Golden Rules

[The Minsky Moment]

The United States c. Nov 2016- present

1. Never apologize.
2. Always represent yourself in the most boastful fashion possible.
3. Employ the most extreme forms of hyperbole possible.
4. Use gratuitous insults when referring to rivals, competitors or even colleagues.
5. Where possible, avoid using words longer than 2 syllables and do not express yourself in phrases above a 3rd grade reading level.
6. Do not display any signs of intelligent thought. In fact, try to avoid thinking altogether.
7. Do not refer to facts or scientific principles in justifying a course of action. Instead refer to the contents of your "gut".
8. Telling the truth is considered quaint and a sign of weakness.
9. Treat all personal and professional relationships as purely transactional.
10. NEVER apologize.

[Maladict]

Germany #1 

The Dutch ones are pretty good.

[Savonarola]

Some of those don't resonate at all. Appearance, respect for hierarchy, losing face. Maybe it's an old generation thing. Or perhaps in other sectors.

In my experience it is true that Germans get pissed off if you affect their personal time, while this is usually less of a problem in Spain. It is still something to avoid whenever possible. I'll have to stay at my post if you schedule stuff beyond working hours, but I'll be less than happy about it.

It is true that we are on average far more social than our counterparts to the north, though.

The Spaniards I worked with dressed a lot nicer than their American or Colombian counterparts (especially considering we were working in a coal port.)   

These dossiers were put together by a French company and it's intended audience are French speakers (the translation is mostly an afterthought.)  These may be a reflection of (or at least influenced by) French cultural attitudes. 

[Grey Fox]

The Canadian seems accurate.

[viper37]

Canada:
1 Be on time, or even early.
2 Go out of your way to be respectful, understanding and tolerant.
3 Be disciplined and professional when performing your tasks.
4 Adopt a calm, discreet and level headed attitude.
5 Be relaxed and approachable.
6 When explaining things, do so clearly and precisely.
7 Back up your claims and views with concrete proof.
8 Honour your commitments.
9 Encourage and reward initiative.
10 Show respect for cultural

sounds about right

[Iormlund]

Some of those don't resonate at all. Appearance, respect for hierarchy, losing face. Maybe it's an old generation thing. Or perhaps in other sectors.

In my experience it is true that Germans get pissed off if you affect their personal time, while this is usually less of a problem in Spain. It is still something to avoid whenever possible. I'll have to stay at my post if you schedule stuff beyond working hours, but I'll be less than happy about it.

It is true that we are on average far more social than our counterparts to the north, though.

The Spaniards I worked with dressed a lot nicer than their American or Colombian counterparts (especially considering we were working in a coal port.)   

In my experience jeans and a t-shirt is what most actual engineers wear while on the job. But I could totally see that being true among lesser lifeforms, such as project managers, sales "engineers" and consultants. 

[crazy canuck]

The Canadian seems accurate.

Canada:
1 Be on time, or even early.
2 Go out of your way to be respectful, understanding and tolerant.
3 Be disciplined and professional when performing your tasks.
4 Adopt a calm, discreet and level headed attitude.
5 Be relaxed and approachable.
6 When explaining things, do so clearly and precisely.
7 Back up your claims and views with concrete proof.
8 Honour your commitments.
9 Encourage and reward initiative.
10 Show respect for cultural

sounds about right

I would have re-ordered it a bit. 8 and 10 should appear sooner.  3 and 5 should be lower down.

1 is the most important

[Sheilbh]

In my experience jeans and a t-shirt is what most actual engineers wear while on the job. But I could totally see that being true among lesser lifeforms, such as project managers, sales "engineers" and consultants. 

Yeah. I think engineers may need a separate list

[viper37]

The Canadian seems accurate.

Canada:
1 Be on time, or even early.
2 Go out of your way to be respectful, understanding and tolerant.
3 Be disciplined and professional when performing your tasks.
4 Adopt a calm, discreet and level headed attitude.
5 Be relaxed and approachable.
6 When explaining things, do so clearly and precisely.
7 Back up your claims and views with concrete proof.
8 Honour your commitments.
9 Encourage and reward initiative.
10 Show respect for cultural

sounds about right

I would have re-ordered it a bit. 8 and 10 should appear sooner.  3 and 5 should be lower down.

1 is the most important

I didn't see it as a list of priority.  Just do everything on the list, regardless of the numbers.