Cross cultural communication - things that make you snigger

“BHP is firmly rooted in Australia”, so said BHP Billiton chief executive Andrew Mackenzie in his first speech in Australia.  He is a Scot who became CEO in May 2013.  It was a positive speech about the future of mining and the flow on effects to Australia.  I wondered though, if Andrew Mackenzie realized that many Australians would have had a little snigger at the line above.

As I explain to CIC members in our on-line resource Australia: Communication

“One term that often causes embarrassment for newcomers is ‘root’ or ‘rooting’.  Australians barrack or cheer for their teams instead of rooting for them.  In Australia, rooting is a slang euphemism for sexual intercourse and when used as 'rooted' in a slang context it means something is badly broken often beyond repair

Some years ago I was training a young American couple moving to a mining town in the Northern Territory of Australia.  The husband had already spent some time on-site and had already learnt about this communication difference.  He sheepishly told us the story of attending a local footy game where his company was the team sponsor.  He asked a local woman which team she was rooting for.  Her response?  “Darl, I’d root the whole damn lot of them if I could!”

Yes we all knew what Andrew Mackenzie meant so it wasn’t a miscommunication but we might have sniggered –just a wee bit…

Expat Aussies and voting -the roll is closing!

Australians will go to the polls in a national election on September 7^th 2013.  

Voting is compulsory in Australia.  It’s a responsibility of citizenship for everyone over the age of eighteen and fines are issued after each election to some of those who failed to sign in at a polling booth.  The responsibility to vote doesn’t end if an Australian citizen is living overseas. 

If you are enrolled on the Australian electoral roll and intend to return to Australia within the next six years you can vote from overseas –instructions are here 

You can remove yourself from the electoral roll if you intend to be overseas indefinitely or if you are overseas and cannot vote –see here  

Australian embassies, consulates and high commissions around the world will become voting centres and can provide further information about how to vote closer to the first Saturday in September, but an important date is approaching fast. 

The electoral roll will close on 8:00pm Monday, August 12, 2013 (AEST).  If you have recently turned eighteen while living overseas, if your address or details have changed, or if you want to register as an overseas voter or remove yourself from the roll using the forms above you have until this date to get it sorted.   

What have you forgotten?

So you’ve sorted your belongings into piles; things to get rid of, things to store, airfreight and luggage.  You’ve made lists of lists, farewelled family and friends, connected with ex-workmates on Linked-In, received training and advice from friends, colleagues and consultants but as you prepare to take off on your expat assignment there is a nagging feeling that maybe, just maybe, you’ve forgotten some important stuff.

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Uncertainty is the new normal

New Zealand is shaking again.  Earthquakes are rocking Wellington and the top of the South Island.  They’ve caused damage, interrupted business and created a climate of uncertainty and fear for many people. 

 It’s hard to sleep when your bed shakes and you need to decide whether to stay in bed or get up and Drop Cover and Hold on.   

It’s hard to run a business when transport is down or offices are closed for clean ups and engineer inspections. 

Last week I met Ase Lunde, a senior crisis & disaster management professional with 25 years of experience across organisations such as the UN, the Swedish police and the Swedish National Defence College.   This is her core area of expertise -resilience; how can organisations survive, absorb and adapt to crises and uncertainty and still deliver effectively? 

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All you need is....

It struck me recently, that my blogs may seem to suggest that all you need to be successful in a global workforce is cultural intelligence (CQ). 

Recently I’ve talked about the importance of CQ in areas such as managing racism, building networking skills and effective global teams, and in cultural integration.  And if you’ve been receiving this newsletter regularly, then you’re probably well aware that I also think CQ is essential for expatriate success!

But that’s not all that is required.   

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