Day 1

Despite the dismal weather there was an energy of excitement in the beautiful new SIS building this morning. In my first session, we were greeted by a lawyer, an economist and a professor; and no, this isn’t the start of a bad joke. This is a collaborative team working on Air Force strategy for intercultural negotiations. Interesting research is on the horizon with strategies broken down into nuanced components and is set for publication this fall. As if that weren’t enough, these publications are for public distribution. There may be little glory in it for the authors but with the wide application of their research, there’s a sense of personal satisfaction by all involved in the project.

The following session on using cross-cultural skills for competitive advantage, Dr. Linowes presented as a global traveler whose excitement and enthusiasm would make anyone consider a career in international business. He led a lively discussion and enlisted audience participation to provide instances of disaster and success in intercultural interaction in the business sector. Personal anecdotes and insight from current controversies like the recent Toyota recall, provide perspective on just how global business is affected by intercultural interaction.

At lunch we were served a yummy buffet luncheon to please carnivores and vegetarians alike….and let’s not forget the decadent chocolate cake. We were lucky to have Lara Logan as our keynote speaker. She has lived a lifetime of intercultural experiences and wasn’t shy about talking with us about them. Lara brought a particularly moving segment from 60 Minutes framed around an interview she did with Medal of Honor award winner, Staff sergeant Sal Giunta. She went on to share not only anecdotes of experiences, she provided personal stories about her life and inspiration from her upbringing in post-Apartheid South Africa and her continued zeal for the real grit of journalism.

I was lucky enough to snag a spot at her Q & A session. She was presented with some challenging questions and without hesitation; she provided thoughtful responses and made no bones about telling us about the limits of the media. I hope to speak for most of us when I say we left feeling inspired and motivated by her candid and insightful responses to difficult questions.

I was also fortunate to attend a session on intercultural knowledge management where we participated in a lively discussion on the nuts & bolts of the problems organizations often face in collecting and organizing valuable cultural information. It’s a complicated process but Global Dynamics, Inc. is there to help organizations sort out the complex system of compiling, storing, accessing and supporting organizations that send valuable personnel overseas for duty.

Let’s not forget the rainy and windy walk to Chef Geoff’s for the IMI associates happy hour. Always a good time, Geoff did not disappoint. Yummy finger food and some adult beverages led many to intense discussions. Everyone was having a great time meeting and talking with one another. I suppose it’s easy when you have similar passions. After much insightful discussion and merriment, I left feeling inspired and more knowledgeable.

Here’s hoping to better weather and an equally exciting day tomorrow!