American Business Beyond Stereotypes

In terms of stereotyping the inhabitants of an entire nation, I can’t think of people who are more subject to be boxed in than Americans. I will leave the classic clichés aside as they do not provide any meaningful insight or are simply not true. However, I think it is worthwhile focusing on the business aspects of certain stereotypical views that in fact do provide some practical information on doing business in the USA with Americans.

American Business Beyond Stereotypes

The goal
The land of opportunity is a phrase often used to refer to the USA and I actually do subscribe to the -somewhat stereotypical- viewpoint. It seems deeply rooted in the American culture to assume that high goals can be reached, more so than in other countries as I have experienced. Clearly, Americans follow a more opportunistic approach by setting high, sometimes even outrageous, goals and then figure out a way to get there while expecting and accepting to stumble through parts of the journey.

The obstacles
One of the differences between Americans and Europeans, especially the Germans, French or Dutch, is that Europeans are more cautious and seem to encourage the debate more. It is a way to establish consensus and to consider success and failure. Often, a step-by-step engineering approach is applied where obstacles are being discussed at each planned step prior to any execution. Even expressing serious doubts about successfully overcoming hypothetical obstacles is allowed, if not encouraged, in many European countries.

The possibilities
The result of the more opportunistic approach in the USA, whereby high goals are set, is that Americans tend to think in terms of possibilities, not obstacles. From that perspective, of course, everything is possible. On more than one occasion have I observed the non-verbal (and sometimes verbal), reaction of Americans as a result of labeling an idea or suggestion as ‘not possible’ by people of other nationalities. The reactions vary from confusion and disbelief to astonishment or irritation.

The same differently
It is not surprising that American companies generally do better in the USA and that European companies outperform in European markets. Americans appear to apply speed more than Europeans in an effort to stay ahead of their fierce competition. As such, my slogan in international business that ‘Everybody Does The Same Thing Differently’ applies. For foreign companies that aim at entering or expanding in the USA, success will depend on perseverance over multiple years and the ability to appropriately act and react with speed to opportunities and failures.