Cultural insight

I met Cathy Bao Bean recently at a Claremont Graduate University alumni event (I’m not an alumnus, but was there as a member of the Peter Drucker Society). Cathy is the author of a great book called “The Chopsticks-Fork Principle: A Memoir and Manual” as well as being a really enthusiastic and interesting conversationalist.

I read her book the day after I met her. Many of her cross-cultural stories reminded me of what I experienced while working in China over five years. Much of the business I did then (and even now) involved understanding the meaning behind peoples’ words (or lack of words) and cultural differences. I wish the book had been available before I went to China in the mid-90s, since it would have helped me understand some things more easily.