Born in the United Kingdom.

Core Offers

Cross-Cultural Competency Development

• Cross-Cultural Awareness Training
  • Objective: Develop employees' sensitivity and awareness for working in a multicultural environment to facilitate more effective business.
  • Typical Content: Cross-cultural differences and similarities, recognising your impact on others, developing strategies for successful cross-cultural working.
• Cross-Cultural Communication Skills Training and Coaching
  • Objective: Develop effective cross-cultural communication skills.
  • Typical Content: Active listening, recognising emotions, understanding the impact on others when communicating, communication methods, presenting and getting the message across.
• Country-Specific Intercultural Training and Coaching
  (Japan, Great Britain, Spain, Germany, Asia)
  • Objective: Knowledge transfer to develop the understanding of working/living in the specific culture.
  • Typical Content: Norms and values of the culture, working styles and business behaviour, integrating into the culture and society.
  • Workshops are based on Susan's actual experience of working, living and travelling in the countries and learning the languages (Great Britain – native, Japan – 7 years, Spain – 3 years, Germany – 4 years).

International Assignment Preparation and Reintegration

• Expatriate Selection Workshop
  • Objective: Work with Human Resource managers to identify potential international assignees and help the decision process of the potential assignees as well as the internal decision-making process.
  • Typical Content: Cross-cultural awareness, adjustment profile, identify and develop strategies for working with the issues associated with an international assignment.
• Expatriate Preparation Workshop
  • Objective: Prepare employees and their partners for an international assignment, with focus on assignments in Great Britain, Japan, Spain, Germany or Asia.
  • Typical Content: The "Soft" and "Hard" Factors of making an international assignment a success, managing Culture Shock, strategies to maximise the learning from an international assignment.
• Reintegration Preparation Coaching
  • Objective: Prepare employees and their partners for a successful and smooth reintegration into their home country and work place.
  • Typical Content: Re-entry shock, adjustment factors, managing expectations.
• Partner Coaching and Support
  • Objective: Facilitate the adjustment process for partners during an international assignment.
  • Typical Content: Managing Culture Shock, adjustment factors, managing expectations and strategies for successfully using the time available.

International Management Development Programmes

• International Team Building
  • Objective: Developing a strong and cohesive international team.
  • Typical Content: Defining roles and responsibilities, identifying and clarifying cross-cultural issues, handling conflict, personality profiling (using HDI).
• International Trainee and Young Leadership Programmes
  • Objective: Preparing Trainees/Young Leaders for an international assignment or international role in an organisation.
  • Typical Content: Global Leadership dimensions, cross-cultural working, personality profiling (HDI).

Languages

• English (native)
• Japanese
• Spanish
• German

Personal Profile

• Susan MacKichan MA, born and educated in the United Kingdom, has lived, worked and studied all over the world since 1987, building bridges across cultures. Her rich and varied career has seen her working as a member of a European sales team, coaching executives in Asia and Europe, lecturing English and Intercultural Communication at a Japanese University, designing and running pre departure programmes for the Japanese Foreign Office, acting on a weekly Japanese (NHK) radio programme and, since 2000, working as a coach and trainer in Germany.
• Some of the companies Susan has worked with include Airbus, Adidas, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Fibernet and ZF.
• 'I have developed my own understanding of the necessary tools for the successful interaction between cultures. These are based on my own real and practical experiences of living and integrating into the cultures, working together with the people and learning their language.'
• My Own Key Values: Authenticity, integrity, experience, pragmatism, integration, openness, fun!