Don't Get Angry at a Different Sense of Time

The first thing that wears you down in international work is a different sense of time. Replies do not come, construction runs late, and "tomorrow" arrives three days later. The urge to shout is understandable, but shouting does not speed anything up.

I have come to think that a sense of time reflects climate and history more than personality. Some societies were shaped by timetables and seasonal deadlines; others grew up where nature kept overturning plans, and learned to value relationships over schedules. Each is rational in its own place.

So instead of getting angry, I design. I build slack into deadlines from the start and divide work by conditions — "when this is done, we move on" — rather than by dates. Important promises are sealed in the form that carries the most weight in the partner's culture: a document, the presence of a senior figure, or a shared meal. Anger cannot be exchanged into any currency. What do you work for?