The Mindful International Manager

The Mindful International Manager tackles the management situations that international managers have to handle every day. Accessible and jargon-free it explains how to clarify local vs. international roles, support and develop a team, organize and coordinate boundaries of time and distance, and win commitment toward common goals. The authors, both interculturalists, include exercises and best practice advice and the experiences and insights of practising international managers. They combine their practical approach with great depth of insight into the challenges of working and managing internationally and include the results of new research findings and cutting-edge case studies on topics such as leadership, global nomads, virtual teams, coaching and mentoring across cultures and decision-making. "Conversational and immediately accessible to anyone who is new to the content... great care has been taken in these pages to talk the way people talk in the real world and to relate theory to practice." Craig Storti, writer and cross-cultural trainer, author of The Art of Crossing Cultures, Speaking of India and many more bestsellers "Managers in all areas are under pressure to act with increasing certainty in a business environment that is increasingly uncertain. As this book demonstrates with rigorous but accessible advice, mindfulness is one of the keys to resolving this paradox. If managers can be more aware of their own behaviour and the behaviour of others, they will be better able to take advantages of the possibilities open to them. This book provides managers with practical advice and case-studies and, above all, with food for thought for those who want to improve their international effectiveness." Ian McMaster, Editor-in-chief, Business Spotlight Magazine "This is not only a valuable handbook for managers who work in international or intercultural contexts; it is also ideal for those who are soon to do so. Comfort and Franklin's lucid exposition of key concepts, their judicious use of relevant case studies and their emphasis on best practice combine to make this an optimal textbook for my graduate students in international courses of study. This book definitely belongs in students' backpacks as well as in managers' briefcases." James R Chamberlain, Bonn-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Germany "A wide range of situations are considered and, unlike so many other writers, Comfort and Franklin consider culture as more than merely 'national' culture." People Management (1st edition review) 20111110 "It is thorough in exploring how differences and difficulties can be handled effectively with the right knowledge, skills and attitudes - examining a number of issues from feedback to conflict and offering techniques and options for a better outcome." CPO Agenda (1st edition) "...busy managers who are not going to sit still for too much theory and pages of academese are the real winners here...It is very practical and includes five detailed case studies that bring the concepts to life in situations almost any manager can relate to.The Mindful International Manager is a lucid, brief, extremely accessible book that presents more useful, practical insights in its 130-plus pages than many books two and three times its length." Craig Storti (1st edition) "An attractive presentation and considerable white space make the book easy to read, particularly for the many of us who have now consume more print in pixels than in ink. The authors, both interculturalists of experience and stature, have taken care to make the book interactive, encouraging us to apply the ideas contained to our own person and our experiences. It frequently asks us to assess the degree to which we find ourselves culturally inclined to or engaged in ranges of behavior, belief, concepts and practices." George Simons www.diversophy.com (1st edition) "...a first-rate book...really useful, even for managers with a lot of international experience." Ludger Opgenhoff, former Marketing Director Europe. DHL Express and Professor of International Management, Gelsenkirchen University of Applied Sciences, Germany (1st edition) "...a very accessible and practical guide that supports managers in their complex international work...remarkable chapters on feedback and conflict." Vincent Merk, former president, Society for Intercultural Education,Training and Research, Europe (1st edition) "...weaves theory and practice together - with the emphasis on the latter - so that both experienced and inexperienced managers can be guided through the many challenges of working internationally." Gabriele Eilert-Ebke, Corporate Learning, Henkel AG & Co.Kgaa, Dusseldorf (1st edition) "Consultant Jeremy Comfort and professor Peter Franklin provide basic pointers on how to become "mindful" of aspects of culture that, if ignored, could derail your business... getAbstract recommends its concise and informative tips to frequent business travelers, expatriate employees, managers leading culturally diverse teams and anyone looking to get a better grip on doing business globally." getAbstract (1st edition)