This Might Be Rude … Story 2 : Stranger Danger - Corporate Edition

When etiquette gets lost in translation


woman looking side eye in shock

Continuing our series where I spill the tea on real-life cultural kerfuffles, this time I’m the one on the receiving end, rudely interrupted and publicly challenged by an upstart vendor. Or was I?

Let’s review…

A few years back, I was leading a Northern Europe-wide rollout for an enterprise software company. We started our program in the Netherlands, where the company had its largest base and my client sponsor was located. Our program required not only the client’s internal staff to be trained, but also a large group of existing and new external vendors.

The vendor calls could be a bit contentious. Introducing a third party is awkward, and the program wasn’t always welcomed with enthusiasm. But I’d done dozens of these calls and had fine-tuned a straightforward presentation that laid out the benefits without blowing smoke or pretending there weren’t tradeoffs.

So you can imagine my surprise when, halfway through my intro, a vendor cut me off, in front of all the vendors, my client, and my team, and said 

I don’t know who your company is. Why should we trust you? You could be some fly-by-night company that will damage our businesses.’ 

It was bracing. I took a beat, pivoted, re-visited and expanded on the company background, and we managed to move forward. 

Later, in debriefing with my client sponsor, I expected they’d want to talk about the aggressive vendor. It happened sometimes, and I planned to discuss our options. Only the client sponsor, also Dutch, saw no hostility. They were completely nonplussed and suggested we expand more on the company’s credentials in the pre-call packages. As they noted, it was true we weren’t well known in this region.

Over time, I ran into this same vendor representative again. He was never anything but respectful. In fact, we once had a great conversation over coffee. Turns out, he hadn’t been trying to be rude at all. He just believed in speaking plainly.

So, who was out of line?

Me, for reading defensiveness where there wasn’t any?

Or him, for challenging me so publicly?

What would you do if this happened to you? 

Leave your take in the comments. 

Follow on the GCM Enterprises on LinkedIn page to catch more true stories in the ‘This Might Be Rude’ series. 

If you're working across cultures or managing global teams, we can help you avoid the next awkward misunderstanding. Reach out at contact@gcmenterprises.com.

Amber

Amber is Managing Partner & Principal Consultant at GCM Enterprises, with over a decade of global experience in project management and cross-cultural team leadership. She specializes in PMO development, international team communication, and creating inclusive, sustainable solutions.

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