Where Effort is All That's Required

As professionals, we’ve been told that effort is nice, but results are all that matter. Working hard but failing to solve the problem equals job failure. Fortunately, there is one arena where effort really does seem to be all that is required, and that’s personal relations with other cultures. Of course, more knowledge is usually better, and nothing can give you more insight into a culture than learning the language, but for most of our business dealings, trying will go a long ways towards establishing trust. Treat people with respect, don’t promise what you can’t deliver, try to understand the other point of view. Basic decency and a willingness to learn are all that are required.