattoos on their arms. It was unique and a different hotel experience.

Times are Changing in the Asian World

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0600

In early June I had a hectic traveling schedule. First I started out June 1 flying to Busan, Korea with a busy speaking schedule. Then June 5,6,7 I was off to Hollywood, California and then back to Japan on June 8 for my June 9 interview. Then I returned to Korea on June 11 to speak on the Jeju Island near Japan.

I had a busy speaking schedule in Korea on June 1 in Busan. It was definitely a hectic time for me, yet it was very interesting for me to get the opportunity to meet with the media in these different countries in this short period of two weeks and experience the different cultures and economy.

My June 9 visit in Japan was with BCN Inc., for an interview with their weekly newspaper and magazine. It was very exciting to get invited and be a part of this great opportunity. I arrived a day earlier on June 8 in Shinjuku Japan. I was very excited to visit Japan and looked forward to my media interview. I haven’t been in Japan for 25 years so I wanted to visit some of the interesting places and shop. Yet, something terrible happened on my first day in Japan—a young man went on a murder spree in the shopping district of Akihabara stabbing and killing seven people and injuring ten.

Japan had changed. I believe that Japan is safe and a very stable country yet it is difficult to believe this violent incident happened three times in two years.

A Surprise Birthday Party Brings It All Together in the Workplace

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 09:00:00 -0600

In keeping with the importance of how sharing food can remove multicultural barriers from the workplace, I would like to share another excerpt from my new book, JINSOO, Succeeding in America the Jinsoo Way.

When I ate the food of people from different cultures, I began to understand a part of their culture and felt that by sharing something so basic with them, I was a part of them. Food opened the door, but then we accepted each other and began to build a friendship.

About four years after I joined Cut Loose, my employees put on a surprise birthday party for me. I was surprised and felt so touched that they would do this! They took me to a buffet restaurant, where I had the opportunity to talk with them and learn about their families and the things they liked to do in their free time. It was great that we were all having fun and learning from each other. Here I was having fun with my employees in this unique way—through food and parties. It was just four years ago that I got fired because I wasn’t fun. Goodness, how my attitude had changed.

Breaking Down Multicultural Barriers with Food

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:00:00 -0600

In some of my past threads here on Keyboard Culture, I shared with you how food can help break down a cultural barrier.

It is amazing to me how sharing food breaks down the cultural barrier walls. People start talking and laughing as they try the food. Especially if it is a new experience and they have never tried that particular food before. For one of the best cultural experiences of your life, bring your special and favorite food to work. It is always appreciated.

Today I would like to share an excerpt from my new book, “JINSOO; Succeeding in America the Jinsoo Way” Here are some more food stories from my book.

Mario’s Salsa Breaks Down Cultural Barriers

Following my experiences in sharing food with the Vietnamese and Chinese, I also shared food with people from El Salvador and Mexico. I learned the differences between the foods from El Salvador and those from Mexico. Mexicans like hot, spicy food like Koreans. Yum…Burritos and tacos are good!

In El Salvador, they have a lot of seafood and chicken dishes, and they do not eat many spicy foods.

Mario was the most popular Mexican-American to my Asian-American employees. At first I thought it was because of his great personality. I learned later by accident it was because he made a great salsa like nobody else.

Sharing Korean Food

Kimchee is a food that is highly significant in Korean culture. There are more than 200 types of kimchee. Sometimes it is made from cabbage, cucumbers, turnips, and various vegetables. Anchovies, chili paste, garlic, and salt are included.

When I first traveled from Korea to the U.S., my mother gave me a jar full of kimchee to take with me along with the family recipe. She said, “Don’t lose your family’s spiritual roots.”

Be Open to all Cultures

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:18:34 -0600

An easy lesson in learning how to be open to all cultures can be as simple as “peeling an apple.” This is a story that I have shared many times with my audiences, and I tell it in my new book, “JINSOO: Succeeding in America the Jinsoo Way.” Here’s the story:

Jinsoo’s Apple Story

When I was growing up in Korea, I was sure that there was only one way to peel an apple: That way involved starting at one end with a paring knife and peeling around and around the apple to make a spiral cutting. Ta-da! The peel is in one piece—nice and clean. For 40 years I believed this was absolutely the only way to peel the apple.

Then one day at work I was in the kitchen and saw my assistant, Amy, from Canton, China, peeling an apple. She peeled as if the apple were a carrot or potato, from the center to the edge, in many little strips of skin—not at all in a spiral manner.

Alarmed that she would hurt herself from using the knife in that way, I said, “Amy, what are you doing? Please stop before you cut yourself!”

I was the boss, so Amy stopped peeling the apple and waited for me to continue speaking.

I held out my hand for the apple and said, “Let me show you the right way to peel an apple so you don’t hurt yourself.” I then patiently began demonstrating my way of peeling the apple. After I had peeled a little, I handed the apple back to Amy so she could try.

Amy politely attempted to imitate my example, but after a moment, she cut her finger! She looked up at me and said, “Jinsoo, my way of peeling an apple is safer and better. Let me show you how to do it.”

Rank Can Be a Cultural Block for Your Company

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:00:00 -0600

In America a lot of small companies have started and they are flat when it comes to rank. However, rank is important even in America. When you deal with a cross-cultural environment it will be necessary for you to explain that employees can talk to any manager in any rank.

Over the 20 years doing business I saw many times people were obligated to stick with their direct report managers even though many mistakes were made. Managers were taking advantage of their position and making it difficult for the company to succeed.

Many cultures never report problems or mistakes to their manager as they stay in their ranks out of respect, or company policy does not permit that. Some times an employee may go to senior executives with a problem and they tell them to talk to their manager first.

Here are 5 tips to avoid cultural block in your company.

The Pitfalls of Criticism

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 09:00:00 -0600

How do you handle criticism?

Criticism can be good and helpful for people to improve. However, in my opinion, criticism does not help a company move forward.

Any criticism can involve resistance. Many managers think that if they praise too much the employee may not continue to do a good job—they will get lazy on the job.

A few years ago I had a European manager named William (not his real name) who worked very hard and was sincere. However he spent so much time on details his work was never finished on time. One time we had a deadline on a project for a customer. Five other employees finished on time, William did not. He spent more hours than anyone else on this project.

I was upset with him and criticized him in front of other people for not finishing his job. He was upset and didn’t show up for a few days at work. He didn’t call or let me know what happened. He showed up a few days later and had a private talk with me. I found out he felt insulted for getting criticized in public.

As a result not only did we lose business, we almost lost him and he played a big role for my company at that time. Since then I use the formula, “Praise in public and criticize in private.”

Don’t compare one employee against another such as saying, “John finished. Why didn’t you?” Instead ask him, “Are you overloaded? Will you meet the deadline? Do you need help?” Or, “It looks like you are working quite hard on this project. Will you finish it by the deadline?”

I used to think that criticism would motivate my employees to do better. WRONG! It is not motivating anyone. In fact it decreases the productivity of the department.

Here are five tips to avoid criticism.