Trust me, I don’t want to be thinking about Christmas in early August… But I live in the UK and have a young child, so the emails advertising festive shows and visits to Santa have started coming in…

In fact, one local show is half booked already and, back in MARCH, I attempted to get tickets for a family Christmas experience along with the other 70,000 people in a virtual queue… as a relatively new parent, this shocked me too!

I have also just been invited to a birthday party in late September. I might not like having to plan several weeks ahead, but I am GLAD for this notice – I want to attend! Many of those invited are already booked up.

When we think of national approaches to time, we tend to think first of punctuality. But how far in advance we plan things can vary significantly across cultures too.

If we are not aware of what is typical (socially and professionally), as well as of our own preferences, it can lead to misunderstandings, stress and missed opportunities to connect.

IMAGINE:

• Colleagues or friends don’t accept your invitations to socialise – you could feel rejected or offended, or upset that your child has so few people coming to their birthday party. You give up on building the relationship. But, maybe you simply didn’t give enough notice.

• Your colleague requests a meeting or work task to be completed on the same day or with just a couple of days’ notice. You agree, but you feel resentful or stressed. You feel disrespected by your colleague, that they don’t value your time. You judge them harshly for their poor planning.

Maybe you can relate and have your own examples?

At a minimum, it’s helpful to keep this cultural variable in mind. If you want some extra food for thought or ideas…

If you are someone who likes to PLAN:

• Where possible, make more of an effort to be flexible and accommodate short-notice requests, especially if it is culturally appropriate or if you are looking to strengthen a particular relationship
• Don’t judge people too quickly as unprofessional. Set expectations or explain how much notice you need
• If you know certain colleagues are likely to change plans, can you factor that unpredictability and more flexibility into your schedule?
• Challenge yourself to be more spontaneous – you might have fun!

If you are someone who is more FLEXIBLE AND DOES NOT TEND TO PLAN FAR AHEAD:

• Don’t take it personally if people always seem to be busy. Find out what lead time/ notice is typical or ask the other person to propose a good date.
• Find out which situations allow for more flexibility. For example, in the UK, people might be more willing to go for a spontaneous quick lunch or a drink after work when they are in the office, especially on a sunny day! Or friends in your immediate local area are more likely to be open to a quick bike ride, coffee or play date (although ‘short-notice’ can often still be a day or so in advance rather than in the next hour or two!)
• Grab a coffee and have a planning session for leisure activities – book those tickets for an event, that popular, busy restaurant on a Saturday night or that hotel for the long holiday weekend. You can do so much in the UK…if it isn’t fully booked!

So, as always, be aware, be curious, have conversations with friends/ colleagues of different nationalities, don’t judge too quickly and be open to adapting your approach sometimes, even if it’s not your preference.

How far ahead do you book weekends, holidays or meetings in your culture?

#culturalawareness #interculturalcompetence #britishculture #planning #flexibility