Grow Global
Author: Jan Yager, Ph.D
Reviewed by: Doan Thi Ngoc
Grow Global was written by Dr. Jan Yager,
an award-winning author whose 30 books have been translated into 24 languages.
She is a global researcher, writer, international consultant, and speaker, and
has travelled on international business trips since the 1970s.
Dr. Yager’s Grow Global offers
readers two forms of advice: 1) a fundamental guide associated with the unique
customs, gestures, dress, language, values, and attitudes toward money, ethics,
and negotiating styles of countries around the world; and 2) suggestions on how
to apply this understanding to the universal world of business through
telephone, Internet, or in person and how to absolutely utilize these cultural
characteristics as quickly as possible in order to avoid awkward moments as one
interacts with people of other cultures that differ from yours, i.e. your
values, your ideology, your way of doing and knowing things.
Although Grow Global sounds a bit
verbose in some pages, it is generally like a “compass” guiding where you
should or should not go. The book prepares you with things unknown to you and
readies you for making and maintaining relationships with people from around
the world. A variety of tips, specific examples, and considerations are covered
throughout the entire book that reminds us how to effectively communicate with
other people from different continents. Just to name a few examples are: how to
greet people, how to offer your business card, how to write people’s name, how
to effectively use time, and how we need to be careful about writing anything
on the Internet. In addition, the author uses an international English writing
style that is very easy to read, easy to understand, easy to remember, and easy
to use in real life.
I have lived and worked with people
from many countries and I consider myself somewhat ignorant about being able to
understand what is beyond my culture. Fortunately, I was able to obtain
tremendously valuable information from this book. I became much more confident
as I learned how to build positive relationships with people from other
countries and am now able to limit misinterpretation of other people’s views or
behavior after reading Dr. Yager’s Grow Global. Therefore, I highly recommend
that you read this book before traveling to other countries for business,
pleasure, studying, or immigrating. As Lindsay Adams CSP, President of Global
Speakers Federation said, "Dr. Jan Yager has written one of the most
useful and resourceful books for the modern business traveler.” If you are
thinking of doing business outside your country's borders for the first or the
thirty-first time, you must read this book. It's packed full of practical
ideas and suggestions that will smooth the pathway to being successful in your
dealing internationally".
Dr. Yager’s Grow Global consists of
nine chapters: Going global; doing the right thing; building relationships
first, business later; doing business without living in your country; rules of
the road; tips on universal business travel; giving gifts, legal consideration,
and ethics; negotiating styles; and getting paid. I totally agree with the
author in chapter three “Building relationship first, doing business later.”
This means Asians want to meet you in person in order to get to know you. As
the author said,” It is all a prelude leading up to a meeting that will
eventually involve a conversation about business” (p. 46) or it indicates that
you have a personal connection with local people before doing business. This
also puts your business on track to run smoothly. Being able to understand
cultural traits can easily be expanded to your global relationships in
business. There is no doubt that you will acquire all this knowledge by reading
Grow Global.
In my review, I would have been
remiss in not mentioning that the book would be even more user friendly, had
the introduction to each of the 9 chapters been less lengthy, and had there
been no distraction to the reader due to missing words.
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