Lufthansa is First Class
Hello and welcome to today’s episode of The Memory Keeper. This fifth episode will be about me flying with my dear friend and mentor Fons Trompenaars from Munich to New York on Lufthansa. So, you know, Fons is regarded as the intercultural guru, globally. Now, let’s get into today’s episode! I’m your host, Bram Groen, and I Am the Memory Keeper.
Today’s is a classic story of how you can take advantage of your intercultural knowledge and other’s naivety in that regard. And it may give you some ideas next time you are in a culture where they bow for position hierarchy.
Lufthansa Purser
In Germany, respect for position hierarchy is famously notorious across the world. Public display of insubordination or even the slightest slight of the higher ups is a no-no. But that of course also offers opportunities…by those who get it. So here we are at Munich airport ready to board the Lufthansa flight to New York. “We” are my “boss” at the time and world class intercultural guru - Fons Trompenaars himself, my teacher and dear friend. Humble as he is, he would LOL at my characterization. The two of us had a busy schedule that took us from a meeting with the global diversity committee of a famous Munich-based company to a meeting in New York with a financial giant. All to help these firms’ staff to be better at intercultural relations, if not even try to reconcile intercultural dilemmas and paradoxes despite the linear way we think in our Western world.
It’s Boarding Time. Of course, Fons boards first as he is my senior in rank. I am next yet am being stopped by the purser who apologizes profusely to me and lets me know that there is no more room left in Biz Class. “Therefore, we will put you in First Class, if you can agree with that.” Tough call, he?
Lufthansa First Class
Lufthansa at Munich
But not so fast, while my brain was going a thousand miles a minute. “Aber Fraulein, das gibts doch nicht! That is not possible! Fons is my boss, and I can’t sit in front of him in a higher class!” My boss could not possibly sit behind me,” I exclaimed with my baritone voice. The ever-German Purser answers: “Ach, Entschuldigung – natuerlich. “Ten minutes later as we taxi to the runway Fons asked me with a broad smile on his face as we both sip on our champagne: “How the heck did you get me to sit in First Class?” “Ach, Fons, I will explain as soon as we are wheels up…”
I trust you liked this week’s episode. But just in case you might think that we as Dutchmen know all there is to know about culture, next week I will tell you how I screwed up in my own country of origin. I found out how Americanized I already had become.
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