Entries by James Culver

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When is praise an insult?

How praise gets delivered is also of importance to judgements of its sincerity. In some work cultures, being singled out for enthusiastic praise if front of a group would be gratifying to the person receiving it while cultures that use more restrained emotional styles might find expressive, public praise embarrassing and impersonal.

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5 tips for internal HR consultants

From my years working in HR, I know that employees don’t often ask HR for help. At least, that is what it was like for the companies I worked with. As HR consultants, it is our job to give guidance and support to enable our colleagues make better decisions. Our roles are operational, not strategic, […]

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Sequential and Synchronic Views of Time

Originally published on 20.03.2013 “Are we on time?” The question seems simple enough but that seemingly simple question can unlock different ways of viewing time and the commitments associated with our view of time. My experience with intercultural training has made me think about that question a bit differently. “On time” in Ghana It reminds […]

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Virtual Teams: Pre-Meeting To Do’s

What do you do before your virtual team meetings? Preparing for any meeting is important, especially for virtual meetings via teleconference or netmeetings.  It is difficult working in virtual teams as you don’t see your other team members face-to-face very often.  So, try not to put yourself at a further disadvantage by forgetting to do […]

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Measuring Progress: What am I getting for my money?

Am I getting my money’s worth? One key question for our seminar clients is, “Is paying for training experiences enough?” Most often, the answer is clearly, “Yes”.  Despite all of the talk about ROI, buying an experience makes sense when we realize the benefits of training in general from an employee’s perspective. When organizations invest […]

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Intercultural Training: Internal vs External Control

As a second generation Northerner in the US, a lot of my family comes directly from the South.  My family, like many others, was part of the second Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the North in the 1930’s – 1950’s.  One of my favorite memories growing up was talking to a […]

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4 Ds of Presentations

Do you know the 4 Ds? You are a good presenter — you are engaging, funny and energetic. You like the challenge of speaking in public and you are good at it. Yet you have the feeling sometimes that you could be doing more or doing things differently.  There are some situations in which you […]

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Managing High Performers: Miles Davis Part 2

What does Miles Davis have to do with managing high performers in business? Good question. Miles Davis is rightfully acclaimed as an icon of jazz but he didn’t make music alone. Miles worked with the best of the best to create music that stands as among the highest forms of the genre. In part 1 […]

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Managing High Performers: The Miles Davis Way

What does Miles Davis have to do with managing high performers in business? Good question.  Miles Davis is rightfully acclaimed as an icon of jazz but he didn’t make music alone.  Throughout his career as a bandleader, Miles worked with other iconic figures of jazz to create music that stands even today as among the […]

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Achievement vs Ascription in Business

What is meant by achievement vs ascription? I recently had a conversation when a German friend of mine described a family member as “My father’s sister”.  Thinking she was momentarily missing the word “Aunt”, I offered the correction only to be corrected myself.  She told me she knew the word “Aunt” but the women she […]

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Audience-centered Presentations in Business

Are you delivering audience-centered presentations? Presentations training has been a big part of the work we’ve done in Europe over the years.  This is especially true for working with speakers of English as a foreign language. Everyone understands the importance of presentations. Everyone talks about the potential for generating new business, for influencing others, and […]

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Intercultural Training: Sequential and Synchronic Views of Time

The question seems simple enough—“Are we on time?” but that seemingly simple question can unlock different ways of viewing time and the commitments associated with our view of time.   My experience with intercultural training has made me think about, and look at, that question a bit differently. “On time” in Ghana It reminds me of […]

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