Thursday, November 28, 2019

Communicate the Canadian Way Before Starting Your Job in Canada

Communicate the Canadian Way Before Starting Your Job in CanadaCommunicate the Canadian Way Before Starting Your Job in CanadaIts a common belief of both Americans and Canadians that virtually no difference exists between the two cultures. In fact, the countries are very similar on all dimensions outlined by the Geert Hofstede model(below).Looking at personal and workplace interactions with a mora critical eye, however, illuminates a number of differences in whats considered acceptable behavior in Canada and the U.S. If you are an American who is seeking an opportunity to work abroad, Canada is a potentially safe choice. As a close neighbor, the weather and time differences as well as the ability to visit friends and family would not require much more adjustment than a move across the country would. But differences in communication styles between Canadians and Americans can lead to cringe-worthy moments.Travis Wingate, an American who has been working as a absatzwirtschaft manager in Canada for the past seven years, said, While Canada may sometimes be referred to as The 51st State, it is a different country.It has its own identity and personality, so (if you move here plan to) explore the culture of Canada.According to the Lewis Model of cultural types, Canadian culture is similar to that of the U.S. in that we both tend to be data-driven planners, drawing from the Linear-Active part of the model, defined asthose who plan, schedule, organize, pursue action chains, do one thing at a time. But Canadians balance this by walking the line between the Linear-Active dimension and the Reactive dimension which includes those cultures that prioritize courtesy and respect, listening quietly and calmly to their interlocutors and reacting carefully to the other sides proposals.Before you leave to search for Canada jobs, you should become familiar with the following communication differences between the two cultures.Sound Bites vs. NicetiesThe concept of communicating in sou nd bitesis a familiar one to anyone who works in public relations. It has also become a pervasive influence in American speech patterns. Tanvi Bhatt, an American who moved to work as a technical project manager in Canada in 2001, said, Americans try to summarize everything in shorter sentences, and they use acronyms in emails. Canadians communicate more formally, and they put a lot of details in emails.As an example, fruchtwein Americans wouldnt hesitate to send a one-word email reply stating Thanks to a co-worker to acknowledge a completed task. Many Canadians would find a one-word response to be rude and would instead opt to send an email such as, Thank you for finishing this. I appreciate it.There are other minor differences in spelling and word choice that affect communication in Canada. Wingate said, Mind your spelling Favor is Favour. Center is Centre. While it may be confusing at first, you will get the hang of it. Spelling is a pet peeve for a lot of people, so go ahead and set your spell-check setting to North America Canada. It will save you some embarrassment.Word choice makes a difference too. Wingate said, If you have a four-year degree, you didnt go to college, you went to University.Yes, they distinguish the two in Canada, so be aya not to sell yourself short.Goal Orientation vs. Relationship OrientationIn the view of many other cultures, Americans can be very aggressive. Bhatt said, We push to get our point across. Were driven. Canadians are cautious. Sometimes in work environments Americans can come across as very abrasive in Canada. When I moved to Canada I was young and I came from dot-com community. I had to rethink how I presented ideas at work. In Canada there is more hierarchy than the U.S., but mostly theres just a respect everyone atmosphere.In addition Canadians tend to be more social with coworkers than many Americans. Bhatt said that she still goes out with co-workers or former co-workers at least twice a week after work.High-Level vs. Detailed PresentationsPresentation style is a lot more formal in Canada. According to Bhatt, Youre expected to have well-thought-out detailed recommendations. In general when Americans would present a high-level plan and put the details in a document, Canadians would expect you to have the details memorized and able to speak to them.Despite the learning curve involved in assimilating to the Canadian communication style, Bhatt said, (Canadians are) very nice people. Theres a very competitive work environment, but they have respect for each other and for the diversity of the people there. Canadians also understand that newcomers need time to ramp up to a new workplace culture.Wingate adds one final caveat, We have two national languages in Canada. You may want to brush up on your Frenchespecially if you are planning on moving to Quebec.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

The difference between a contrarian and an independent thinker

The difference between a contrarian and an independent thinkerThe difference between a contrarian and an independent thinkerWhats the difference between being a contrarian and an independent thinker?People often celebrate contrarian thinkers. After all, theyre the ones who swam against the current, resisted the pressure of the group, and were revered as visionaries because of it.But its important to consider, anyone who aims to consistently be a contrarian thinker is going to be wrong most of the time.Even Jeff Bezos says, You have to remember that contrarians are usually wrong.Theres often a good reason the vast majority of people take one side when it comes to solving a problem or making a decision. It isnt necessary, or even very helpful, to always take the opposing view.And yet, if you think the same way as everyone else, its very difficult to outperform them.So rather than always being swayed by the consensus view - or consistently being a contrarian- you should strive to be an independent thinker. Although they sometimes look the same, an independent thinker isnt a contrarian thinker. Independent minds dont take an opposing stance out of habit or a desire to be different.They simply look at different perspectives, and sometimes find a unique angle. Thats thinking for themselves. Something very different.Heres what that looks likeThe difference between contrarian and independent thinking is perspectiveSomeone who thinks independently may come off as a contrarian when you first meet them. And a contrarian thinker may initially binnenseem to be quite independent. But if you work with one or the other for long enough, the differences begin to emerge.Thats because theres elend necessarily any value in being a purely contrarian thinker. People tend to choose this style of thinking in order to be different. They want to stand out, not to figure things out. And that can be a problem when they bring that attitude into a workplace or a productive environment. Whil e it might be fun or interesting to take the opposite point of view all the time, doing so may not actually bring any unique conclusions to the table.Its better to develop an independent thought processIf you think independently, then yes, on occasion youre going to look as though youre opposing for the sake of opposing. But thats only because youve come to a different conclusion based on a unique perspective. Its very likely youll often conclude the consensus view is correct.Independent thinking isnt about taking the opposite stance or going with the crowd. Instead, its about looking at a problem in a fundamentally different way and drawing your own conclusion- whether its the same as everyone elses or completely different is irrelevant.You can develop independent thinking skillsThere is reputational risk in independent thinking. When you first look at the successes of some independent thinkers, it may seem great to stand out. Theyre lauded as trailblazers and geniuses.But making t he decision to take an opposing stance can be dangerous to your social standing within a group. Consciously or unconsciously, people will often make judgments about you based on how you interact with a group.In Daniel Coyles book The Culture Code, he devotes part of the introduction to a story about making houses with strands of spaghetti. Interestingly, when children are pitted against adults, the children almost always win. According to Coyle, its not because theyre smarter, or have more aptitude for building the structure. Instead, the adults spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out their roles and navigate their social identities.Do I look good here? Should I be in a more managerial role? Am I clashing with Sarah?The kids dont bother with any of that. They jump right in and start building because they find it easy to ignore social pressures. The children always beat the adults in this spaghetti contest.When forming your own views, you have to get over the fear of how other people will think about you. That doesnt mean not caring what others think. It just means not being afraid to be seen in a negative light if youre convinced the consensus view is wrong.Becoming aware of the influences around you is a key part of being an independent thinkerYour goal should be to develop a partial attachment to the situation around you. Some part of you should always be watching, noticing, thinking. This is a part of you thats not completely living in the situation. Rather, youre absorbing it and separating yourself from whats happening- to the degree that is possible.Use that detachment to identify how youre being influenced. Are you really reacting to the facts, or are you letting the emotions of the group affect your decision?A good way to objectively grade your decision-making process is by starting a decision journal. Every time you make a decision, write down what you decided and why. Three months later, open the journal to that page and revisit what you wrote. Not only will you see whether you were right or wrong, but youll also get to see whether you made a sound decision based on facts, or if you just got lucky. This is usually an eye-opener and a great starting point to understand your own thinking.Independent thinking is about more than just taking the opposing view. Its about constantly evaluating the situation and your decision-making process to get the best results possible. Its a difficult skill to cultivate, but the rewards of doing so can be tremendous for forming unique ideas and your own point of view.This article was originally published on Quora.com.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Career Development Creates Engaged Employees #8212; but Only if They Know about It

Career Development Creates Engaged Employees 8212 but Only if They Know about It Career Development Creates Engaged Employees 8212 but Only if They Know about It As the eBook Increase Employee Engagement and Retention points out, 49 percent of employees prefer to work for organizations that emphasize mentoring and nurture their career development. Offering development opportunities can lead to more productive, engaged, and loyal employees.And yet, heres the problem while most employers believe they are offering development opportunities (e.g., 63 percent say they offer internal training programs see the eBook for more specific stats), 50 percent of employees report that their employers do notlage offer sufficient career development training. Part of the reason for the dissonance between employer and employee feelings on this subject stems from employer anxieties, Vitale says. I think some employers might be nervous that an employee will go learn a new skill or technology and then jump ship and go somewhere else, because thats something else to add to their resume, she explains.But, she goes on, these anxieties are often unfounded In reality, a lot of time employees are far more loyal than employees give them credit for. Once they learn something on behalf of the company, on the company dime, they really do want to use that within their walls, assuming that they have a good relationship otherwise and are engaged. (Bonus point career development opportunities that teach employees these new skills and technologies are exactly the kind of things that keep employees engaged, so theres really no reason not to offer development opportunities.)However, employer anxieties are not the major source of dissonance, Vitale says. Rather, the employer/employee divide on sufficient career development training largely stems from miscommunication. That is, a lot of companies do offer development opportunities but employees may not know exactly what they are or how to access them. I think that communication is probably at the core of this issue, Vitale says. Its either communication about whats available, or what people really want, or about really making sure that people realize what kind of development opportunities are at the core of what the company is expecting.Bridging the Communication eu-agrarpolitikOne thing employers have to do is make sure theyre on the same page as employees regarding the types of career development available at the company. In some cases, employers might feel like theyre giving those opportunities in softer ways. Maybe its not formalized training, Vitale says. But maybe the employees are looking for development opportunities to get them on a management path, for example, and employers just arent doing that. Instead, theyre giving functional training.It is crucial that employers make clear what they mean when they say development opportunities e.g., formal conferences or informal training leadership pathways or functional s kills. That being said, employers need to be careful that they are not simply dictating what counts as career development in their offices thats a good way to lose employeeswho can find the kinds of opportunities they want elsewhere.While making current offerings explicit, employers also need to listen to what their employees want. I think that employers are offering development opportunities, but sometimes theyre just not keeping up with what employees view as development opportunities, Vitale says. They need to kind of peel back the layers a little bit and make sure that everybody understands what is described as development opportunities.The burden of creating and delivering development opportunities does not need to be entirely on employers shoulders. Oftentimes, organizations have line items for training opportunities, Vitale says. But maybe the managers or the directors of the departments arent proactively sharing that with the employees.If an employer does have development opportunities in the budget, they need to make sure employees are aware of this. This way, employees can find conferences, classes, and other desired opportunities outside the walls of the office. Certainly a manager should be on the hund for those opportunities for employees, but I dont think a lot of employees realize that, they can serve something like that up to a manager and say This looks like a really good opportunity. Id love to go, because I think it will be useful for me, and Ill come back with X, Y, Z, Vitale says.Employers may allow these sorts of things, but their employees might not know that. So organizations need to be clear with employees about policies regarding external career development opportunities. If an employer does not currently a lot money for such training, it would be wise to start doing so that is, as long as the employer wants to retain great, engaged employees.The Power of Mentors in ParticularWhile all manner of career development opportunities exi st, there is one that employees find especially desirable mentorship. Despite this, very few employees can lay claim to having a mentor. Weve seen that about half of employees think that mentors will help them develop, but only about 17 percent report having a mentor today, Vitale explains.Vitale says that mentors are so important to many employees because they can offer valuable, frank insights based on personal and professional experiences. Mentors can offer candid feedback about not just the employee, but the employees career plans, whats happening at the company, etc, she says. I think its somewhat desired because, often times, you might go home after a rough day and complain to your significant other, or a roommate, or parent, or whomever, but they cant really dial in on how to address the problem in the same way that somebody whose been there, done that can. Being able to have not just someone to vent to, but someone who can give really critical feedback things that really ar e constructive for and individuals growth is really important.Many a top executive and business expert would concur with Vitales beliefs about the power and importance of the mentor. As Warren Bennis, founding chairman of the Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California, told Fast Company in 2003 My mentorpulled qualities from me that I didnt know were present. He not only recognized my potential, but he also gave me confidence. And he made it clear to people that I was a guy to watch. (The whole article is worth a read, with leaders from a variety of fields weighing in on their experiences with mentors.)Some companies help employees find mentors by pairing newcomers with seasoned vetsthrough a formal program. However, companies lacking such a program can still help by encouraging managers to act in mentor-esque ways. This is especially helpful for new hires. An employee can have a better new-hire experience, from an onboarding perspective, if their manager is not just the process king, but instead is somebody who helps you develop, who understands what your challenges are, and really is seen as a bit more of a mentor, Vitale explains.While managers can certainly help employees grow and develop, Vitale points out that they cant exactly fulfill all of the functions of mentors. Sometimes, a competitive office setup, where promotions are limited,can prevent managers and employees from having mentor/mentee relationships. Even lacking such a competitive structure, mentors and managers still play very different roles. You want to have a separate relationship with your mentor than you have with your manager, Vitale says. The mentor should be able to tell it like it is, how it is, maybe even tell you when they think your manager is doing something wrong or maybe could do something better, and your manager could certainly have clouded judgment around that.A mentor needs to be able to be a little more transparent than a manager is allowed to be by most companies standards. To get a truly authentic mentoring experience, I personally think that a non-manager might be the right person for that, Vitale says.This, however, does not mean that employers should not encourage mentor-esque relationships between employees and managers. The manager-as-mentor may not be able to do everything a mentor can, but they can still be valuable assets to employees. A lot of folks assume that you can only have one mentor, and theres absolutely nothing wrong with having more than one, Vitale says. Sometimes you have an internal mentor who helps you figure out and navigate the bureaucracies or the politics of an organization and helps ensure that you get properly onboarded, understand the culture, and understand the nuances within a particular organization.Other times, an employee may need to look to an external mentor The reality is, employees dont stay within one company forever, Vitale says. More often than not, they jump around every couple of years , so to have one sort of constant external mentor outside of your personal manager for ongoing development, somebody who can give you a bit of outside perspective, I think is tremendously helpful.Again, as important as mentors are, some companies do not have formal mentorship programs. For employees looking to find non-manager mentors, Vitale suggests initiating a relationship with a potential mentor. The challenge, I think, is that employees expect mentors to go up to them and suggest being their mentor, Vitale says. In reality, a lot of that falls on the individual, to go out, find a mentor more importantly, make sure that theyre not wasting the mentors time. Asking a mentor to lunch, an then just saying What kind of advice do you have for me? is really not productive. Instead, asking very specific questions about somebodys previous experience, or about the challenges the individual faces, can go a long way.