Dean Foster Global Cultures

Stuttgart Systems Meet Pueblo Pride.

Dean Foster — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:12:10 GMT

"The Mexican team refuses to follow the process we have established for all global offices", Gerhardt fumed at the meeting from Stuttgart.
"Sure, they always come through at the end of the day, but it seems as if they have to do it their own way first, always ignoring our guidelines!"

Ever worked with a culture where rules & procedures are routinely ignor…

CULTURAL COMPETENCE FOR GLOBAL LEADERS.

Dean Foster — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:06:09 GMT

When Skip first contacted me regarding his interest in my latest book, “BUSINESS BEYOND BORDERS: Stories, Tales and Lessons Learned from Working in 100 Cultures Around the World”, I was really excited to chat with him, an award-winning speaker, podcast host and renowned thought leader on global leadership. His insights in the past have been incredibly i…

AWAYWARD.COM

Dean Foster — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 18:55:38 GMT

You can imagine that in my work, I am always looking for services and products that help make global work and travel more successful and less stressful. Recently, I learned about AWAYWARD, a provider of VIRTUAL global medical and health services. Maybe it’s because I am “of that certain age” that concerns for staying healthy while doing international wo…

MEMORANDUM OF MIS-UNDERSTANDING.

Dean Foster — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 14:15:54 GMT

I wrote my first book, “Bargaining Across Borders: How to Negotiate Business Anywhere Around the World” to help businesses recognize that different cultures negotiate in different ways, and that the rules of good, successful negotiating are subject to the cultures of the countries with whom one is negotiating. The book was written back in the mid-90’s,…

Your Business Needs You to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone Now.

Dean Foster — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 14:12:49 GMT

Excited to share my recent interview with Wanda Wallace on her very informative and essential show: "Out of The Comfort Zone", right here: youtube.com/watch?v=D72… Navigating business across cultures means constantly stepping beyond what’s familiar—and that’s where true growth happens. And that’s exactly what happens - or certainly SHOULD happen - when you do business with colleagues and associates abroad. You already know that your company needs to be constantly growing, and the greatest opportunities for growth - especially now - lie not in your comfortable domestic market, but in the global world outside your comfort zone.

Curious about what it takes to succeed internationally? Explore "BUSINESS BEYOND BORDERS: Stories, Tales and Lessons Learned from Working in 100 Cultures Around the World" for firsthand insights and practical lessons. Get your copy here: ow.ly/xe5850YbXqt

What’s the most valuable cultural insight you’ve gained in your global work or travels? Share your story in the comments—I’m eager to learn from your experiences!

How Many Fish Do You See?

Dean Foster — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 15:28:15 GMT

So what does this have to do with working more successfully across cultures? I’d say, plenty. Because culture affects every aspect of human behavior, including how we like to work, and working, in the best of all possible worlds, should involve how we think. And, ergo, culture exerts a powerful influence on how we prefer to think. Yes, there are dif…

This Week's CultureQuiz: How Did You Celebrate New Years Eve?

Dean Foster — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 19:45:22 GMT

No surprise that New Years Eve…that pre-eminent moment celebrating the end and new beginning of our annual earthly trip around the sun is celebrated differently depending on where on earth you happen to be. Like all things cultural, New Years celebrations differ culture by culture, and, in the spirit of wanting to wring as much celebration as we can from the event before the calamities of a new year descend, I thought it might be fun to create a CultureQuiz around different New Years traditions around the world. No doubt many of you might have been celebrating these traditions as we said goodbye to 2025, and welcomed in 2026.

So below, we’ve listed 15 different New Years celebration traditions from around the world, along with the 15 countries in which they are celebrated. All you have to do is match the tradition with the country correctly! Ready to give it a try, all you culturephiles? (Please note: although some traditions may apply to more than one country, for this CultureQuiz, there is only one correct tradition per country, and there are no repeats of traditions or countries). The correct answers follow the quiz for our beloved subscribers (so if you haven’t already subscribed to deanfosterglobal.substack.com, you can do so right here).

Here are 15 COUNTRIES that need to be paired with their correct New Years Celebration Tradition:

ARGENTINA
BRAZIL
DENMARK
FRANCE
GERMANY
GREECE
IRELAND
ITALY
JAPAN
ROMANIA
RUSSIA
SCOTLAND
SPAIN
SWITZERLAND
VENEZUELA

And here are the 15 possible New Years celebration TRADITIONS:

A. Eat a bowl of whipped cream at midnight.

B. Wear pink underwear on New Years Eve.

C. Smash pomegranates on the sidewalk.

D. Eat little pig-shaped marzipan candies on New Years Eve.

E. Town bells are rung 108 times at midnight.

F. Jump 7 waves at the beach at midnight.

G. Remain silent for 12 minutes at midnight.

H. Be or receive the first dark-haired male to walk through the door at midnight.

I. Eat 12 grapes at midnight (one for each month of the coming year).

J. Walk or run around the block with an empty suitcase.

K. Smash pottery against the front of your house.

L. Eat 12 spoonsful of lentils.

M. Make oysters your first main meal on New Years day.

N. Bang pots and pans at midnight.

O. Toss a coin into the river at midnight.

Need more information about working with cultural differences around the world, be they New Years celebrations or, oh, so much more? See my books, “Bargaining Across Borders” (McGraw-Hill), and “The Global Etiquette Guide to Latin America” (John Wiley & Sons), “The Global Etiquette Guide to Europe” (John Wiley & Sons), “The Global Etiquette Guide to Asia” (John Wiley & Sons), “The Global Etiquette Guide to Africa & the Middle East” (John Wiley & Sons), and my latest book, “Business Beyond Borders: Stories, Tales and Lessons Learned from Working in 100 Cultures Around the World”.

And here, dear subscribers are the correct CultureQuiz ANSWERS:

Getting Things Done Across Cultures

Dean Foster — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 20:26:57 GMT

‘Faith is all you’ve got when the Caribbean hurricane’s blown everything else away”, I thought to myself, standing in the rubble of what was once my house on the little island of Saint Thomas. First Irma ripped the roof off, and then a week later, Maria blew down about half the concrete walls. Finally, after two months of waiting for flights to resume,…

SO TELL US HOW YOU REALLY FEEL!

Dean Foster — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 19:42:57 GMT

“Loved the book because it is a compelling and insightful exploration of global business practice through the lens of cultural intelligence. Drawing on decades of first-hand experience across more than 100 countries, Foster blends vivid storytelling with practical lessons that resonate with both seasoned executives and emerging leaders. The book goes be…

THEN: Globalization, Free Trade, Cultural Diversity. NOW: De-Globalization, Tariffs & Walls.

Dean Foster — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 21:18:47 GMT

…a reported asked me last week.

“Oh, yes!”, I replied. “Precisely because politicians have brought us to this reactionary moment, what I am saying in this book is even more important now than before.”

I beli…

"Hey, Dean! What's With the Title?"

Dean Foster — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 21:08:48 GMT

So I woke up this morning in a panic over the title of my book.

“Oops, did I make a mistake? Did I choose the wrong preposition? This was in the title of my new book, right there on the front cover, so if it were the wrong word, that would REALLY stand out”, I thought to myself. “Sure it’s just one word, just a change in a little preposition”, I tried…

"Birdcages but No Birds? Where are the Birds?"

Dean Foster — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 13:45:11 GMT

That’s a quote from my customs agent at the Hong Kong airport who, several years ago, was determined to keep me from boarding my flight back to the US with four empty birdcages, unless I produced the birds for which, he was sure, I had bought the birdcages.

I had no birds.

How to Get the Plumbing Fixed In Time for Dinner in Provence.

Dean Foster — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:57:23 GMT

Ever meet someone who’s brain just seemed to be working on a different plane? Who put thoughts and ideas together in ways you could never imagine doing? I’m not talking about irrational or emotional expression, but rather the thought process behind the words and their expression. We can all be more or less irrational or emotive, but when it comes to …

What's Cool in California Ain't Correct in Calais.

Dean Foster — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 17:10:16 GMT

If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably noticed that I stress a lot (some would say obsess a lot) about the fact that when it comes to culture, we’re always talking about norms, averages and spectrums. Point being that scientifically valid statements about groups of people can never be predictors of individual actors, because individuals …

Peeking Through the Windows of Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris

Dean Foster — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 16:33:11 GMT

I want to send a big, loud public “like” back to all of you who have liked my preview videos of different stories from my new book, “BUSINESS BEYOND BORDERS: Stories, Tales and Lessons Learned from Working in 100 Cultures Around the World”. You’re the best, and I really appreciate it!

This week, I am reading from the next chapter in my book, which tel…

Rum, Rhumba and Remembrance: My New Years Eve in Havana.

Dean Foster — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 14:21:26 GMT

A big thank you to all of you who have taken the time to watch some of my “Tell Me A Story” video previews of different chapters from my new upcoming book, “BUSINESS BEYOND BORDERS: Stories, Tales and Lessons Learned from Working in 100 Cultures Around the World”. This week, I am reading from Chapter 2 of the book, where I talk about the importance of…

The Curious Case of the Missing Marmalade in Pondicherry, India

Dean Foster — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 13:35:26 GMT

Thanks for watching my “Tell Me A Story” videos, where I read a snippet or two from my new book, “BUSINESS BEYOND BORDERS: Stories, Tales and Lessons Learned From Working in 100 Cultures Around the World”. One of the reasons I am really excited about this book is that it is so different from my previous books: in BBB, I get to tell you about my own per…

"Long, Long Ago, in a Land Far, Far Away..."

Dean Foster — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 19:25:43 GMT

With my new book, “BUSINESS BEYOND BORDERS: Stories, Tales & Lessons Learned From Working in 100 Cultures Around the World”, coming out this fall, I thought you, dear prospective reader, might enjoy hearing me read out loud what I think are some really fun, interesting or insightful passages from my book. There are about 20 chapters in the book, each o…

"Business Beyond Borders"?

Dean Foster — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 18:37:54 GMT

“Oh, yes”, I responded to my doubting colleague. “More than ever, in fact”.

Now I know that sounds like a pretty predictable response from the author (that’s me) of a book about working with cultural differences around the world. You’d be right to suspect a wee bit of self-promotion whenever an author announces the undeniable relevance of their latest …

"Did I Say That?"

Dean Foster — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 17:35:21 GMT

This week I am recording the audiobook version of my new book, “BUSINESS BEYOND BORDERS": Stories, Tales and Lessons Learned from Working in 100 Cultures Around the World”. The book is scheduled to be published in the fall, along with the Kindle and Audiobook version of the book, but all formats are now available for pre-order on Amazon right here, rig…