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Managing a Culture of Conflict

Jun 26, 2020
10 min

Managing a Culture of Conflict

Conflict is good for an organization. Although the word is often associated with an altercation, conflict encompasses any disagreement—which is not necessarily bad. Conflict naturally results when people have different needs, opinions, or perspectives. Successful global leaders actively foster a culture that celebrates diversity of thought and experience, encourages the civil exchange of ideas, and embraces differences of opinion. In short, they foster a culture of conflict.

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Structural Integrity: Building Personal Integrity

Jun 12, 2020
7 min

Structural Integrity: Building Personal Integrity

Structural integrity is the ability of a tangible object to handle the stress of a load, allowing it to perform its normal function and—in the event of excessive stress—avoid catastrophic failure (Sean Kane, Structural Engineer). Organizational structures should be engineered to this same quality of function, where load and excessive stress don’t result in catastrophic failures. Organizational structural engineering begins in an organization’s foundational values. These value

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May 30, 2020
4 min

The Path to Peak Performance

Profitability and productivity—two metrics that matter. As the global business and employment environment becomes increasingly competitive, it is essential that companies find ways to set their workforce apart. Organizations want to be productive, profitable, and innovative—but vague, ill-defined ideals are difficult to achieve when those executing them do not understand the specific roles they play and steps to take. The best way to ensure that companies and their employees

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The Importance of Having Local Savvy

May 28, 2020
3 min

The Importance of Having Local Savvy

Blackberry dominated the smartphone market in the mid-to-late 2000s. With a 50 percent market share in the United States, and 20 percent globally, prospects looked good for the Canadian based company. Many even nicknamed their product the “crackberry” because of its massive consumer demand. But their good fortune didn’t last; Blackberry’s total market share today sits at 0 percent. The cause for Blackberry’s fall? The smartphone industry changed, and the company didn’t change

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How to Get Private and Public Grants with Rajshree Agarwal

May 13, 2020
4 min

How to Get Private and Public Grants with Rajshree Agarwal

Rajshree walks through the process of applying for private and public grants. She started applying for research grants while pursuing her PhD and got used to writing and applying for them. There is a small chance of success and her recommendation is to keep applying even when you don’t get it. With public grants, she recommends you apply when you are part-way through the research process so you can show credibility. The panel of people reviewing your NSF grant are looking to

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How to Cultivate Creative Collaboration

May 13, 2020
3 min

How to Cultivate Creative Collaboration

Pixar has never disappointed. With just over 20 feature-length films released in the past 25 years, each film has earned more than $300 million in worldwide revenue. What is the key to Pixar’s success? According to Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar, president of Walt Disney Animation Studios, and author of Creativity, Inc., it’s building creative teams. Quoting from his book, Catmull states that “If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a m

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CircusTrix and Tips for Businesses

May 8, 2020
2 min

CircusTrix and Tips for Businesses

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017 and Utah Business’s 2019 CEO of the Year, Case Lawrence,is the chairman andfounder of the globaltrampoline park brandCircusTrix. What started as a side business to earn extra income during the 2008 recession, quickly turned into a nationwide and then international business. Throughout his experience growing locally and globally, Lawrence learned three valuable lessons: Never enter another country without local partners Don’t expe

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S1:E2 Navigating the Circus of Global Business With Case Lawrence

May 8, 2020
12 min

S1:E2 Navigating the Circus of Global Business With Case Lawrence

Summary: Join us as Case Lawrence discusses what it was like to make CircusTrix a global business and the principles he used to make it successful. Bio: Case Lawrence is the Founder and CEO of CircusTrix—one of the largest developers and operators of trampoline parks in the world. CircusTrix has been a Top 10 Fastest Growing Company in Utah for a number of years and has been an Inc. 5000 Company for 3 straight years. In 2017, Lawrence was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of t

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Business in the Arab Gulf Culture

Rebekah Kimball

May 6, 2020
3 min

Business in the Arab Gulf Culture

Judith Hornok—or “The Decoder” as some people know her—is the founder and CEO of the innovation company Hornok & Partner. There, she helps organizations improve business relationships in the Gulf states by assisting them in understanding the Arab psyche. Hornok’s interest in learning about people has led her to study what she coined to be the “special codes” of people across the globe. Hornok defines a decoder as “a person who invests a lot of time in studying people, their s

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Securing a Position Abroad

Rebekah Kimball

Apr 17, 2020
3 min

Securing a Position Abroad

Chloe Andersen is a manager of learning and development at Amazon. She completed her undergraduate degree in Geography at BYU Hawaii and her MBA at BYU. After receiving her MBA, Andersen accepted a full-time position in human resource (HR) management at Citigroup in New York City, NY with high hopes of working abroad. Two years later, Andersen secured an overseas rotational position in Tokyo, Japan and accepted a permanent position abroad at the completion of her rotation. Af

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Blowing Off Steam

Apr 10, 2020
3 min

Blowing Off Steam

There are approximately 2,000,000 saunas in Finland, a country with a total population around 5,500,000. That’s a sauna for every two to three individuals. It’s no wonder saunas are such a hot place for making connections and forming relationships. For a population that is fairly reserved in discussing personal topics in their normal business relationships, it is nice to have a place forblowing off steam and connect with those who typically hold a very professional demeaner.

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What Sets America Apart in the Global Market?

Apr 8, 2020
1 min

What Sets America Apart in the Global Market?

Gregory Newell discusses how businesses in the United States have certain advantages in today’s global market. Transcript I must still say that the great value of American enterprise is the freedom to think, freedom in innovate, freedom to take the risk, freedom to fail, freedom to succeed. Almost everywhere we have been, the U.S. goods and services have had great value. 1) It’s typically state of the art. 2) It’s, generally speaking, a high quality performance. 3) It’s aspir

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The International Finnish Line

Apr 4, 2020
2 min

The International Finnish Line

After growing up in Washington state, graduating with a Master of Accountancy from Brigham Young University, and starting a career with one of the Big4 accounting firms in San Jose, an international career seemed distant for Jeff Jenkins. But it was always a dream of his to work globally. Here are some key points from his Cultural Conversations podcast, where he walks us through his journey to working abroad. Work for International Opportunity After starting with Deloitte in

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S4:E9 How to get to the Finnish Line with Jeff Jenkins

Apr 3, 2020
10 min

S4:E9 How to get to the Finnish Line with Jeff Jenkins

In this episode, we talk with Jeff Jenkins, Senior Manager in National Office Accounting Consultations at Deloitte in their Finland office. Jeff shares his experiences and how he got to this point. He touches on work culture in Finland, and what the Finnish culture means for his family. Guest: Jeff Jenkins grew up in Spokane, Washington before his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Accounting at BYU. He started with Deloitte in the Bay Area before taking on his current opport

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Managing Malawi Businesses

Mar 31, 2020
5 min

Managing Malawi Businesses

There are currently more than 760,000 small businesses in Malawi that produce annual revenues of about U.S. $2 billion (Mawila.com). And although it’s not currently on the list of emerging markets, running a business in Malawipresents opportunity for future growth and provides quality service to a population in need. But managing a major business in Malawi is no walk in the park, especially when native culture and various regulations stand in the way. Here a few challenges ex

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Long Lunches in Brazil

Madison Birtcher

Mar 31, 2020
2 min

Long Lunches in Brazil

Brazilians are known for taking long lunches, lasting up to two hours each day. The main reason for a long midday break is because lunch is viewed by Brazilians as those from the United States view dinner – a larger meal that is more social and relaxing. Thus, individuals take time to be with friends and family, build work relationships, and relax over lunch. Some suggest that the duration of lunch in Brazil has been influenced by the tradition of siestas in Spain. Spanish In

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S4:E8 Breaking Down Borders with D. Carolina Núñez

Mar 18, 2020
13 min

S4:E8 Breaking Down Borders with D. Carolina Núñez

Overview: Dean Carolina Núñez discusses her background, her work as an immigration lawyer and the effects she saw that immigration can have in both business and government policy, and her work in multiple other organizations. Guest: Carolina Núñez is the Associate Dean for Faculty and Curriculum and Professor of Law at Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School. She is a summa cum laude graduate of the Brigham Young University Law School and Managing Editor of the

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S4:E7 Getting the Global Job with Jennifer Birtcher

Mar 12, 2020
16 min

S4:E7 Getting the Global Job with Jennifer Birtcher

Overview: In this episode Jennifer Birtcher talks all about her experience living abroad for over 20 years. From Kenya to Saudi Arabia to Switzerland she’s found HR roles wherever she has gone. Guest: Jennifer Birtcher is an accomplished human resources leader with experience in many different industries and countries. She has lived and worked in England, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya, among others. With experience working for large companies such as Saudi Aramco and N

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S1:E1 Upcoming Cross-Border Technology with Clint Reid

Feb 28, 2020
12 min

S1:E1 Upcoming Cross-Border Technology with Clint Reid

In today’s episode of The Top Three Things Clint Reid Founder & CEO of Zonos talks to us all about cross-border business. He shares what he has learned about the difficulties of doing business across borders and technology he helped create to improve the process. Guest: Clint Reid: Founder and CEO of Zonos, the leading cross-border technology company. During Clint’s previous work experience focused on international logistics with DHL and UPS he observed many pain points in gl

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Faire La Bise: The French Kiss

Madison Birtcher

Jan 23, 2020
2 min

Faire La Bise: The French Kiss

According to a recent study conducted by Princeton psychologists, making a positive first impression is one of the single biggest indicators of a successful business relationship. However, cultures around the world have different greetings to demonstrate respect and create that lasting impression. So, how do you know which greeting to use? A handshake is typical in the United States, a slight bow is common in Japan, and a kiss on the cheek is normal in France. How To “Faire L

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