Business: When in Rome, Do As…..Avoid Jail

When in Rome, Do As…..Avoid Jail

Written by Trevor J. O'Hara

A recent court ruling highlights just how blind arrogance and insensitivity to local culture can land you in jail. Business leaders are well advised to pay close attention to how things are done overseas – adopting repparttar

attitude that what works at home will work overseas will get you into trouble.

There is a small community in Britain and repparttar 106376 Benelux that prefers to indulge itself in a curiously eccentric pastime called “plane-spotting”, a hobby best described as repparttar 106377 photographing or noting of aircraft registration numbers, normally from an airport perimeter fence. Some avid enthusiasts even tune into radio frequencies so that they can note down aircraft call signs. But this sport recently resulted in repparttar 106378 arrest of 12 British plane-spotters in Greece. 8 of them were subsequently found guilty of espionage and sentenced to three years in a Greek jail.

The Greeks were baffled – even miffed! Firstly, this pastime was more than odd to them: they simply could not understand it. In their eyes, why would anybody want to spend hours on repparttar 106379 edge of a military airbase photographing planes? Secondly, how could foreign guests, in their country, simply overlook repparttar 106380 huge warning signs telling them clearly that photographing in repparttar 106381 vicinity was a punishable offence, and still carry on photographing regardless? Thirdly, repparttar 106382 Greeks were becoming increasingly impatient with repparttar 106383 constant jibes that were being made in repparttar 106384 British press about repparttar 106385 Greek military, their justice system and their fear of spies.

The accused Britons were equally angered and confused, charging their Greek hosts as well as repparttar 106386 Greek legal system with repparttar 106387 same level of pompousness and naivety. “We were just there indulging in our hobby – we weren’t harming anybody!” Or, “Why on earth would one NATO country want to spy on another?” Or, “Huh, as if we needed to learn repparttar 106388 military secrets of repparttar 106389 Greeks!”, Or “Who will now risk taking a vacation in a country where an innocent mistake can result in a three year prison sentence?” Or, “This is a blatant miscarriage of justice. So much for repparttar 106390 Greek criminal justice system!”

Lessons in Global Leadership: From the Soccer Field

Written by Trevor J. O'Hara

Business leaders tasked with building international teams as part of their global expansion program should learn how it’s done on repparttar

soccer field. Where once national squads considered only domestic talent, many teams are increasingly becoming multinational. Even repparttar 106375

captains are foreign. Here is an “outsider’s” view on soccer and international leadership.

Zudig repparttar 106376 Grand Master, is preparing his students for a year’s internship on planet Earth to learn about our ways. Today’s lesson is about international leadership. Xandi, a bright but rebellious leadership student challenges Zudig. Eavesdropping on repparttar 106377 conversation, we hear….

Xandi: Hmmm. So how do they celebrate winning?

Zudig: Oh, that half of repparttar 106378 amphitheatre with repparttar 106379 same colors as repparttar 106380 man who’s just put repparttar 106381 leather globoid into repparttar 106382 net, jump up and down, take off their top, jump on their heads, and wave arms about, make thrusting movements and then sit back down.

Xandi. What, just like those players in red and white have done?

Zudig. That’s right Xandi. They’re from Zod.

Xandi. So why do they do that Zudig?

Zudig. Because repparttar 106383 leader of repparttar 106384 Zod team has successfully inspired them to score a win over Deng, repparttar 106385 players in blue.

Xandi: Ah! I see. So repparttar 106386 captain of repparttar 106387 Zod team is that man over there, sitting down, not even playing – he’s repparttar 106388 inspiration of it all?

Zudig:That’s right.

Xandi: But he’s not even from Zod – he has a Deng name! Why he is inspiring his players to play against repparttar 106389 Dengs?

Zudig: Because that crowd over there with their faces painted repparttar 106390 same color as repparttar 106391 team from Zod have chosen him, and repparttar 106392 players are happy to be led by such a leader.

Xandi: But repparttar 106393 players are not even from Zod. Some are from Zupit, two are from Engis, three are from Bidu and repparttar 106394 rest are from Midon!

Zudig: Yep. He has chosen his international team well, all experienced players who know repparttar 106395 tactics of repparttar 106396 other side. For that, he has rewarded them well, has inspired them to achieve great things, and knows they will deliver great results.

Xandi: OK, so let me get this. This crowd from Zod, who has just spend a whole day traveling to Midon, which is not even repparttar 106397 home of repparttar 106398 Dengs, have their faces painted, are jumping up and down, taking off their tops, jumping on their head, waving their arms about, making thrusting movements, are happy? And they’re happy because repparttar 106399 team in red and white, who represent Zod, but are not from Zod but from Deng, Zupit, Engis, Bidu and Midon have kicked a leather globoid into a fishing net, have scored a win over repparttar 106400 Dengs, - and all this is inspired by that man sitting down over there, who is not from Zod either, but from Deng, but is elected by repparttar 106401 crowds with painted faces from Zod to represent them, because he is repparttar 106402 man who can provide inspirational leadership to repparttar 106403 men from Deng, Zupit, Engis, Bidu and Midon, who are very happy to play for Zod and score a win over Deng, because they have a great inspirational leader, and have been well motivated and rewarded?

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