Bill Calhoun
I have experienced many of the "oops" moments and social faux pas in my 25 years working in Asia - everyone is bound to at some point. I want to take my business knowledge and help others transition smoothly into working abroad.
Singapore (PRWEB) July 31, 2014
Singapore-based West-East-West Consulting announced today that it has devised cultural training programs for business professionals and their families who want to put their best foot forward in their transition to an international setting. Founder Bill Calhoun is an American expatriate who has been leading a successful career in Asia for decades. He has an unmatched understanding of business and social cues that he passes on to his clients. The courses are fully comprehensive, including how to greet people, conduct and participate in business meetings, increase cultural tolerance, preparing for departure and more.
Professionals who are assigned abroad are given an opportunity to show their worth to their employers. Often the top performing employees are the ones selected, and studies on the matter show that successful completion of overseas assignments increase the likelihood of promotion by 23.7% in the following three years, and are more attractive to other employers. In fact, 24% of board and executive level employees have international travel experience. However, with little or no preparation for living and working in a foreign environment, many individuals assigned abroad fail from stress, feelings of isolation and homesickness.
For business who send employees abroad, international assignments can cost between $200,000 and $400,000 per year, including compensation, allowance, management costs and benefits. Studies show that culture shock is the primary reason for much of the stress, depression and other mental and physical health issues shown in individuals working abroad. Therefore, it often leads to unsuccessful assignments abroad, which means a significant financial loss for their corporate sponsors. On the other hand, if an individual is properly equipped to travel abroad, studies show that organizations see an average of 13% net performance increase in successful assignments.
“I have experienced many of the "oops" moments and social faux pas in my 25 years working in Asia - everyone is bound to at some point,” says Calhoun. “I want to take my business knowledge and help others transition smoothly into working abroad. Additionally, many times children are involved with the move and their well-being is treated as an afterthought. I’ve added courses that teach children how to minimize bias and facilitate increased cultural tolerance.”
West-East-West Consulting is based on the foundation of four key principals: courage, humility, cooperation and belonging. Each one by itself brings positive change in people’s lives, but mastering all of them will allow professionals to enter any situation with confidence and let ambitions shine through. Courses developed for business professionals will cover cultural awareness and history, cultural communication and education, and human dynamics for empowering indigenous communities in business settings.
Programs for children of business professionals living abroad are also offered to help children adequately adjust. Considering that children have little understanding regarding cultural differences, courses will focus on helping them appreciate the varying cultural differences and harness that diversity to enhance communication among their new friends and classmates. These courses are geared toward children between the ages of five and ten years old. Courses will use a mixed approach to learning, including cooperative learning (songs, dance and acting), dialogue in dual languages, reading (books about diversity, morals and behaviors) and individual work.
All courses provide clients with direct access to Bill Calhoun with live video and chat. These tailored services provide clients with personalized attention, customized plans and goals, and thoughtful advice on how to overcome shortcomings, avoid pitfalls and succeed.
To learn more about West-East-West Consulting please visit, http://www.gosucceedabroad.com. For all media inquiries, please contact Dana Callender at dana(at)stellarimpeller(dot)com.
About West-East-West Consulting
Bill Calhoun is an American expatriate who has been successfully working in major organizations in Asia for decades. After seeing a clear need for an introduction to interpersonal communication in drastically different cultures, he launched West-East-West Consulting. Bill has made his name as an international Emmy nominated director, life coach, author and fitness trainer. He is also fluent in Japanese and practices Shorinji Kenpo karate.