Historical Timeline

A critical way to show respect for another person's culture is to have knowledge of their country's history and current affairs. Table 3.1 on page 30 outlines a few key U.S. events along with concurrent world events.

Full Country Name and Location

The United States of America is the world's third largest nation. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico. Alaska and Hawaii are the only non-contiguous states. Hawaii is an island archipelago of 8 major islands, 137 in all.³ Alaska is located in the northwest corner of the North American continent, bordered by Canada, the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. There are three U.S. territories: American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands; and two commonwealths: Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands.⁴

Government/Political Structure

The U.S. is a constitution-based federal republic with strong democratic traditions. A president, elected by a college of representatives from each state, serves as both the head of state and head of government. The president serves a four-year term, with eligibility for a second term. Most recent elections were held November, 2012. The bicameral legislature, or Congress, consists of the Senate and House of Representatives.

Population and Economic Centers

The 2014 CIA World Factbook estimates the U.S. population at 319 million people, with 82.4 percent living in urban areas.⁵ The country is divided into 50 states and one district (District of Columbia).

According to the CIA World Factbook, ethnicities among this population are: White (79.96 percent), Black (12.85 percent), Asian (4.43 percent), American Indian and Alaska native (0.97 percent), native Hawaiian and other Pacific islanders (0.18 percent), and two or more races (1.61 percent). Note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included here because the U.S. Census Bureau considers the term Hispanic to refer to persons living in the U.S. of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin, including those of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican Republic, Spanish, and Central or South American origin, who may be of any race or ethnic group (White, Black, Asian, and so on); about 15.1 percent of the total U.S. population is Hispanic.⁶

The major business centers and populations (as of 2010) are shown in Table 3.2 on page 32.⁷

Economy

The U.S. is ranked 7th out of 189 economies in terms of ease of doing business, according to the World Bank Group's Doing Business 2015 report.⁸ Its 2013 GDP was ranked number one by the World Bank,⁹ and the composition of its GDP by sector was services (79.4 percent), industry (19.5 percent), and agriculture (1.1 percent).¹⁰

Corruption Perceptions Index

The U.S. ranked 19th least corrupt out of 177 countries and territories with a score of 73 out of 100.¹¹ This annual index, compiled by Transparency International, measures perceived levels of public sector corruption.

The Criminal Division of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are the anticorruption agencies that conduct investigations in the United States.

Human Development Index

The U.S. ranked fifth out of 187 countries and territories.¹² The HDI, compiled by the United Nations Development Programme, is a composite index of life expectancy, education and income statistics.

Global Gender Gap Index

The U.S. ranked 20th out of 142 countries in terms of gender equality with a score of 0.7463.¹³ This annual index, compiled by the World Economic Forum, assesses gender gaps based on economic, political, educational, and health-based criteria.

System of Measurement

When shipping or transporting materials to and from the U.S., be aware that it is one of only three countries using the Imperial system of measurement instead of the international metric system. (The other two countries are Myanmar/Burma and Liberia.)

Climate

The U.S. has a varied climate: Tropical in Hawaii and Florida; arctic in Alaska; semi-arid in the Great Plains west of the Mississippi River; arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; and low winter temperatures in the northeast and northwest.

Languages

English is widely spoken in the U.S. (82.1 percent), along with Spanish (10.7 percent), other Indo-European (3.8 percent), Asian and Pacific Island (2.7 percent), and others (0.7 percent). The U.S. has no official national language, although English is official in 28 of the 50 states.¹⁴

Belief Systems, Philosophies, and Religions

The country breakdown is as follows: Christian Protestant (51.3 percent), Roman Catholic (23.9 percent), Mormon (1.7 percent), other Christian (1.6 percent), Jewish (1.7 percent), Buddhist (0.7 percent), Islam (0.6 percent), other or unspecified (2.5 percent), unaffiliated (12.1 percent), none (4 percent).¹⁵

For an overview of belief systems, philosophies, and religions, please refer to Chapter 4, pages 64–65.

Time Zones/Daylight Savings

The U.S. has five time zones:

• Hawaii Standard Time (HST) UTC/GMT –10
• Pacific Standard Time (PST) UTC/GMT –8
• Mountain Standard Time (MST) UTC/GMT –7
• Central Standard Time (CST) UTC/GMT –6
• Eastern Standard Time (EST) UTC/GMT –5

Note that the standard formula to calculate local time is to add or subtract a certain number of hours from the UTC (Coordinated Universal Time)/GMT (Greenwich Mean Time).

Daylight Savings Time in the U.S. begins at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March. It ends at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday in November when clocks turn back one hour. Arizona, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa do not observe Daylight Savings Time.¹⁶

For more information, see www.timeanddate.com/worldclock.

Telephone Country Code and Internet Suffix

The U.S. telephone country code is 01 and the Internet suffix is .us.

Currency

The U.S. currency is the U.S. dollar (USD). One dollar is divided into 100 cents.

Fiscal Year

The U.S. fiscal year may vary by company or government type and industry. Dates are commonly written as month/day/year: for example, April 1, 2020 is 04/01/2020.

Working Week

The structure of the typical U.S. working week is outlined in Table 3.3.

Holidays and Festivals

Common U.S. holidays and festivals appear in Table 3.4.

Business Dress/Appearance

Wardrobe varies by industry and geography; business-casual and professional attire are both common. Professional dress for men is a suit (matching slacks and coat) with a white or light-colored shirt, a quality silk tie, polished shoes that match the belt, and socks.

Professional attire for women includes a suit (matching skirt and jacket) or a conservative dress, minimal jewelry and closed-toed shoes with a two- to three-inch heel. In certain industries, bare legs are acceptable for a professional woman in summer months.

Men's business-casual attire includes collared shirts, pressed trousers, or jeans. For women, short sleeved (not sleeveless) dresses, pants (not leggings), sweaters, and open toed shoes (not sandals) are appropriate.

In professional circles, both men and women wear high-quality watches and carry leather portfolios or briefcases. Tailor suits to fit; suggested suit colors are navy, black, dark gray, or brown. Men are clean-shaven or have neatly trimmed facial hair. Women wear neutral makeup. Both men and women cover tattoos, remove piercings, and keep their fingernails trimmed and clean; they avoid black and patterned nail polish.

News Sources

Common news sources in the U.S. include the following:

• Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/home-page
• Financial Times: www.ft.com/home/us
• The Economist: www.economist.com
• New York Times: www.nytimes.com
• Los Angeles Times: www.latimes.com
• Chicago Tribune: www.chicagotribune.com
• Dallas Morning News: www.dallasnews.com
• USA Today: www.usatoday.com

Business Cards

Exchanging business cards occurs in professional or international trade circles. Carrying 50 or more cards in a neutral colored, quality card case is common. With cards printed in another language, present the English side to your U.S. counterpart when meeting.

Technology

According to Akamai Technology's State of the Internet Report, the U.S. has the 10th-fastest average Internet connection speed in the world.¹⁷ Latest figures rank the U.S. second in the world for the number of Internet users¹⁸ and first globally for the number of Internet hosts.¹⁹

Gifts

Appropriate corporate gifts tailored to the recipient include coffee table books, office or desk accessories (pen sets, paperweights, etc.). Cash or personal clothing is inappropriate. When considering boxed candy or liquor, research health, religious, or personal habits.

Corporate gifts are given for holidays, retirements, birthdays, births, marriage, or promotion. Buy moderately priced gifts. Send a thank-you note within 48 hours. Never give gifts or cash to a government official.

Introductions, Greetings, Personal Space, and Eye Contact

Introduce yourself using both first and last name. Greet with “Hello,” “Good morning,” or “Good afternoon.” Avoid “Hey there,” and “How ya doin?”

Personal space is ‘an arm's length.’ A handshake is the appropriate touch in the U.S. workplace. However, after a relationship is established, people in the southern, western, and southwestern U.S., who commonly are more demonstrative with greetings, may offer a light hug or an air-kiss.

Useful Phrases

Phrases useful for travelers to the U.S. include the following:

• Good morning/afternoon
• Nice/pleasure to meet you
• Please and thank you
• Hello/Goodbye
• I look forward to seeing you soon

Names

Executives commonly ask business visitors for permission to use their first names. Avoid shortening a name, such as Michael to Mike, unless invited to do so. It's best to use a courtesy title, such as Mr., or Ms. However, Mrs. is not used in U.S. business.

Meetings and Negotiations

In U.S. American business terms, time is money, so punctuality is highly valued. Scheduled meetings begin promptly, often despite the absence of latecomers. Traditionally, leaders send draft agendas for meetings in advance, and run them from the head of the conference table. The goal for these meetings commonly is to set a plan of action.

Negotiations are structured and results-oriented, and they can be direct, forceful, and explicit. Confrontations should be avoided.

Presentation Styles, Conversational Topics, and Humor

Appropriate conversation topics include sports, weather, restaurants, films, music, pets, vacations, and hobbies. Inappropriate topics include sex, religion, politics, gossip, and health concerns. Humor is often used to defuse tense situations.²⁰

Successful presentations deliver facts, statistics, and data in engaging, humorous, and entertaining ways, often using interactive tools such as SlideShare, PowerPoint, photos, and handouts.

Gestures

Common gestures in the U.S. include the following:

• Touching your index finger to your thumb with your three remaining fingers flexed out is a sign of approval (the okay sign).
• Making a fist with your thumb pointing up is also a sign of approval.
• Raising your index and middle fingers in a V shape, palm outward, can be a sign for victory or Peace.
• Waving hello or goodbye by raising your arm and moving it, palm outward, from side to side.
• Curling your index finger in and out, palm facing upward, means “Come here.”

Notable Foods and Dishes

The U.S. is a melting pot influenced by numerous cultures. Accordingly, Chinese, Czech, Indian, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Brazilian, Mexican, and Vietnamese food is available nationwide. Health-conscious consumers often request gluten-free menus. Organic-food stores, restaurants, and juice bars are popular.

Dining Etiquette

When invited to business-related breakfast, lunch, or dinner at a residence or restaurant, RSVP within 48 hours. In the U.S. style, you hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right. Secure the food item with your fork, and cut it with the knife, then place the knife down at the top of the plate and switch the fork to your right hand to eat. Pass dishes counter-clockwise. Watch the host for cues; do not begin eating until all diners have been served. Dinner typically ends after dessert and coffee. The host or person extending the invitation pays the bill discretely.

Drinking and Toasting

Hosts often make brief toasts for the guest of honor at an event. Raise your glass and join in, or, if honored yourself, respond with a thank-you toast. Toasts include “To your health,” “Cheers,” and “To a long life.” “Clinking” glasses is not required. Follow the host's lead in ordering alcohol or wine. Moderation is key.

Tipping and Bill-Paying

Tipping is customary and expected. At restaurants, servers are paid less than minimum wage because tips are expected to make up the difference; tip 15 to 20 percent of the pre-tax bill for good service. In parties of six or more, an 18- to 20-percent tip is often added to the bill automatically. Save one-, two-, and five-dollar notes for tipping. To reserve a specific table; tip the maître d' prior to guest arrival. Tip guidelines:

• Hotel bellmen: $1–$2 per bag
• Airport skycaps: $1–$2 per bag
• Taxi drivers: 15%–20%
• Valets: $2–$5
• Cloakroom attendants: $2–$5
• Maids: $2–5 day

Smoking

Government bodies have voted to restrict smoking in public places, including restaurants and bars, and to limit smoking within certain distances of a building or doorway. Because smoking laws are governed by county and city municipalities, each city is different. Ask before lighting up.

Taboos

Cultural taboos in the U.S. include

• Using ethnic slurs
• Drunkenness
• Displaying a clenched hand, with the middle finger extended
• Bending the right arm at elbow, slapping the left hand over the bicep, and then raising the right arm
• Slapping someone on the back
• Pointing or shaking a finger at someone, in particular, in someone's face
• Failing to tip for service provided
• Failing to make eye contact in a conversation
• Asking about age, income, pregnancy, weight
• Arriving late or too early
• Talking with your mouth full of food
• Failing to cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing
• Smoking without asking permission
• Interrupting a conversation

Heroes and Sports

Knowing about another country's heroes and sports offers opportunities to incorporate culture-specific references into your conversations and presentations.

1. How Do U.S. Americans Prefer to Act: Individually or as a Group?

“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”

—John F. Kennedy, Inaugural address, January 20th, 1961

“What's on Americans' Minds? Increasingly, ‘Me,’”²⁴ was the heading of an article reporting how, since 1960, incidences of the use of ‘I’ had substantially increased in more than 750,000 U.S. books. In the article, author and psychologist Jean Twenge said this trend suggested that U.S. Americans were far more than just independent-minded; it indicated that a specific type of individualistic thinking—“I come first,” and “I'm the best”—had increased over the years.

Beliefs likes these inhibit our ability to bridge the cultural divide between ourselves and people from other countries. Broadening our own awareness is the first step in the journey. Few understand this better than those tasked with preparing current and future generations for life in the global arena. University provosts and academics are expanding international and cultural awareness programs because, as Dr. Steven W. Leslie, former provost and executive vice president at The University of Texas at Austin, said, “We are now in a situation where we can't just insulate ourselves and say, ‘We are the United States. We're the place the world comes for leadership, innovation, and education.’”

Dr. William I. Brustein, the vice provost for global strategies and international affairs at The Ohio State University agrees: “There's that perception around the world of the United States, and of Western culture, as coming in only thinking of its own self-interest, not thinking of things that may be mutually beneficial.”

This kind of posturing will not achieve the business outcomes desired in Asia. What will achieve them is collaborating in a way that is respectful and with an eye to building long-lasting relationships.

2. How Are Power and Authority Viewed in the U.S.?

“It is often difficult for those from highly centralized nations to understand, but the fact is that final power really does lie in the hands of the people in the United States. This is true whether one speaks of political, economic, or social power.”

—Jef C. Davis and Alison R. Lanier, Living in the U.S.A.

In their book Riding The Waves of Culture: Understanding Diversity in Global Business, world-renowned international management experts Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner relate the story of a Western general manager (GM) who failed to understand that the concept of status has a different meaning in the East than it does in the West. The new GM's arrival in Thailand prompted the company's finance manager to ask him which Mercedes model the GM would like to order. The GM said he preferred to drive a car that was relatively small and easy to handle in Bangkok traffic; he suggested they order him a Suzuki or Mini Cooper.

The new car seemed to be taking a while to arrive. When the GM questioned the finance manager, he had the distinct impression that it would be quicker if he just went with the Mercedes rather than a less expensive car.

After another month of no news, the GM raised the question of his car at a management meeting. Other members of the management team “somewhat shyly…explained that they could hardly come to work on bicycles.” The message became crystal clear: After the GM was seen driving an inexpensive compact car, his subordinates would be reduced to riding two-wheelers.

There is an interdependence of status in Asian countries that is foreign to the way we think and act in the U.S. This kind of deference to authority is contrary to what many of us were taught at an early age: Challenge people in supposed positions of power.

The achievement-oriented culture of the U.S., where accomplishments are college degrees, awards, and beyond, reinforces the belief that anyone with the desire and drive can become anything they wish.

Pulitzer Prize winner Nelle Harper Lee discovered something similar. In 1960, Ms. Lee published her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, a book so successful that former first lady Laura Bush described it decades later as having “changed how people think.” However, this did not stop the media from continually asking when Ms. Lee would write another book. One mark of an achievement-oriented culture is the expectation that the next achievement will quickly follow the previous ones.

3. How Do We Compare Rules and Relationships in the U.S.?

“I once asked a Chinese philosopher why he thought the East and the West had developed such different habits of thought. ‘Because you had Aristotle and we had Confucius,’ he replied.”

—Richard E. Nisbett, The Geography of Thought²⁵

Imagine you had participated in intense negotiations with a Chinese supplier and just finalized the price of a commodity over a three-year contract. Then the bottom dropped out of the market, and the Chinese asked you to renegotiate the price. They argued that conditions had changed and that the existing contract was nothing more than a guideline. Your response may well be to refuse—because a binding agreement is a binding agreement, right? That the price would drop so dramatically is not your problem.

Again, this goes back to our U.S. way of thinking, which is consistent with the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle's considerable influence on Western thought. He explained the world in terms of logical rules that allow us to better control our environment. As Sharon Jackson Wendell, an attorney at Vorys, pointed out, “Americans have the sense that we control our environment and therefore need to address all possible eventualities before they arise, along with resolutions in the event something goes awry.” To maintain control, we regard written rules to be sacrosanct and for most U.S. businesspeople, the contract is the relationship. But the Chinese, influenced by the Confucian desire to seek consensus, would be surprised by your refusal to renegotiate the commodity contract. In China, an executed contract may be modified later because it is only a set of specifications. They see the world holistically and comprised of interdependent relationships, whereas Westerners view the world as populated by independent individuals responding to logical rules. Yes, U.S. Americans are crazy for rules and love to make laws in the U.S.²⁶

4. How Do We View Time in the U.S.?

“As Americans are trained to see things, the future will not be better than the past or the present unless people use their time for constructive, future-oriented activities. Thus, Americans admire a “well organized” person…”

—Gary Althen, American Ways: A Cultural Guide to the United States

When Sharon owned her first small business, she worked with a CFO named Tim, the type of man who packed his day with obligations and who had little time to spare. Like many U.S. Americans, Tim viewed time as a commodity: “Time is money.” Inevitably, Tim would call at the eleventh hour with a project on a short runway. His time was precious and Sharon would joke, “Should I remain standing, or do you have enough time for me to sit down today?” When appropriate, she'd even drive Tim to the airport to facilitate a longer conversation because she respected Tim's concept of time.

Consider the following:

• FedEx's original branding campaign included the line When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.²⁷
• An AT&T television ad claimed “Faster is better.”
• A Booz & Company strategy/business magazine article, titled ‘What You Should Accomplish in Your First 10 Days,’ argued that leaders can no longer afford the luxury of being in situ for 100 days before achieving results.²⁸
• The concept of time management as a business imperative is attributed to naturalized U.S. citizen Peter F. Drucker.²⁹

No doubt about it, Western perspectives of time have been hugely influential for branding, management processes, and leadership thinking. In some parts of the world, time relates to natural cycles and “flows” like a river. In the U.S. and some other Western cultures, however, time has been commoditized and mechanized.

5. How Do We Typically Communicate in the U.S.?

“When an American says, ‘Pass that file!” it's just her way of saying, ‘Could I trouble you to just pass me that file, please?’ They're not being discourteous: Dutch, Scandinavians and Spanish people tend to have the same speech patterns.”

—Barry Tomalin & Mike Nicks, World Business Cultures: A Handbook

Ice is ice and snow is snow—except to the Inuit and the Yupik peoples living in the Arctic Circle. The Inuit and Yupik have many different words for ice and snow—ice that never melts, ice with holes like Swiss cheese, wet snow, soft powdered snow, and so on—because for them, these distinctions could mean life or death. Anthropologists have discovered that the Eskimos have more than 50 words for snow and 70 words for ice. The Sami tribe, living in northern Scandinavia and Russia, has more than 1,000 words for reindeer!

On the other end of the spectrum, consider the absence of the word no in many Asian cultures. For example, Sharon is frequently asked by clients and executives why people in Asia have difficulty being straightforward. What they really mean is: why do they have such trouble saying no? The short answer is that this is about face. Look at it from the reverse viewpoint. When we Westerners communicate in upfront and direct ways, we are, to the Asian worldview, causing the rejected party to lose face.

In corporate America, speaking your mind is generally encouraged, because in our culture we prefer people to get to the point. U.S. Americans use direct communication and launch into speech with business or selling in mind.³² This goes back to the concept that time is money. Offering a customer a straightforward rejection, such as, “No. I apologize, but that's not possible,” is not unusual. However, assuming that this kind of direct communication is universal is a big mistake—especially when doing business in Asia. As Richard Nisbett points out in The Geography of Thought:

“Westerners—and especially Americans—are apt to find Asians hard to read because Asians are likely to assume that their point has been made indirectly and with finesse. Meanwhile, the Westerner is very much in the dark. Asians, in turn, are apt to find Westerners—perhaps especially Americans—direct to the point of condescension or even rudeness.”³³

Also, bear in mind that using sports analogies in phrases such as “He doesn't pull any punches” or “Shoot straight!” is likely to confuse Asians.

6. How Formal or Informal Are We in the U.S.?

“(American) culture is generally informal, with first names almost always used except by children addressing adults.”

—Milena Boánková a kolektiv, Intercultural Communication

A story in David A. Ricks's book Blunders in International Business³⁴ concerns a U.S. manager who was sent to Malaysia to close a major deal. Unfortunately, he had neglected to do his homework on Malaysian forms of introduction and name pronunciations. After hearing what he believed was the name Roger when being introduced to a potential business client, the U.S. manager, in his friendly, informal way, proceeded to call the man Rog.

The U.S. manager here made two missteps. First, he slipped into the informal practice of using a first name, which is not common in Asian countries. Second, he misheard the client's name, which was actually rajah, a title of nobility. With this overly familiar and culturally insensitive approach, the U.S. manager's faux pas irrevocably damaged that relationship. To the Malaysians, his level of informality was disrespectful.

Before a trip to China, Sharon researched professional titles to show respect. Even when Chinese people have known each other professionally for years, they may continue to use titles such as Boss Lady or Madame in the presence of others. In China, as in other Asian cultures, this honors professional status. Follow the lead of those more experienced. Avoid thinking informality is acceptable worldwide.

In certain U.S. industries, informal greetings such as “Hi” and “Hey” have become increasingly common. However, in professional and international trade circles, formal greetings such as “Good morning” and “Good afternoon,” are still the standards. U.S. informality like this often comes across to our Asian counterparts as rude. Also many U.S. executives do not greet international business counterparts at the airport or provide small welcome gifts (see Chapter 4 page 57 for gift-giving in Asia). One U.S. businessman even said he considered these activities to be unnecessary and unimportant. However, this is not a universally accepted view. U.S. Americans often extended what sounded like verbal invitations to lunch, dinner, or a drink, but failed to follow up.

Sharon's U.S. clients often ask her whether it's appropriate to end a business conversation with “Let's get together for lunch or coffee.” Her advice is to avoid phrases like this unless it is sincere and you intend to follow up. A better conversation closer is to say, “Thank you for your time. I've enjoyed visiting with you,” or “I look forward to seeing you at the next meeting.”

Nevertheless, inviting your Asian colleagues for lunch or dinner can be a good idea. Specifically, inviting business colleagues to dinner in your home is an exceptional method for building trust. It provides overseas colleagues with insight into local customs, and satisfies their innate curiosity in ways that no restaurant visit can possibly match because, in Asia, being invited to someone's home is the ultimate honor.

7. How Aligned Are Our Social and Business Lives in the U.S.?

“Most companies have a “no drinking” of alcoholic beverages policy during regular business hours.”

—Mary Murray Bosrock, Put Your Best Foot Forward: U.S.A. A Fearless Guide to Understanding the United States of America (1999)

Considerable regional and corporate cultural variations exist even within the U.S., ranging from the relaxed atmosphere of Silicon Valley to the intense, incessant focus of New York's Wall Street. Generally speaking, however U.S. employers do not expect their employees to fraternize during work hours, let alone spend time with coworkers outside the office. Depending on the corporate culture, upper management is actively discouraged from befriending subordinates to avoid claims of inappropriate behavior.

From that perspective, it is hard for many Westerners to see an advantage to socializing with colleagues during the working day.

8. How Is the Concept of Women in Business Handled in the U.S.?

“Historically, American women have been independent from the time the first colonists came to the United States.”

—Diane Asitimbay, What's Up America?

Global consulting firm Booz & Company issued a report titled Empowering the Third Billion: Women and the World of Work in 2012.³⁵ The ‘Third Billion’ refers to women being as significant to the global economy over the next decade as the populations of India and China. The purpose of the report was to highlight the need for “smarter policies that can remove social, cultural, and professional constraints on women and foster greater economic opportunities.”

Sheryl Sandberg's bestseller, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, speaks to the way women may have held themselves back in U.S. business. U.S. girls are often taught that passivity makes them more appealing and feminine. As The Third Billion report shows, women have made great strides by positioning themselves in greater numbers in lower and middle-management positions, but they have done less well in achieving senior positions. For example, as the Booz report points out, “In 2011, women held 16.1 percent of board seats at Fortune 500 companies and 14.1 percent of executive officer positions.” In entrepreneurial life, “Just 1.8 percent of women-owned firms have more than $1 million in revenues, compared with 6.3 percent of men-owned firms.”

How do U.S. American businesswomen approach and adapt to culturally diverse international environments? As Andy Molinsky stresses in Global Dexterity, there comes a point at which you have to decide how much cultural adaptation you are prepared to do without violating your deepest values.

CEO Melanie Barnes asks herself whether the right thing for her to do as a female leader is to delegate authority to a male executive so that the business can get done. This is a consideration she makes constantly as her business establishes and maintains strong relationships in Japan:

“Let's say I already have someone in Japan who is interested in a deal that I'm working on and they have approached our company. Would it be a deal killer if there is a woman CEO on this side? Would it make them more likely to dismiss this opportunity even if it's something they would normally want to do? Would the right thing for the company be for me to get out of the way and put a man in my place so that the deal could be made? Should I even be the lead negotiator? Or is that automatically giving an advantage to a team that has a male negotiator?”

Even in the U.S., adds Ms. Barnes, “There is a really fine line to walk for women when it comes to being confident and not coming across as cocky or strident. I think women in the U.S. aren't given very much tolerance when it comes to having a variety of styles. You can be dismissed as passive, silly, angry, or a lot of things just because the culture doesn't allow us the wide range of behaviors without getting stereotyped. I think being aware of that is a good thing.”