One is Swiss, the other French; both have lived and worked in the United States for years. Enough to understand the danger that threatens any international career – and any organization – that of misunderstanding. They made a book of it, “Can We Agree to Disagree”, which comes out on June 15.
“Both of us had this painful experience that all those who work in international circles understand, that of these blockages stemming from stereotypes that nobody ever explains ”, says Sabine Landolt, who after a career notably at LVMH, created her branding agency. When she meets Agathe Laurent, specialist in marketing strategy and research, the two women talk about these endless misunderstandings and their damage, “Of the suffering at work that they cause”. From this meeting was born this book, “Can we agree to disagree”, which far from an academic sum is very practical. Magnificently illustrated, it is almost a “beautiful book”, built on fifty testimonies, quoted “verbatim” and in their original language. A method which, the two authors hope, makes it possible to give leads “for a successful collaboration between Americans and French (…) who can create an extraordinary alchemy. ”
Built around fifteen chapters that are all questions, and sometimes injuries, the book gives voice to the two “camps”, before delivering “tips and tricks” (“tips and tricks ”) French and American respectively. We will advise you to “give French time for lunch”If you are American, or vice versa, we suggest to the French to be“understanding of the Americans’ obsession with their job, which is cultural and – for a lot – necessary for their security and stability ”.
From the American culture of the result to the French taste for conflict, from the horror unleashed in an American office to the idea of having to kiss its colleagues, the two authors review the transatlantic clichés, but for better give clues on ways to overcome them. Thus the opposition between French generalists and American “hyper specialists”, which makes recruitment sometimes complicated: “When the French hire an American, there is often a lot of frustration because it is sometimes difficult to find someone who can multitask; Conversely for the Americans, who are looking for real specialists, the French can appear as good-for-nothing side-by-side… ”
Conceived as a guide accompanying the newcomer, “Can We Agree to Disagree” is actually intended for all those who, near or far, have tasted these transatlantic differences, sometimes frustrating but always full of lessons. “With a little humility, we all manage to adapt, concludes Sabine Landolt. And we learn a lot in passing ”.
