New Kid on the Block

If I had known when I immigrated to Atlanta in 2010 what I know now, I would have handled my transition into a new environment very differently. With hindsight I can say that it was infinitely easier to understand how to integrate in my new home by joining business groups and charities than by firing off emails to announce my arrival in Atlanta.

Employers usually provide guidance to newcomers from abroad to help them find their way in the host country. In my case I did not move for my career but to be near my family. By sharing my experience, I hope others will find tips to help them establish the connections they need in their new host city.

Two hurdles became apparent after my move. First, how could I become a licensed attorney in Georgia? I was admitted to California, but jobs there were scarce and the obvious option was to remain in Georgia. Second, how could I establish myself and make connections in the business and professional communities?

The breakthrough for me came when I joined the Netherlands-American Chamber of Commerce for the Southeastern US and the British American Business Group. Having lived in both England and the Netherlands, these groups were obvious choices. Through their networks I met other professionals in a broad range of industries as well as fellow lawyers who shared an international outlook. I was able to gain advice on my attorney license application in Georgia while simultaneously building a network of relevant contacts in Atlanta.

To some reading this, joining a business group may seem an obvious step. I believe this depends on the industry. Most of my peers in London were members of law-related organizations rather than broader business groups. The clear advantage of groups that are not industry specific is that fellow members are less likely to be your direct competitors and thus more likely to help you promote yourself and share their contacts with you. This has certainly been my experience with the groups I joined.

Another highly effective means of getting to know the community is through volunteering for charities. It is important to choose a charity that you genuinely want to help because credibility is a necessary part of establishing oneself in a new environment. The charities I joined introduced me to motivated and like-minded individuals, including lawyers who graciously helped me with the attorney licensing process.

A year and a half after moving, I have a good network of contacts and I am on my way to becoming a licensed attorney in Georgia. So, despite the rise of electronic media, newcomers trying to establish themselves might have more success by attending business events rather than waiting for a breakthrough from behind a computer screen.

Manori’s Background

Manori founded the consulting firm, TransatLink, which fosters cross-border commerce by connecting businesses with local professionals. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in the Netherlands but returned to London to attend law school. She worked as a solicitor (attorney) for Withers LLP in their London office where she specialized in employment law and litigation.

On a recent plane trip from Detroit, I had the opportunity to speak with a Chinese foreign exchange student headed for graduate studies in Virginia.  Although this was his first trip to the US, he was fluent in English and eager to answer questions about China.  I immediately established an easy rapport.  I asked Young (his American name) to stay in touch and send me his impressions of how America compares with his home in Hong Kong, and this is the response he sent me:

“The culture here are more open and straightforward.  I like it and I would like to stay longer here!   The weather here is also nice and the working pace is not as fast as Hong Kong. I think Hong Kong is a still a developing place so people are working hard to get a better life while at US people cares more about things other than career and money itself, like friendship, leisure, family etc. I think it’s natural and never mean to judge anything by its cover, I thought it’s always interesting and fruitful to think of different culture and compares them. I think the US trip gives me a different perspective on that and happy to accept some of the cultures here, which I believe are more sustainable. “

Young’s insightful impressions mirror those I came across in a recent article by New York Times’ columnist Thomas Friedman.  Friedman sought to explain why America has slipped down in the “Best Countries in the World” ranking.   You may be surprised to learn that we are not first and even more shocking, America is ranked at number eleven.  Friedman suggests that America’s dominance has waned largely because students have lost their motivation and because we as a nation have suffered a values breakdown.  “Wall Street may have been dealing the dope, but our lawmakers encourage it.  And far too many of us were happy to buy the dot-com and subprime crack for quick prosperity highs.”  Thomas Friedman, “We’re No. 1(1)!!” New York Times, September 11, 2010.

Have we, as Friedman suggests, become a lazy nation that is only interested in get-rich-quick schemes and in getting something-for-nothing?  Are our children able to tell us who the “American Idol” winners are but completely unable to name the founding fathers?  Are we too quick to assign blame and too slow to take responsibility for ourselves and our flagging economy?  Or, have we instead become, as Young suggests, a nation of people who value  friendship, leisure time and family more than the bottom line?

I believe there is truth in what each of our observers see.  America is a country who seems to have lost its way when it comes to doing business.  But we are also still a country with an open, straightforward culture, a country that values important ideals like friendship and, perhaps most importantly, a country that many foreigners still want to come to, for school and for business.

Soccer fever has finally hit Atlanta big time during the 2010 FIFA World Cup  South Africa. I felt the spirit and intensity three times over the past two and a half weeks while watching the Netherlands defeat the Danes, the Japanese and Slovakians at Fado, an Atlanta Irish pub. Each of these events drew a good crowd ranging from 50 to 80 people primarily of Dutch descent. During the 90 plus minutes of the game, there was limited conversation as observers were glued to watching the matches on multiple flat screen televisions positioned strategically throughout the bar. What a monumental coup to have live coverage by ESPN since this was a first in the U.S.

The room was filled primarily with a sea of orange t-shirts, fabric orange hats and dyed wigs. There was even an occasional face painted with traditional colors of The Netherlands, Denmark and Japan.

As an American not dressed in one of the country colors, I was in the minority. Luck had it that I sat at the bar sipping coffee next to a couple from Florida who chose to view this years event in Atlanta. They and their family had traveled in 2006 to Germany but had decided to forgo the trip to South Africa this year due to the cost. We compared notes about our individual experiences in observing The World Cup and discussing its impact on global business.

My affinity for football began quite un-expectedly in 1994 while living in Winnipeg, Canada. My husband & I were dining at an Italian restaurant as the 1994 World Cup was winding down.  All of a sudden throngs of people began pouring into the streets of this Italian neighborhood wearing green and yellow colored t-shirts carrying Italian flags. I immediately asked our waiter what was happening. This was the moment when I learned that Italy was in the semi-finals of The World Cup. My eyes were open to the reality that this was a sport that most Americans knew almost nothing about but the rest of the world was captivated by.

Although the Winnipeg experience was my first introduction to the sport, I really learned first-hand about the intensity and passion the sport had on business, culture, politics and life while living in Mexico City.

My husband and I quickly learned that one of the ways to build a personal relationship with a Mexican business professional was to ask about their favorite football (soccer) team and their successes.

As a diplomat with the Canadian government my husband attended a game at the Estadio Azteca Stadium. Over 100,000 avid fans surrounded him. The intensity of the cheering fans made it impossible to carry out a conversation with the person next to you.

During the World Cup in 1998, my husband hosted a breakfast at our home with his staff to watch a live broadcast on CNN International between Mexico and The Netherlands. He knew that his staff would not work during the game since they insisted on watching earlier matches on their portable radio or television in their offices. He quickly learned that business activities are put on hold during the games. He also saw this as a perfect opportunity to show his staff that he respected their culture and traditions.

During the 1998 World Cup we returned to the states for vacation.  We were totally shocked that our family and friends knew nothing about the international matches. They were more interested in talking about Wimbledon or the British Open but certainly not about soccer.

What surprised me that there was no live coverage of these events on radio or television? It was like the US was totally disconnected from the rest of the world. You might compare this analogy with the US being the only country in the world that refused to use the metrics system.

Eight years later, my husband and I visited Dublin at the start of the 2006 World Cup. During our cab drive from the airport to our hotel, we asked our driver what countries might be in the finals. He quickly blurted out 5 countries: France, England, Italy, Germany and Brazil.  Later we used his insight as a guide in purchasing soccer shirts for our grandchildren.

While in Dublin, we would sightsee in the morning and hang out at the hotel pub every afternoon watching the matches drinking Guinness and sampling pub food with Europeans from Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic and UK.  The excitement of the crowd was contagious. We didn’t dare give up our seats during the matches. It was here that I became hooked on football as they call it in Europe and the rest of the world.

Before we departed the US, we promised our grandsons that we would bring them a shirt from the World Cup. We asked the concierge for the name of a retail store that would have a wide selection of soccer shirts. Of course, we headed for the store he recommended. Once inside the store we were surrounded from floor to ceiling with football shirts from over 32 countries participating in the event. It was overwhelming but we decided to rely on the wisdom of our cab driver. We initially asked for two German shirts but they were sold out of their sizes. Our next choice was Italy.  What a wise choice since Italy won the World Cup and now our grandsons have souvenirs of the winner.

Once again we returned to Atlanta where we found limited or no interest by friends, families and business colleagues about the World Cup. Additionally there was limited live television coverage of the games. Fortunately we were invited to watch the Germans and the French play at the Goethe Institute. Although there were probably a dozen people participating, there were maybe 4 Americans in the room.

What difference 4 years have made in the hearts and minds of my fellow Atlantans! There is a buzz about individual teams not only at the neighborhood bars, coffee houses and dinning spots but in the daily conversations with business colleagues over breakfast, lunch and evening networking receptions. Last evening while attending an international reception I had a conversation with two professionals who were trying to convince me that Argentina was going to beat Brazil in the final game on July 11.

Atlanta is once again living up to its image as a global city that began when our hosting The 1996 Olympics. World Cup fever has gripped Atlanta’s business and political leadership. The city is one of 18 cities competing to host the the 2018 or 2022 World Cup. I am on board as a strong supporter of the games. In fact, I signed a petition earlier this month.

I remember my parents telling me about the restrictions that endured during WWII and in the following years: children forced to eat worm-infested corn soup, parents drinking coffee made of barley, men smoking corn fiber instead of cigarettes (the famous “ersatz”, products replacing the original ones!), ladies without stockings, drawing a seam line on the back of their legs, trying to remember all day long not to cross their legs, or else the line would disappear…Many years later, our family house in the South was full of items brought in by refugees fleeing the Occupied Zone, whom my great-grand-parents generously hosted: books, toys, event pieces of furniture…

I remember my father’ s emotion when I was selected to learn German in Grade 8 – in my school, German was taught as second foreign language to the best pupils only – German! He, who had his father and brother imprisoned in Germany, and who had to learn German at school, not for his good scores, but just because it was mandatory…My parents’ awe when I returned from my visit to West and East Berlin – an adventurous school trip! -  and their trust in Europe’ s future as a peaceful environment, despite the Cold War. In their eyes, that wall in Berlin was the last obstacle in a peaceful Europe, and they were longing to see it being knocked down. And they did!

To me, the birth of the European Community (“E.C.”), later called the “European Union”, (“E.U.”), is a remarkable human and political accomplishment.

Let’s look back: after WWII, Europe was on its knees, the providential Marshall Plan was welcome, and was implemented, but as this was an external tool to help Europe. Something else, more durable, and “ from inside” needed to emerge: the desire, and the leadership to build a community of countries willing to trade and cooperate in a forever peaceful environment.

This is how the CECA (European Community for Coal and Steel), thanks to the common vision of the French and German leaders, General de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer, was created in 1951, uniting France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands.

The mission of the CECA was for the six countries to have a common approach to industrial strategy relating to these fundamental resources, coal and steel. This was the first step to the construction of the European Community, sealed by the Treaty of Rome in 1957, taking over the CECA. Indeed, the European Community was born to help European countries rebuild their economy and trade in a peaceful way while creating the conditions of a fair and homogeneous market.

With the Treaty of Rome, custom tariffs were abolished within the E.C. country members, easing trade between the then six members. The famous “PAC”  (Common Agricultural Policy) was set up, to be implemented in 1962: this policy was meant to help the six countries overcome the devastation of their respective rural economies through war: lack of workforce, neglect of land, pest infection, disorganized markets, even… grey market…

A new system needed to be set up to insure the supply of basic agricultural goods, to stabilize prices, to improve local agricultural productions and improve the rural workforce’s revenue. It implied artificial pricing and subsidies, so famously criticized… Mainly seen as easy and unfair money, this system was in fact intrinsically conflicting, as States competed between each other, – not mentioning the fights against it from overseas – and it certainly took many people s’ guts and careers to set it up and enforce it. Rightfully the PAC was reformed many times, and is still evolving towards a more environment-friendly and cost-effective system.

A major step towards integration was the introduction of the unique currency, the Euro, as planned in the Maastricht Treaty of 1992. Launched in 1999 and introduced to the population and living economic forces of eleven countries in 2001, Europe’s single currency is now shared by 16 EU countries[1] and around 329 million citizens, making it one of the world’s most important currencies and one of the EU’s greatest technical achievements.

In the Euroland system, each country is responsible for setting up its own budget and it public policies, but all of them plan them in solidarity and transparency with the other States., via the European Commission. Every Euroland member must comply with the “Pact for Stability and Growth”, which implies two main criteria (“ Maastricht criteria” ) : a public deficit rate  under 3% GDP, a debt ratio  under 60%. Why? Because the total euro monetary mass is limited by the European Central Bank. And the ECB applies policies that are set up by the governors of each Euroland country member’s central bank; the monetary policy is therefore global and cannot lean towards one country.[2].

What we see with Greece’s crisis has brought light to this system’s faults: the above mentioned criteria are in fact “ pro-cyclic”: when a country endures a slowdown in its economic growth, these criteria tend to exacerbate budgetary difficulties, as well as investors’ concerns, therefore increasing the country’s risk rate – therefore pushing interest rates up – and what if a country like Greece, Spain or Portugal needs more money? – the rule is, to seek money on foreign markets because the ECB will NOT provide it – it is not its role – but if the investors are not convinced with the sustainability of the accounts of the country, they will raise their rates, spinning up the infernal spiral …

The E.U. is able to pull through this crisis. First of all, the Euroland members recognize the importance “of being earnest”: a tightening and better control of statistics and reports is definitely under way. And the members are, at last, now more ready than ever to respect the Maastricht criteria: just lately, UK, Germany, France, Italy, have declared their willingness to reduce public spending and excessive debt. Concrete measures are under way, and this can be seen as a healthy move – the arts and science will be in these countries to be successful in both saving money and not raising taxes.

The second option unfortunately an easy choice. Also, the recent decision of the E.U. members to join and form a pool of borrowing countries, which in turn might be able to lend money to countries in need (not less than EUR 500 billion), complementing the loan of the International Monetary Fund (EUR 250 billion). To achieve this move certainly shows leadership and in a way, some creativity from the European leaders, and it is a shame that some media prefer to titillate and focus on the grudges between them, than to explain to us the conditions, the result and the consequences of such a move. These leaders have even convinced the ECB to purchase some portion of Greece’s bad debt, although as explained earlier, this goes against the European financial  “orthodoxy”, so one can see how determined are to solve the current situation.

Contrary to any other political formation, the E.U, is an empirical construction which advances by phases. It was born as a small group of neighboring countries, it is now a “ formation” of 27 with a hard core of 16 using the Euro. It is through the difficulties that it encounters that we can see the vitality of the European spirit.

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[1] Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, , Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain.

[1] The ECB’ main role consists in controlling the interest rates between banks and their customers within the Euroland, and in dealing with the Euro’s foreign exchange rates

Whenever I think I am making progress about understanding the cultural differences between the North and the South, I get new insight about how little I really know.

I walked into a Starbucks in one of the upscale areas of Atlanta for a frappuccino. I had just spent over 2. 5 hours walking the floor of the Annual American Crafts Show and needed a cold beverage. My cousin insisted on treating me to a cold drink.  Once the cashier told her the charge for the drinks she placed her dollar bills on the counter. The cashier asked my cousin, “how long have you lived in Atlanta?”  She was taken back by his question since she had arrived in Atlanta 35 years ago.  She wondered why he asked this question. He indicated if you are from the South, you hand the money to the cashier but if you are from the North you place the bills on the counter.

The cashier began to share other traits that differentiated those raised in the South with transplants from other locations in the US. For example, when a Northerner speaks about their family they usually refer to their spouse, their daughter or their father but they never provide a name. In the South, you use first names when referring to your family members such as John, Annabelle or Mary Lou.  As I thought about his observation I smiled as he was right on. I had experienced this difference but never thought about it as a cultural difference.

I also learned that in the South unlike the North a traffic light at an intersection is referred to as a signal light. In my hometown of Rochester, New York, I always thought of a red light as traffic light.

Another example about how you can’t get away from your roots.

When I learned about her new sales and marketing position and pending travels to western Canada, I suggested that she come to our home for cocktails. This was a great opportunity to talk about how we could introduce her to an old friend with over 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. She could also gain access to new customers and increase her industry knowledge.

Because we kept in touch, it was not difficult to make the introduction. While we were living in Mexico, he visited us and we continued to maintain contact. Within a few hours of sharing the news of Lesley’s new position, the two parties were connecting by email. They found a mutual time to get together during her week’s visit to Calgary.

By keeping these connections alive I was able to assist a colleague to be better prepared for her new position. Over the years, I have made a point of maintaining my connections around the world because I know that I can assist a colleague, a friend or a family member. Today staying in touch can be easily facilitated by new social networking on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.

I was unaware of these differences until I lived abroad in the early 1990’s. For example, while working in Mexico City, I learned that you never talk about business over lunch especially if it is your first meeting with a business prospect. The topic of conversation should center on  personal subjects such as education, family or travel experiences. The key to business success is to build the personal relationship and then the business will follow.

One of the first signs that trust has been established might be an invitation to their home for dinner or to participate in a family’s  holiday celebration or milestone.

In the South, there are no boundaries about where you discuss business; it could be an invitation to have dinner at a local restaurant, an evening networking event or tickets to a sporting event. Many companies in fact have season’s tickets to sporting events including baseball, hockey, football or basketball.

I recall being invited to a Sunday afternoon Falcons game in a private suite where 25 of us cheered on the Falcons between networking with foreign professionals and sampling nachos, beer and hot dogs smothered in hot sauce. It was the perfect venue to get to know new prospects.

The transition for Europeans on temporary assignment in the States often is uncomfortable. In Europe, business and personal lives do not mix. I learned first hand about the cultural difference when a European diplomat expressed his discomfort with the lack of boundaries in the US. At our first meeting, he asked me if I would assist him in understanding the difference and how to deal amore informal environment.

Recently a European colleague based in a European trade office talked about how this separation impacted business progress. Europeans often tend to shy away from networking events that take place in the evening. It is difficult to dismiss your cultural roots but it can have an effect on your bottom line.

I feel that I had a somewhat of a unique experience when arriving in Atlanta 10 years ago from Mexico City.  I was welcomed with open arms from cousins who included us in holidays, birthdays and other personal milestones.  We were also blessed to live in a condominium complex with second or third generation Southerners. They made us feel at home. One of my neighbors threw an elegant cocktail reception to introduce us to our neighbors and to sample southern cuisine including fried green tomatoes, grits and shrimp and collard greens.

My new colleague who had immigrated to Atlanta from Russia via Germany had a similar story to share.  She too felt welcomed by her husband’s family but she also experienced a mixed message from her business colleagues. At the end of a business event, they would often say

“We have to get together“or  “We’ll have you over for dinner.”  Yet, it wasn’t followed through.

I use to tell myself that the lack of dinner invitations was due to the  long distances that people commute to work or the demands of raising children when both spouses work .  I have come to learn that neither is the case.

This was the first time I had shared my experience with another newcomer to the South.  It was reassuring to know that I was not the only transplant to experience this. We both concluded that politeness is part of the Southern tradition.

Atlanta is my new home but I continue to embrace my family tradition of welcoming newcomers and friends to my home for brunch or dinner on a regular basis. In the South, it takes a greater period of time before a business colleague invites one into their home.

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