Our latest impulse article summarizes some of the most important USA business tips for you. Your advantages? Less concerns when contacting people from the USA, more fun working internationally and better results. Sound good? Then go for it! 😉
Disclaimer: The following tips do not apply to all Americans. After all, cultures are always changing and the people who live in a country naturally differ when it comes to values and behaviors. Nevertheless, our article will give you important clues and more confidence. Because the behavior described applies to the vast majority of the people from the US. We hope you enjoy reading it!
1. Have the confidence to make decisions! Don’t waste time if possible! Many Americans want to see quick results and like decisions to be made quickly.
2. When presenting information [for example in meetings], you should try to excite your audience! Although many Americans expect hard facts and clear results, a presentation delivered with confidence and professionalism is important to completely win over your audience.
3. Be on time [for meetings, for example]! In the US, it is generally considered impolite to be late.
4. No deep talk, but small talk! Prior to meetings, people often only expect a brief chat. After that, you tend to get down to business. The best way to answer the question “How are you doing?” is therefore with a simple phrase [“I’m fine, thanks for asking.”] and not with your complete medical records. 😉
5. Try to adopt a “can do” mentality! Anything is possible if you just believe in it! A willingness to innovate and take risks is ususally appreciated in the US, as is a practical approach to solving problems.
6. Diversity is a major social issue in the States [despite Donald Trumps agenda]. Many Americans expect all people [regardless of skin color, religion, sexual orientation, …] to be treated equally. In fact, they are legally entitled to it. Please pay attention to this issue and be too careful rather than too forward!
People management
7. Due to the fast-paced nature of the American business world, staff turnover in companies is usually higher than in Europe or Asia. Frequent changes in management and organizational structure should therefore not surprise you!
For instance, a typical American solution when a company gets into trouble is to replace the leadership. This leads to the often practiced “now” mentality: grab as much as you can while you [still] have power.
There is an American children’s game called “King of the Mountain”. The objective is for a child to stay on a height for as long as possible until he or she is overpowered by a stronger child. This children’s game has many parallels to American business life and the widespread striving for promotion there.
8. American managers often encourage employees to become active and take matters into their own hands. Such requests are often made quite defensively: “Let’s try to…”, “What if we did…” or “Would it be possible…” … The aim of this approach is to get the other person to commit to the task at hand: “Yes, I believe that is possible. I will start working on it right away.” This approach is intended to strengthen the commitment to the task in question and at the same time transfers responsibility to the person carrying out the task.
9. Instead of asking a supervisor for help, it is quite common for American employees to pretend that they know exactly what they are doing. In fact, if the worst comes to the worst, people like to turn to other people in the company to find out how to do something. Asking managers how to perform a task, on the other hand, can be seen as a weakness or a sign of a lack of competence.
Leadership
10. In the US, a good manager is often compared to a sports coach who motivates his team but also expects performance. If you are in a management position, you should always be open and approachable! Make time for your team regularly, listen to other opinions and hold regular meetings in order to get feedback!
11. If you are the one delegating tasks, you should always treat your employees as equals and at eye level [while maintaining a certain distance, because you are a manager]!
12. Many employees in the USA expect to be given a certain amount of responsibility and decision-making authority. It is also important that you recognize achievements. The motto here is – better more than less: “Good job, Peter. Awesome!” … Please check whether this approach corresponds to your management style and adapt if necessary!
Motivating others
13. The main motivation of many American employees is to climb the “ladder of success” as quickly as possible. The belief that anyone can make it to the top motivates them to take risks, push themselves to the limit and improve.
14. Another source of motivation is a person’s personal development. If your American employees feel that they are able to develop their skills, learn new information or make a meaningful contribution, they are often motivated enough to stay with their employer. However, if these aspects are missing, motivation is usually low.
Communication style
15. The communication style in the United States is usually very explicit: it is important to get straight to the point. This applies to both verbal and written communication.
16. Ideas and opinions from individuals are also very welcome. This applies regardless of your hierarchical position.
17. Americans tend to focus on facts. It is therefore important that you are as factual as possible in your communication! Citing recognized authorities or relying on solid data can be more convincing than passionate, emotion-based arguments. Although it is certainly helpful to put a little emotion into your arguments – in general, people in the USA appreciate a rousing presentation. However, the ultimate focus is usually on the end result. That’s why you should summarize your thoughts and ideas as a clear goal at the end. Projects that lack focus or are perceived as too vague, on the other hand, are often ignored.
18. “Time is money.” This sentence is one of the most typical American statements of all. As people like to get straight to the point after minimal small talk or become visibly impatient if things take too long, the American style of communication can quickly come across as abrupt and rude to other cultures.
Meetings
19. Always be clear about the aim of a meeting! What do you want to achieve? Meetings that only serve the purpose of discussion [without making decisions or taking action] are often seen as a waste of time in the US.
20. You should also try to distribute an agenda and preliminary documents before a meeting so that the actual meeting time can be used to get straight to the “point”.
21. Time is considered so invaluable that a professional moderator is often brought into meetings to keep the team on track and ensure that the desired outcomes are achieved.
Cross-cultural training on the us + additional articles
Our impulse article has given you a first exciting glimpse into the topic of “Doing Business in the US”. You can find out more important points and a lot of “hands on knowledge” in our cross-cultural training on the US!
Please click on the following link for more articles on the US.