The world is shrinking. Across my career, I’ve worked on many multicultural and international teams. Today, I work directly with individuals who have a native language of English, Italian, Hindu, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese,  Spanish or Vietnamese. Based on my experiences, I wrote tips for leading global teams. In that post I recommend using simple terms in the native language of the person you address. However, there were still members of my own team for whom I had yet to learn these simple phrases.

I decided to compile the most common words and phrases I use in regular business conversation across the most popular languages. Below is the list of these terms for your reference. If you work with a global team, chances are you will find relevant native languages below (alphabetical order):

Arabic

Hello - مرحبا
Goodbye - وداعا
Please - من فضلك
Thank you - شكرا
You’re welcome - فنحن نرحب بك
Yes - نعم
No - لا

Chinese (Simplified)

Hello - 您好
Goodbye - 再见
Please - 请
Thank you - 谢谢
You are welcome - 欢迎您
Yes - 是
No - 无

French

Hello - Bonjour
Goodbye - revoir
Please - S’il vous plaît
Thank you - Merci
You’re welcome - Vous êtes les bienvenus
Yes - Oui
No - Aucun

German

Hello - Hallo
Goodbye - Auf Wiedersehen
Please - Bitte
Thank you - Danke
You’re welcome - Gern geschehen
Yes - ja
No - nicht

Hindi

Hello - नमस्ते
Goodbye - नमस्ते
Please - कृपया
Thank you - शुक्रिया
You’re welcome - कोई बात नहीं.
Yes - हां
No - नहीं

Italian

Hello - ciao
Goodbye - arrivederci
Please - per favore
Thank you - grazie
You’re welcome - Prego
Yes - sì
No – no

Japanese

Hello - こんにちは
Goodbye - さようなら
Please - してください
Thank you - ありがとう
You’re welcome - あなたどういたしまして
Yes - はい
No - なし

Korean

Hello - 안녕하세요
Goodbye - 안녕
Please - 하세요
Thank you - 감사합니다
You’re welcome - 참 잘 오셨습니다
Yes - 예
No - 아니

Portuguese

Hello - Olá
Goodbye - adeus
Please - por favor
Thank you - obrigado
You’re welcome - De nada
Yes - sim
No - não

Russian

Hello - привет
Goodbye - до свидания
Please - пожалуйста
Thank you - спасибо
You’re welcome - Всегда пожалуйста
Yes - да
No - нет

Spanish

Hello - ¡Hola
Goodbye - despedida
Please - Por favor
Thank you - Gracias
You’re welcome - No hay de qué
Yes - sí
No - no

Turkish

Hello - Merhaba
Goodbye - güle güle
Please - lütfen
Thank you - teşekkür ederim
You’re welcome - Estağfurullah
Yes - evet
No - yok

Vietnamese

Hello - Xin chào
Goodbye - Tạm biệt
Please - Xin
Thank you - cảm ơn bạn
You’re welcome - Bạn đang chào đón
Yes - Có
No - không có

A brief word of caution: I am not an multilingual expert. Before considering using these phrases in a formal manner or critical negotiation, be sure to consult an expert to avoid offending anyone. Furthermore, if you do not see the language, word you seek or if you need the pronunciation, I suggest using Google Translate – the source of most translations here.

Question: Have you tried using simple phrases of the native language with global team members? What was the impact?

When you feel like the answer is obvious, but nobody wants to listen, you are not alone.
When everyone else seems focused on their personal pestige, rather than serving stakeholders, you are not alone.
When you want to scream at the narcacisists entitled with executive job descriptions, you are not alone.

When it seems overwhelming and you don’t know Where to turn, you are not alone.
When you’re tired of watching people proclaimed “the greatest asset”, only to have performance reviews be an after thought, you are not alone
When you fought for the strategic investment only to have it cannibalized into a small, short-term gain, you are not alone
When you waste hours working with outdated tools because the organization does not value people’s time, you are not alone

When the economy is blamed for layoffs, while the company reports record earnings, you are not alone
When exploitation of the team seems an art form to others, you are not alone

When self preservation trumps doing what is right, you are not alone
When dirty politics is standard, on-the-job training, but leadership courses are few and far between, you are not alone
When trust is absent but fear and intimidation are your neighbors, you are not alone
When executives seem blind to the negative culture and declining results, you are not alone.

When leadership fails to serve and you alone, seem opposed to the toxicity proliferating your organization, you are not alone.

You are not alone, servant leader. We stand with you. We see the trending failure today and we seek to right it. We seek to fix what is broken. We seek to mend the broken limbs of our corporate cultures and set right what the toxic leaders of today have all but destroyed.

You are not alone. If you need resources or want to connect with other servant leaders, here are some resources:

Posts on Modern Servant Leader:

• Servant Leader Manifesto
• Why Servant Leadership is the Future
• Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For with Servant Leadership
• Situational Leadership? Try Consistent Leadership

Resources on Modern Servant Leader:

• Servant Leader Assessment
• Resources for the Beginning Servant Leader
• Servant Leadership Companies List
•  Servant Leadership Quotes

Other Servant Leadership Sites:

• LinkedIn Servant Leader Group
• Spears Center for Servant Leadership
• Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership

You know the feeling – that frustration when you can not convince a particular “blocker” to get on board. I’d been going back and forth in my head for weeks, trying to figure out how to get a message through to a particular blocker, so they would support the initiative. “Everyone else got it, why didn’t he?!” kept racing through my thoughts. Then it occurred to me: the problem was not his, it was mine. I had not been focused on serving them, but on my need to move the project forward.

The frustration was my big, red flag. I stopped to try and understand why I was frustrated. Was it really because they would not budge or was it because I was unable to move them? The latter was true. Was I frustrated because we could not meet the needs of the  broader organization or because he was blocking my ability to attain a personal goal? Again, the latter was true. As I dug through my frustration, it was clear I had not approached the problem from a perspective of serving.

To clarify, here are a couple definitions for frustration:

• “the feeling that accompanies an experience of being thwarted in attaining your goals” (wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn; 2010.06.26, emphasis added)
• “Frustration is a common emotional response to opposition. Related to anger and disappointment, it arises from the perceived resistance to the fulfillment of individual will. The greater the obstruction, and the greater the will, the more the frustration is likely to be. …” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frustration; 2010.06.26, emphasis added)

As the emphasis highlights, frustration is a sign that you may be focused on yourself and not the needs of others. Therefore, as a leader in you organization, frustration should be a warning sign to you as well. When you feel frustrated, remember your calling as a leader to serve those you lead, first.

After recognizing the source of my frustration, here’s how I altered my own approach and suggest those in similar circumstances consider:

1. Return to Listening: What is the source of the problem causing your frustration? In this case, I needed to meet with this person and commit myself to only listening to their concerns. I could not present any alternatives, contradictions or disagreements in this meeting – just listen. Your situation may be broader than a single individual, listen all the same.

2. Find the Gap: What was the gap you identified after listening, that created the frustration? In my case, the objector had a need that could not be met, immediately, by the proposed solution. In your case, there may be more than one gap, define them. I found actually writing out the gaps helped clarify the picture.

3. Meet the Need: In your role as a servant to those you lead, you must meet their needs. If you’ve listened effectively and identified the gap(s), you can meet the need. In my case, it was a simple matter of timing. Over time, we could meet the needs of the objector. Therefore, we made a plan that provided objective traceability on our progress to that need. Define your own way to meet the need of the gap(s).

Now, I am a realist and understand this will not resolve every source of your frustrations. These simple 3 steps will not create world peace or cure cancer. However, it is important for servant leaders to recognize frustration as a warning sign of poor priorities. The next time you are frustrated with a situation, ask yourself “am I focused on serving this person, organization or situation?”

Question: Is there something frustrating you now that you may need to change your priorities on?

Stop Tailgating & Brake Checking at Work

Imagine you’re driving down the road in the passing lane, already exceeding the speed limit, when you see somebody following very close.  The tailgater’s message is clear: “I need to get somewhere and I need to get there quicker than you are going”.  Some people in this situation might “brake check” the tailgater – they slam on their breaks to send their own message.  The  brake checker’s message is equally strong: “Watch out!  If you follow too close, you may cause an accident and it will be clearly your fault.”

Does this sound familiar to disagreements at the office?  Two people are working on a project and it appears both are trying to get to the same destination.  Yet one person demands greater risks for quicker results.  This happens a lot, especially in organizations where near-term results and quarterly goals are prioritized over sustainability.  As a result, employees are often competing for who can get the job done quicker and not necessarily who gets there with the best balance of risk and reward.  Both the Brake Checker and the Tailgater have better options to serve their company.

The Brake Checker

The brake checker usually is the one that starts off in front.  They have everyone aligned, driving in the same direction. Yet it becomes apparent the objective is not pursued quickly enough for someone in the organization.  As a result, at least one individual, looking for quicker results, pushes for greater risks and speed.  There are a couple of options the current leader has:

Brake Check: The leader could do the risky tactic and slam on the brakes.  In other words, they could threaten everyone, insisting that anything they try to move quicker could  cause horrible results.  Yet, in doing so the leader puts their own credibility at risk for not considering alternatives.  The key is not to allow confrontation to exceed collaboration.

Slow Down: Instead of slamming on the brakes, the current leader could caution the contesting follower by carefully explaining the situation and risks to the organization. Instead of utilizing alarmism, a temporary slow down to carefully examine risks in all options ensures everyone understands the risks in speeding up the team.

Pull Over: Finally, if the leader has explained the risks they face, explained why she is not comfortable speeding up and still the tailgaters come with support from behind (and above), there is the option of pulling over to let the tailgater lead.  As a servant to the organization, you must make sure you’ve made your concerns clear and detailed the risks the organization faces.  Yet if the organization understands the risks and you are not comfortable accepting that level of risk, then the best way to serve, may be turn over the keys to the car.

The Tailgater

The tailgater is interested in going the same direction but is willing to take greater risks to get there faster.  They may  feel there is a better way , believe the current leader is not taking enough risks or may be for pursuing their personal ego strokes.  The tailgater may seek fame and want to be recognized for speeding up success at any cost.  Regardless of their reason, the tailgater creates risk for both individuals and the organization as a whole, in order to achieve their results.  There are also better options for the tailgater.

Flash Headlights: The tailgater could flash their headlights from a safe distance.   By sending the message to the current leader and those around them, without threatening, the follower and team can collaborate on alternative options for quicker results.  This would also call attention to the concerns from leadership, alert everyone that the current follower feels greater risks are acceptable and yet not endanger everyone around them.

Pass on Right: There may be other options to help the team get to their destination more quickly.  When the opportunity presents itself, the follower could pass on the right.  In business, the follower may be able to lead a critical piece of the project that does not threaten the organization’s overall success.  In so doing, the follower could be charged with carrying a specific load where greater risk is acceptable.

So the next time you’re driving on the road or leading a project and you feel the current leader is not taking enough risks or moving too slowly, remember you have many options to support faster progress.  Similarly, if you’re dealing with critics and followers that demand greater risks in the name of speed, understand their reasoning and respond appropriately.  Whichever role you play in the traffic friction, remember there are many options you have to best serve the organization with the optimal balance of risk and reward.

The best leaders today understand the power of relationships, especially when it comes to business. As a result, most leaders have a strong network of colleagues that, over the years, become friends. These friendships and business partnerships extend online as well. However, many straggling organizations still insist upon blocking traffic to “social sites”. In contrast, the best led companies do not fear social media – they embrace it. The strongest leaders leverage the benefits of social technology while addressing the risks in a manner that empowers their teams but protects the company. Below are 5 reasons great leaders should not fear social media and a balanced reflection on the risks.

1. Best Friends At Work
Who still believes that work is impersonal? When was it necessary to ensure that your business contacts are not also friends? Need we remind some organizations of the Gallup Organization’s findings from their study of high performing organizations:

Gallup… observed that employees who report having a best friend at work were¹:

• 43% more likely to report having received praise or recognition for their work in the last seven days.
• 37% more likely to report that someone at work encourages their development
• 35% more likely to report coworker commitment to quality.
• 28% more likely to report that in the last six months, someone at work has talked to them about their progress
• 27% more likely to report that the mission of their company makes them feel their job is important
• 27% more likely to report that their opinions seem to count at work.
• 21% more likely to report that at work, they have the opportunity to do what they do best every day.

2. Companies Don’t Buy & Sell, People Do
When it comes to major agreements and long term commitments, people do not simply buy something from a company. Instead, they build partnerships and gain understanding from those partners about that company and their products. Then, business partners create mutually beneficial, value generating agreements together. The net result, after years of success on both ends of those deals is a stronger relationship, often extending into friendships. Those friendships can generate trust and efficiency which transcends employers, creates stronger networks and brings value to the next company by which either partner is employed. No longer does a person bring only their experience and skills to a company that hires them, but they bring the skills, experience and trust of their network as well.

3. Who Do You Want in Your Foxhole?
When times get tough, who do you want in your foxhole with you? Someone you only know based on their numbers, contracts, functional requirements and other formalities? Do you really think such an individual will stick their neck out for you or go that extra mile, unless the compensation is there? Or, do you want someone you’ve known well, whose family you know by name and whose favorite charity you supported last year? If nothing else, it helps to know your business partner’s spouse will yell at them if they screw up a deal they committed to you on.

4. Innovation
Structured, internal, corporate innovation alone is too constrained for today’s global economy. Innovation does not work well in a vacuum. The more creative outlets and inlets you provide your entire staff, the greater the chance they will discover breakthrough innovations. As your staff listens to their friends complain about how the products your competitors make, fail to meet their needs, they will better understand the implications of your engineering, research & development. The more your teams hear their contacts mention the need for someone to invent a solution to xyz problem, the greater the chance your company will create and solve that new market problem.

5. Mass Dialogue
Never before in history, has the opportunity for mass dialogue existed in such a manner as what social media provides. Print media creates mass, one way communication. Television does the same. Static website are no better. Previous communications technologies equate to shouting at your customers. With social media, feedback mechanisms like rated reviews, number of views and frequency of comments provide a means by which leaders can proactively hear the unified voice that is their consumer mass. This creates, in essence, a platform by which leaders can carry on a mass dialogue, like never before.

Dark Side
Don’t get me wrong, their are risks inherent to social media as well. Yes, your employee could reveal some deep, dark, corporate secret. Or, someone claiming to speak on your organization’s behalf may slip and act unprofessionally in a business forum. There may even be a greater volume of technical risks, such as computer viruses, worms and social engineering in these mediums. However, the solution to these risks are the same they’ve always been: education, training, policy and appropriate network security. The solution is not cutting off your company from opportunities for fear of the unknown.

In the end, as technical leaders in your organization, it is up to you to set the expectations of the company with regard to innovative opportunities. This evolution in communication technology is no different. The next time you debate blocking the latest social media site, consider, instead, joining the site and putting your great staff to task in finding the right way to keep that channel open for the corporation to leverage all benefits, without exposing you to the usual risks.

1. http://gmj.gallup.com/content/511/Item-10-Best-Friend-Work.aspx July 10, 2009.