IRINA TRAVELING - Official Web Site - Experience of working with Russians from a Hispanic side. Part 1.

Have you ever worked with foreigners? Not to communicate, namely to have a business relationship. Where the difference of cultures and mentality is fully felt, because a common cause depends on these relations, and everything is part of one team.

An acquaintance of mine from Chile agreed to share his 14-year experience of cooperation with Russians in various fields. What unusual and strange for himself he faced, what surprised him, what he liked.

The author's style and syllable are preserved.

14 years ago, I was thinking about cultural differences in the world, and it’s strange, as if thoughts were a magnet, I called on the phone with a job offer of a businesswoman who had just arrived from Russia to my city. Advise on the supply of gourmet products to the store.

I decided to accept this exotic challenge and thus began to get acquainted with the world, which to this day remains a mystery to me.

I am from South America, and it is obvious that we have many cultural, educational differences, but the most important thing is our attitude towards life. I don’t want to say that this or that culture is better, it’s just different and curious, which is worth analyzing.

For practical purposes, I will relate my experience of working with Russians in different directions, highlighting some aspects, although this is an activity carried out with people, I will leave aside the personal and focus on attitudes and work experience.

FIRST JOB (CONSULTANT OF DELICATE PRODUCTS STORE)

“ADAPT AND DO NOT DIE ATTEMPTING”

The task was to oversee and support the opening of a store of gourmet products imported from Europe and Russia, for which, first of all, it was necessary to create a working team. It sounds simple, but the difference between Russia and South America is very big.

The first meeting was called, and when the Latin American members of the working group arrived, they began with an affectionate greeting, hugs, kisses, smiles. Everything was going fine until it was time to greet our Russian boss and … the urge to hug her was quickly diminished, receiving only a handshake and a welcoming look.
I cannot say that it was a cold welcome, but it was a different and unexpected situation, when one after the other everyone felt like a wall.

All this contrasted with the development of the meeting, in which our boss (who already spoke Spanish) showed great interest and wrote down absolutely everything, showing from the very beginning how it was organized and how much she cared that nothing was left on will of chance. She also took a lot of interest in the ideas of the other team members and congratulated them many times on these fantastic ideas, but also asked every detail, being very meticulous.

All this might be fine, but the passion of Hispanics is constantly manifested in their relationship, and this meeting was constantly interrupted by jokes, laughter, coffee breaks or some private anecdote. Which made our boss uncomfortable as she found herself in an unfamiliar environment and seemed to believe that we didn’t care about continuing the meeting.

This trend repeats over time, also adding lateness from Hispanics, who were almost the natural norm. However, our boss arrived first at every meeting, sometimes 1 hour earlier than the rest, but seeing that everyone was always late, sometimes even 1 an hour later than the scheduled time, and seeing that no one cares about it, she decided to start being late too. As the saying goes, if you can’t go upstream, join him.

Finally, the project worked well and the store was a success. In the process, our boss became more interested in South American gourmet foods than European ones, and she loved them. She enjoyed her project, which made us all happy.

Over time, we were able to realize how “romanized” she was, and her hugs and laughter sounded constantly at meetings, but all this was due to the success of the project, because there is something that has not changed, “responsibility and professionalism” and if with the project it was not all good, we met her coldest and toughest side.
Curiously, she eventually admitted that when the project failed, it wasn’t because of being late, relaxing, or joking. This was mainly due to communication problems with clients, as she was not able to connect her idea well with the client’s idea, and this is because there was no good research on Latin culture and their reactions to certain products, since Latin Americans do not consume or enjoy those the same products that are a sensation in Russia, like cereals or caviar. And if you want to get into the Latin world well, then you need to explore and adapt to its world and culture, because the Latin American is arrogant and not very tolerant of change, because he has preferences that are his own, especially in food.

Our boss showed us how important communication is and how important it is to understand and find a good way to the place where you live, to absorb its air, its aromas and traditions. To be able to come more easily with a project and that it is mainly what will open the doors to Latin world, because joy, cordiality and a friendly welcoming smile give a full guarantee of this Latin Americans fulfill their promises and goals, but they take more turns to achieve the result, Russian is taking the shortest path to the same goal, but the main difference is that the Latin American reaches the goal, but seems to have more of a need to dance, laugh, and relax while enjoying the process.

Unfortunately, the experience ended because our boss moved to another country, which was very difficult for her, because she was fascinated by the project, and also discovered the dance “SALSA”, which she practiced 4 days a week, and this is the world made her really happy.

Now she lives in the USA with her husband and teaches salsa there, she always remembers how difficult it was at first for her to adapt to Hispanics because of all their seeming disorder and disorder, as if nothing mattered to them. But now, dancing salsa, she feels like another Latin American and wants to enjoy this relaxed attitude to life, but in the Russian style, always punctual and responsible, in addition analyzing every detail, because this characterizes Russians, how detailed they are in every case.

But the exchange of experience and culture was positive in this project, we became more detailed Latinos and learned to better plan each lesson, and our Russian boss was pleasantly transformed into a Latin American who can dance salsa in the snow of a cold Russian winter with a big smile and joy.